Children, when they are young, don’t understand the difference between fake diamonds and real ones. While you may want to dress up your kids in diamonds, as soon as possible, it may not make any difference to them at all. In fact, they probably won’t even be ready for a real diamond for a while, as they need to learn how to value and take care of their personal possessions, before you deck them out in glitz. Children usually lose things easily, do not organize things well, and have a number of sensitivities that should be taken into account when buying jewelry. They also tend to be great at learning by doing, so gradually giving them jewelry that they can learn to maintain and keep for a long time, is only going to pay off later when you give them the real thing. It will also be great preparation for when they’re surprised with a diamond engagement ring.
When They Lose Things Easily
Some children care for their possessions better than others. If your kids tend to lose things easily, and they want to get jewelry for gifts on their birthdays and holidays, opt for less expensive cubic zirconia until they can prove they won’t lose a more expensive gift. Instead of gold, you get costume jewelry chains or stainless steel. If they are semi-responsible, get them semi-precious stones to see how well they do. These are far less expensive than precious stones, and they still make great gifts for children, particularly if you choose their birthstone within the jewelry.
Jewelry Boxes and Organizers
Just as nice as receiving jewelry is receiving places to organize jewelry. A nice jewelry box can make a really nice gift, and give your child the motivation to maintain their jewelry and store it when they take it off, providing them with helpful habits to keep from losing things. It should have a place for different styles of jewelry and be easy to sort and see what they have when they open it. You can show them how it’s done by pulling out your own jewelry box and then they can learn by doing when they get their own. Many girls love the idea of their own jewelry box, especially when they see their own mothers using them for their jewelry.
When They’re Too Sensitive
If they have allergies to metals other than gold, you can look for jewelry with a special “hypoallergenic” label. This means the metal shouldn’t react with sensitive people’s skins. While gold is the best metal to avoid unpleasant reactions, there is jewelry with hypoallergenic stainless steel too. Be very careful with piercings as the allergic reaction can cause an infection in the piercing, whether it’s in the ear or elsewhere. The trend these days is to pierce just about anything, which can open kids up to infections if they have sensitive skin. Stick with gold or other hypoallergenic metals used especially for sensitive skin to avoid problems later.
When You Think They’re Ready
At some point, you’ll realize your child now understands the value of fine jewelry versus costume jewelry. They will have shown good habits in taking care of their possessions and will probably start eying pieces with diamonds in them. You can get really good deals online on small diamond jewelry perfect for a child who you think will treasure the gift and be responsible with it. Diamond jewelry is a great way to celebrate very special occasions like sweet sixteen or graduation.
Great Preparation For The Big Ring
Your child will probably be happy with their first piece of jewelry with diamonds. You can be a part of that experience. However, it’s just preparation for when they meet that special someone who is going to offer them the one diamond ring that will change their lives for good. Having experience with fine jewelry by that time will help them to appreciate and maintain their engagement ring so that it stays with them forever. They will probably already have a good idea how to clean diamond jewelry and how to care for it by not soaping it up. They will have a special place in their jewelry box for when they have to remove it for some reason. It will seem almost unbelievable to you, the parent, when they finally come home with that ring on their finger, but you can be sure that you had some part to play in helping her learn how to care and keep her jewelry for a lifetime.