Christening Gifts
Christening gifts have been silver for five hundred years because silver lasts. Ours are christening jewellery made by hand in our London workshop to be given now, kept safe by the parents, and worn when the child is old enough: a first bracelet engraved with the name and the date, a charm to start a collection, a cross or a signet, first pearls. Nothing plated, everything engravable, from the godparents, the grandparents or a guest. And if you'd rather give a bangle sized to the baby's wrist, we'll make one.
How christening jewellery works
Given now, worn at eighteen
It's customary for parents to keep christening jewellery safe until the child is old enough to look after it, so a christening gift doesn't have to fit a baby. Ours are made for the person they'll become: solid silver or gold, not plated, engraved with the name and the date, sized for the adult and resized by us when the day comes. The bracelet they're given at the font is the bracelet they wear at eighteen, with the same date on it.
The traditional gift
Christening bracelets, silver and engraved
A christening bracelet is the gift most people look for first. Ours are solid silver, made here, and made to be worn later: an ID bracelet with the name and date on the plate, a charm bracelet to be added to, or a single strand of real pearls kept for her.
Bracelet
ID Engravable Braceletfrom £370
The adult ID bracelet, three sizes, to grow into
Bracelet
Charm braceletfrom £275
Start it with one charm, add one a year
Bracelet
Hope Round Pearl Braceletfrom £320
A single strand of pearls, kept for her
Bracelet
Faith Pearl Bracelet£320
Round white pearls on solid silver
Bracelet
Heart Charm Braceletfrom £310
A heart charm, engraved on the back
Bracelet
Mercy Pearl Bracelet£320
Rice pearls, the lighter strand
The one we'd choose
First ID Engravable Bracelet
Made for exactly this: a solid silver ID bracelet with a plate for the name and the date of the christening, designed to start a little one's collection early. Give it at the font, and there's an adult version in three sizes waiting for when it's theirs.
from £335
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One now, one every birthday
Christening charms to start a collection
The charm bracelet is the christening gift that keeps being given: one charm at the font, another at each birthday, until it tells their childhood back to them. Ours are solid silver or gold, made here, and most can be engraved on the back with a date.
Charm
Oval Disc Engraving Charmfrom £245
A disc, engraved with the name and date
Charm
Heartful Charmfrom £245
A heart, engraved on the back
Charm
Book Charmfrom £285
For the reader they'll become
Charm
Polar Bear Charmfrom £285
Solid silver, diamond eyes if you like
Charm
Elephant Charmfrom £285
The one for luck
Charm
Large Heartful Charmfrom £265
The largest disc, for a longer message
The one we'd choose
Bumblebee Charm
Our bee, in solid silver or gold, on a chain or a bracelet. It's the charm we're asked for most as a first one, small enough for a child and made well enough for the adult, with room on the back for the date.
from £285
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For the christening, and for later
Christening necklaces, crosses and a signet for eighteen
The two oldest christening gifts after silver itself: a cross, and a signet ring with the child's initials, kept until they're old enough to wear it. Ours are made here in solid silver or gold, and the discs and signets take a name, a date or a godparent's line.
Necklace
Cross Necklacefrom £650
Solid silver cross on a 50cm chain
Necklace
Cross Leather Necklacefrom £600
Silver cross on leather, for a boy
Necklace
Silk Disc Necklacefrom £490
A disc engraved on either side
Necklace
Signet Necklacefrom £445
A signet on a chain, initials on the top
Ring
Small Oval Signet Ringfrom £420
The small signet, initials cut by hand
Ring
Small Signet Ringfrom £420
The small signet in gold
The one we'd choose
Small Signet Ring
A signet engraved with their initials is the christening gift that becomes a coming-of-age gift on its own: given now, kept in the box, and put on at eighteen in the size they've grown into. We resize it then, and we've been cutting initials by hand for thirty years.
from £420
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Christening gifts for a girl
First pearls
Real freshwater pearls on solid silver or gold, kept until she's old enough and then worn to everything. Studs are the classic; a single strand is the one that gets handed down.
