Celebrations, Suggestions, Storms, and...Chickens!
Written by Vicky on Nov 05, 2025 | 0 Comments
It's the Most Celebratory Time of the Year!
Hello and welcome to Notes From Home. My Irish Jeweler has turned twenty, and our Birthday Sale has run its course. Now, it's just a short trot along to Thanksgiving and Black Friday and dare I say it, Christmas!
The weeks are whirling away from us at an alarming rate, and Gemma's getting that giddy look that always hits her around this time of year - the excitement's kicking in! Of course, that might have been the birthday cake...
Suggestions. Ideally From You, Please and Thank You.
Right, onwards. One of the things Gemma and I have been discussing over the last few months—well, much longer in reality, but we've now brought it into sharper focus—is My Irish Jeweler's selection of engagement rings. We're reviewing the situation, as Fagin might say, although hopefully it goes without saying that we have no duplicitous schemes afoot!
While we're working out what needs a re-design, what to retire, and some styles we'd like to add, it seems like an excellent opportunity to ask our community—and you, Dear Reader—what you'd like to see more (or less!) of in our range. And while you don't have to restrict your answers to our engagement ring selection, we'd particularly love to hear your views on them.
New designs have been unveiled recently, almost all of which follow requests we've had over the last 12 to 18 months. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, so we'd love to keep that trend going!
Engagement Rings
We are sure you are sick of us saying it, but we really are romantics here at My Irish Jeweler, and nothing gets us more excited than helping pick out the perfect ring for the all-important question. Our new 3ct Claddagh was the result of someone getting in touch to say they wanted a diamond Claddagh you could "see from the other end of the street!" We can't promise that, but we think it certainly makes an impression! And all while being exceedingly comfortable to wear for a lifetime.
Sparkle for the coming season!
Diamond jewellery dazzles at any time of year but the Christmas season is all about sparkle. After multiple requests last year for bigger bolder pieces, we duly obliged! We hope Santa is very good to everyone this year!
We're Taking Notes From You!
I've kept a running list in my work diary for the last few years of ideas that people have approached us about, just in case we can do something with them in the future. Anyone who has worked with us over the years knows that we really appreciate feedback of all kinds. So here's your chance to tell us what you've been looking for that you haven't been able to find!
It is not just Santa that has a list. Keeping notes for who wants what is our speciality!
New edge to an old classic
Our new Black Claddagh designs were suggested and requested by more than a few in our community and we have to say... they were right! The romantic symbolism of the Claddagh has a pleasing edge with this black rhodium finish.
Planning Ahead? Come Talk With Us!
Have you got a big anniversary coming up, or a significant birthday in the next year or so? Do you want the perfect romantic proposal with a ring to knock their socks off, or is there a graduation coming up where you're looking for the perfect piece to last them a lifetime?
Anniversary Gifts
We love nothing more than helping find that perfect gift to mark a milestone for a couple.
A match made in heaven
We know emerald and yellow gold is a match made in heaven and we are regularly asked for emerald necklaces, bracelets and of course rings too. These recent additions are destined to be future favourites.
We want to hear your thoughts, so please, share them in the comments section, send us an email, or get in touch via Facebook or Instagram. We can't guarantee that we can wave a magic wand, but we will give everything due consideration, and at the very least, it will go on our ever-lengthening list!
The Storms Have Started.
Because NFH is usually a little project that happens over a couple of days, I'm writing this bit in October as Storm Amy batters our little valley in County Cavan, and the river has burst its banks earlier than usual, courtesy of the unceasing rain over the last three or four days. The whole island of Ireland is under multiple weather warnings, although, as ever, the west coast is getting the worst of it.
I am eyeing the sagging electricity lines that loop along our lane and feeling grateful for our solar panels and our almost full battery. We had them installed in 2024, and they got fully tested by Storm Éowyn in January this year, which hit our adopted county very hard.
Our neighbour at the end of the lane has water from the overblown river lapping about 20ft from her back door, and so I'm trying to type with crossed fingers that the rain will stop before it encroaches any further. When I drove past earlier today, one of her barn cats was taking advantage of a brief sunny spell to snooze on a pile of sandbags at the side of the house. All the clichés about cats are true, aren't they? They really couldn't care less!
