Oh, if it be to choose and call thee mine, love, thou art every day my Valentine! ~ Thomas Hood

For those of us who experience cold blustery winters, this time of year can put a damper on one's spirits if winter sports are not your cuppa tea. Winding down from the cheerful festivity of Christmas and the holidays and eagerly awaiting the glorious promise of spring, January and February can be a little lackluster but for birthdays and other family celebrations and one delightful holiday, Valentine's Day on February 14th.

Valentine's Day is thought to have been imported into North America in the 19th century by British settlers. The practice of exchanging cards for Valentine's Day, usually between men and women, started in the second half of the twentieth century. Gifts of chocolates and flowers especially roses, often accompanied the card. In the 1980's, jewelry became the gift of choice for Valentine's Day driven by the diamond industry who aggressively promoted the notion that a gift of diamonds was synonymous with love.


In addition to being a day for lovers to express their deepest feelings, Valentine’s Day has now come to be associated with a generic platonic greeting of "Happy Valentine's Day", and everyone from students in school to co-workers to family members exchange Valentine’s Day greetings with pretty pink or red cards often accompanied by a gift of jewelry or the traditional chocolates and flowers. My search for Valentine’s Day gifts of jewelry for my mom and my girlfriends unearthed a selection of affordable and elegant Valentine inspired heart-shaped pieces and others with rich bursts of red and pink. With affordable being the key word when purchasing multiple gifts, I found these sweet little numbers at Wal-Mart (photos with links are sprinkled throughout this article).