Bracelet
Hope Round Pearl Braceletfrom £320
Round pearls on a bracelet
Necklace
Vermeer Pearl Drop Necklacefrom £405
A single pearl drop on a chain
Necklace
Hope Round Pearl Necklacefrom £490
A single strand of round pearls
Necklace
Blanche Pearl Necklacefrom £490
Shell pearls on solid silver
Necklace
Mercy Pearl Necklacefrom £490
Rice pearls, the lighter strand
Necklace
Faith Pearl Necklacefrom £490
Round pearls, white, grey, pink or peacock
The one we'd choose
Betty Pearl Studs
Real freshwater pearls on solid silver or gold posts, made in Islington. Small enough for a first pair of earrings, good enough to wear to her own wedding. If you buy one thing on this page for a girl, it's these.
from £170
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Christening gifts for a girl, a boy, or twins
Nothing here is pink or blue. These are the pieces we'd pick for each, and every one can be engraved.
Christening gifts from the godparents, the grandparents, or a guest
Godparents traditionally give the silver. Grandparents give the heirloom. A guest gives something small that lasts. Whoever you are, it's engravable.
Made to the baby's wrist
A christening bangle made to size
If you'd rather give something that fits now, we make baby bangles to order in solid silver: sized to the wrist, engraved inside with the name and the date, and resized by us as they grow. The one in the picture was commissioned by a father for his three-year-old, to match his own. (Confirm: price from, and lead time.)
Engraving
Engraved with the name and the date
The name, the date of the christening, a line from the godparents: engraved by hand in our workshop on the plate of a bracelet, the back of a charm, the face of a signet or either side of a disc. From (£X, confirm) a letter. Engraving adds (X days, confirm), so if the christening is close, call us before you order and we'll tell you honestly.
In time, and on time
Buying for a date?
Ready-to-ship pieces dispatch fast; engraved and made-to-order pieces take up to 4 weeks. Call us with the date and we'll tell you honestly.
Shipping
Free UK shipping on orders over £100.
Made here
Dispatched direct from our London workshop.
Christening gift questions
What do godparents give at a christening?
Traditionally silver or gold jewellery, personalised with the child's name and the date: a bracelet, a cross, a signet or a charm. It's kept by the parents until the child is old enough to wear it, so it doesn't need to fit a baby. A Bible, a donation in the child's name, or money are the other customary gifts.
How much should you spend on a christening gift?
Guests usually spend £10 to £30, close family £50 and up, and godparents £50 to £100 or more, which reflects the role rather than a rule. Our christening jewellery starts at £145 for pearl studs and £170 for an engraved silver disc, and the pieces most godparents choose sit between £300 and £450.
Do you give a gift at a christening?
Yes, though nobody keeps score. Guests bring a card and something small; godparents and grandparents give something that lasts. Money is common now and not rude. If you'd rather give a thing, give one that's still theirs at eighteen.
What is a christening bracelet, and will it fit?
A christening bracelet is a silver or gold bracelet given to mark the day, usually engraved with the name and the date. Most are kept safe by the parents until the child can look after it. Ours are made in a first size and adult sizes, so the same bracelet fits at one and at eighteen, and we resize it in between.
Is jewellery a good christening gift for a boy?
It's the traditional one. A cross on a chain, an ID bracelet with his name on the plate, or a signet ring with his initials to be worn from eighteen: the signet is the gift that becomes a coming-of-age present on its own.
Can it be engraved with the name and the date?
Yes, by hand in our workshop: the plate of a bracelet, the back of a charm, the face of a signet, either side of a disc. Engraving adds (X days, confirm), and engraved pieces can't be returned, so order a month ahead of the christening or gift it plain and engrave it afterwards.
Is a baptism or a naming ceremony the same as a christening for gifts?
For gifts, yes. A christening is a baptism with a naming; a naming ceremony is the non-religious version. The same silver, engraved with the same name and date, is right for all three. If you'd prefer no cross, choose a charm, a disc or a bracelet.
Will it arrive in time for the christening?
Ready-to-ship pieces leave the London workshop within days; engraved and made-to-order pieces take up to 4 weeks. Call +44 20 7359 4977 with the date before you order and we'll tell you honestly. We don't make a St Christopher as standard, but we can make one to order.
All Christening Gifts
48 pieces
Every christening gift here is designed and made by hand in our Islington workshop, in solid silver or gold, and engraved to order with the name and the date. They are made to be given now and worn later: a first ID bracelet, a charm to start a collection, a cross, a signet with their initials, first pearls. From the godparents, the grandparents or a guest.
