Thursday 17 February 2011

Have a Handmade 7th Wedding Anniversary

Hi Anne-Marie here with the fourth and final instalment of the Wedding Anniversary series, this time focusing on the 7th year of marriage.

The traditional symbols for the 7th anniversary are wool and copper, two indiginous materials that have been used by Irish crafters for centuries.


I found loads of gorgeous and diverse wool items made by members of the Crafty Ireland Team

for her....
...or for him

Unisex Scarf by Huggle Knits

Wool is said to symbolise warmth and comfort in the relationship. It also stands for durability; three qualities I'd certainly associate with woollen items handmade in a sheep-farming and yarn-spinning country like Ireland. However, in recent years, wool has shown its versatility, used to make exciting jewellery and accessories .

Wool Flower Necklace by Life is Serendipity

Crochet Bag by Selkie Crochet

If you'd prefer to make your own gift you'll find plenty of tempting wool and other supplies locally on Etsy. Yellow happens to be the colour associated with the 7th Anniversary so I found just the thing:
Silk and Merino Wool Blend from Woolly Gathering

Copper is also given to celebrate the 7th year of wedlock. This warm, reddish-brown metal has been utlised in Ireland since the early Bronze Age.

Copper and Silver Pendant by Stradbally Jewellery

Copper has long been used by healers to treat inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. Copper and to a lesser extent, brass, were introduced as 7th wedding anniversary gifts with the coming of the industrial age. The modern gift to mark the 7th year is a desktop set. This probably came about because desktop and inkpot sets originally featured copper or brass.


Onyx Earrings from my own shop, Handmade by Amo'r

The gemstone for the 7th year together is onyx, a sleek and timeless stone. Like most gems, onyx has many meanings. As well as a stone for healing, it is associated with protection, positivity, eloquence, and sharpened wits, if I dare say, qualities that wouldn't go astray in any relationship :-).

Happy Anniversary!


The rest of the series:
1st & 2nd Anniversary
3rd, 4th, 5th Anniversary
6th Anniversary

9 comments:

  1. AM, this is a great article - I love all the information on wool of course!

    Thanks for featuring my neckwarmer :)

    And yes, there is definitely so much woolly and yarny temptation on Etsy - I spent quite a bit of my time on Etsy just tooking at beautiful yarns and fibre...

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  2. Wonderful article and thank you for featuring my yarn ;)

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  3. The article is really interesting and the items are gorgeous, thank you for including my necklace.

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  4. cheers.
    looking for items to feature made me want to relearn to knit or to try felting or something. So many beautiful things made locally.

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  5. Another great article Ann Marie.
    If you fancy a meet up to rekindle your knitting over a coffee, let me know.
    Thanks for including my unisex scaft.
    Cheers
    Mo

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  6. This is a gorgeous article, Anne Marie! Thanks so much for including my felted bird wallet!!

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  7. I love that neckwarmer!

    <3mvv

    themodernvv.com {stop by and say hi!}

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  8. Mo I might just take you up on that but see you at the meeting on March 5 anyhoos

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