Mother’s Day 2025: 3 heartfelt stories of jewellery heirlooms inherited from mums
Mother’s Day is a moment to honour the bonds that shape us, often symbolised by the heirlooms mothers entrust to their children. These pieces are not merely jewellery or keepsakes; they are tangible expressions of love, resilience and shared history.
From pearls that speak of grace and courage, to coins transformed into medallions of memory, and rings that ignite lifelong passions, each heirloom tells a story of the women who came before us, and the unspoken legacies they leave behind.
In the words of ourTatler community members, these treasures connect past and present, reminding us that the true value of an heirloom lies in the love and stories it carries across generations.
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Christy Liang: Pearls of strength and grace
Christy Liang shares her love for pearls with her mother (Photo: courtesy of Christy Liang)
Liang’s grandmother and grandfather (Photo: courtesy of Christy Liang)
“Pearls have always been more than just jewellery to us—they represent strength, grace and the bonds that tie us together. My maternal grandmother received a pearl necklace from my grandfather when they first fell in love at university in China. It was a symbol of his admiration for her courage and resilience at a time when there were very few female students studying at university, let alone majoring in economics. He said that to him, she was a rare pearl.
Years later, my father gave my mother a pearl necklace while pursuing her during his own PhD, and it has became a treasured part of her life. She wears it every day and even wore it on the day of my wedding. My mother has always adored pearls, seeing them as timeless and elegant and perfectly imperfect, much like the values that we treasure in our women.
The first pair of earrings [my husband] Ben bought me were also pearls and this was honestly sheer coincidence. Every time I wear these heirlooms, I feel connected to the incredible women in my family and the love stories that shaped our lives.”
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Peter Cheung: Rings of family and passion
Cheung wearing his mum’s ring on his pinkie finger (Photo: courtesy of Peter Cheung)
Peter Cheung and his mother (Photo: courtesy of Peter Cheung)
A close up of Cheung’s mum’s ring (Photo: courtesy of Peter Cheung)
“My mum was a quintessential Shanghainese beauty. Big hair, big fashion and always big jewellery and we shared a close bond over her passion for jewellery collecting since I was a child. I grew up as the youngest of six, the only boy, and it was funny how I was the one who shared my mum’s love of jewellery and at a very young age. This started when I was in primary school in Hong Kong, my mum would pick me up from school and we would go for lunch with several aunties and almost without fail daily, we would then visit one of her many jewellers with her friends. I tagged along and she would ask a salesperson to take me to a nearby toy shop and buy me a matchbox car to humour me and I recall having hundreds of toy cars, each one from those daily visits to the jeweller. Although I loved the toys, I soon began interested in observing her and her friends trying on jewellery, discussing design, setting, gem quality and of course negotiations for prices. I learned at that young age some basics of jewellery and I just recall how my mum and her friends would be so precise, discerning, critical of each piece, and I loved it when she ‘struck a deal’ on something she loved and how elated she was. My mum mainly purchased a lot rings, especially diamond or jade rings. I don’t remember her ever not wearing several rings, earrings and necklaces daily, and she loved it when I would compliment her. All my life she gifted me and my siblings jewellery to share in her passion.
Now, I wear my mum’s rings a lot. Her ring finger is the same size as my pinkie and I wear one of her rings almost daily. They all fit me perfectly and this one was a nice memory as she wore it a lot and she was so proud that she “designed” it saying that the centrestone was of mediocre quality but she thought of “bumping it up” with the pavé diamonds and round-shaped design. I can almost hear her now … saying this with so much pride of her design talents. It’s funny how I would end up in my career of luxury and jewellery and she was always so proud of that and perhaps she was pleased she was the one who ignited that initial spark in me.
My mum loved me wearing jewellery but she always had one rule … she hated men wearing an earring(s) and told me I will kill you if you ever get your ear(s) pierced (of if you ever get a tattoo).
Happy Mother’s Day, mum.”
Chantel Shafie: A medallion of memory
Chantel Shafie and her mother (Photo: courtesy of Chantel Shafie)
Shafie’s mother Libby Shafie wearing the Signature Medallion (Photo: courtesy of Chantel Shafie)
Shafie’s grandmother's Signature Medallion (Photo: courtesy of Chantel Shafie)
Shafie wearing the heirloom Signature Medallion (Photo: courtesy of Chantel Shafie)
“One of the most meaningful pieces I’ve ever made is a Signature Medallion. I created it for my mother when my grandmother passed away. My grandmother wore a British gold sovereign on a chain every day of her life—it had belonged to her own mother, my great-grandmother, and was minted in 1898. I can still picture it resting against her chest. When she passed, I transformed that sovereign into a medallion. My mother now wears it daily, carrying her mother’s energy with her—and one day, it will be mine, and in time, it will belong to my daughter, Sienna.
It’s more than jewellery—it’s memory you can hold. That’s the essence of my Signature collection—creating modern heirlooms that carry meaning. Some are made using family coins passed down through generations. Others begin with a coin chosen for a significant year or place—a quiet way to mark a birth, a turning point, or a moment worth remembering.
A piece to wear now, and pass on.”
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