SSXL-001 Curb Chain Heart Shaped Necklace

Description

Myths About the Heart Symbol

A Brief History Of The Heart In Jewelry

In the early Middle Ages, the heart began to pop up in art and jewelry, even royal family crests. During the 15th and 16th centuries, heart imagery exploded into gold-plated stainless steel jewelry. While mostly aristocrats and the upper class could afford it at the time, by the early 20th century King Edward VIII showcased his love through heart jewelry to Wallis Simpson. As the relationship was documented in the press worldwide through this jewelry, Edward VIII eventually abdicated his throne for the love of his life.

A Symbol With Mysterious Origins

Nobody is certain where the heart symbol came from, but historians do know that it goes back at least as far as the 1400s. It shows up as one of the red suits on a deck of European playing cards discovered from that time. And there are plenty of unconfirmed theories about its unusual shape too: Some people believe the heart symbol is modeled after the shape of ivy leaves (which symbolize fidelity), while others think it might be designed to look like breasts, buttocks, or other parts of the human body. Another theory is that the symbol is meant to look like the seed of the silphium plant, which was used as an herbal aphrodisiac and contraceptive way back in the day. Regardless of its origins, one thing is certain: The heart symbol quickly becomes associated with love, adoration, and the passions of the human heart.

The Victorian-era Valentine’s Day

The heart symbol began to grow in popularity as it became tied to the idea of romantic love during the medieval period. We know this because the symbol shows up frequently in art from the Renaissance era, and it became one of the four official suits on playing cards. And once English Victorians began sending each other elaborate Valentine’s Day cards covered in ribbons, bows, and yes, heart symbols, it was clear that the heart symbol was here to stay.

The Symbolism of the Heart Shape Necklace

The first piece of jewelry with a heart dates back to King Edward VIII when he gifted Ms. Simpson the Cartier Heart Charm necklace inscribed with a beautiful Blaise Pascal’s quote – The Heart Has Its Reasons. Eventually, this would be stuck upon jewelers and lovers of jewelry, something that has dominated the fashion and jewelry scene for a long while now.

The reason for the popularity of heart jewelry has to do with the fact that the heart is the core of human anatomy – it is, after all, the organ responsible for pumping blood to the body’s extremities while also keeping you alive. So, if, for example, you donate blood, you are literally giving away a part of yourself to another soul. And in the romantic sense, giving a heart to someone else in the romantic sense means that you will be offering a part of yourself to the person you love. The heart-inspired jewelry represents you giving that person you love a bit of your heart, and whenever they wear that piece of jewelry, they will be reminded of the love you have for them and the love you share.

Over centuries, therefore, the heart’s found a way into bracelets, pendants, rings, and charms, among other kinds of jewelry. And if you consider yourself crazy in love, you may have seen or even bought the heart-shaped padlocks that have been used to signify the love shared between two people and also the life-long commitment they make to each other. You’ll still notice the heart-shaped padlocks in the jewelry scene today, not to mention the infamous chain link fences in many parts of the world where you get to write the name of that person you love at the padlock’s back, lock it to the fence, then throw the key away. This might not be your thing, but at its heart, this tradition is meant to signify and honor the love you have for that person, and more importantly, the metaphorical and actual significance of the fact that the love you have for that person wouldn’t be given away or unlocked for anyone else.

Now that we have the basics out of the way and we understand what different kinds of jewelry mean let’s take a look at the different types of heart necklaces and what they mean.

Contemporary Heart Jewelry Designs

For some hearts are a favorite jewelry design. Others will find them too demure and girlish. With CHURINGA modern designs you can embrace this iconic motif in contemporary styles.

CHURINGA Heart Shaped Necklace Detail

Heart-shaped necklaces are the best way to make a bold romantic statement or gesture. CHURINGA offers heart pendant necklaces in various styles.