Pre- and post-flooding of the River Erne, where it runs at the end of our lane. Our own mini-Nile!
Photo Credit: V. Lowsley
Autumn's colours are really kicking in now, peppering the green with little sprinkles of copper and russet here and there along the hedgerows. The mornings brighten later, temperatures cool, and the darker evenings are creeping in.
It's a shock after a bright summer, especially as I've found myself driving home from Dublin in the dark several times recently. Still, something is comforting, too, about the approach of blankets, candles, and snug evenings by the stove. There's a sudden yearning for stews and soups, and big pots of comfort food simmering on the hob. Autumn and winter bring their own charms!
Morning meditations with Muireann.
Photo Credit: V. Lowsley
Hopefully, you're enjoying the last weeks of Autumn, settling into cosier routines, and enjoyed Oíche Samhain. (N.B. It's pronounced Sow-en in Irish, so please, never Sam-hane!).
For future visitors to Ireland, if you're planning a trip for late October to early November, be sure to check out what's going on nearby. There's the Lú Festival of Light in Drogheda, and Clonakilty in Cork, Carlow, Kells, Kerry and Dublin have their own celebrations. If you're in Galway, you should definitely make time for the Macnas parade, which I've always wanted to see, and the lineup for the annual Púca Festival in Trim is never less than excellent. There's a big festival happening up in Derry, and there are bonfires and celebrations in most areas of the country, so you have been warned. Come prepared to indulge in a little mythic mayhem at Samhain!
The Plot Chickens...
(Jane, who proofreads my forays into our blogspace, is going to give me a very hard stare for that because she loathes puns.)
I couldn't resist. Sorry Jane! Our glorious Ruth has finally achieved one of the pillars of her dream eggsistence, and is now a proud chicken mama! Look at the contentment on her face...
The happiest of chicken mamas with Queen of the Coop, Miss Rose.
Photo Credit: R. Chadwick
Rose, Camilla, Mabel, Penny, Olive and Cookie came to live with Ruth and Gareth at the start of October, but their adoring new family had been getting ready for them since the end of the summer! The coop took quite some building, by all accounts, and arrived in many, many boxes. The end result was very impressive when completed, and the Ladies of the Coop have obviously landed on their toes.
That coop was a labor of love!
Photo Credit: R. Chadwick
They are all nicely settled now, and the My Irish Jeweler team are enjoying regular chickie updates as they explore their new home. I have to say that the best one yet was a video Ruth sent of Camilla, trying out the new swing in the run, but I don't think I can add it here. I'm not sure who was the more excited: Camilla, on her new swing-y perch, or Ruth cooing at her in delight, but it brightened all our days!
Finding the feeder's high on the list of priorities!
Photo Credit: R. Chadwick
A furtive meeting - are they hatching cunning plots to take over the world? It's possible!
Photo Credit: R. Chadwick
So there we are, a random assortment of what we've been thinking about this Fall in My Irish Jeweler HQ. Oh, and a sneaky shout out to Gareth for passing his driving test at the end of September, too!
As Ever, Get In Touch!
Remember, we'd love to hear your ideas for our range. And what you've been up to generally this Fall, and especially for Oíche Samhain, plus any chicken tips or stories that you might have - we're here for all of it!
You can email us, reach out on Facebook or Instagram—ooh, and now on TikTok, too, where you can find us by searching @my.irish.jeweler—and of course, you can leave us a note in the comments. We look forward to hearing from you!
Get In Touch
Have a question or something you're not entirely sure about when browsing our pieces? Please reach out. You can send us a note or give us a call—the Dublin workshop is here to make sure that you have a perfect experience from start to finish with My Irish Jeweler.
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Vicky
My Irish Jeweler
My Welsh grandmother introduced me to two of my great loves in life before I was four years of age: she taught me to read and, under careful supervision, permitted me to look through her jewelry box. Stories and shiny things have been my passions ever since!
In the forty years I have lived here, Ireland has changed dramatically in virtually every aspect. Among its constants, though, is a rich tradition of decorative adornment and storytelling in all its forms: from the ancient carvings at Newgrange, the beautiful golden torcs in the National Museum, and the world-famous Book of Kells, to our modern designers, writers, musicians, and craftspeople. Celtic creativity is more powerful today than ever, and that is why it's my honor to share our stories and witness yours.
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