What is the symbolic meaning of key jewellery?

By Rosalind Purkis

10.11.2021

What is the symbolic meaning of key jewellery?

Keys symbolise freedom, they open things up and lock precious things away.

At its heart, a key is an opener of locks. 

Noun: A small piece of shaped metal with incisions cut to fit the wards of a particular lock, which is inserted into a lock and turned to open or close it.

Adjective: Of crucial importance.

 

Stephen Einhorn Key Jewellery Collection

What does a key symbolise?

At its heart, a key is an opener of locks. Whether it’s a door, a treasure chest, or the metaphorical heart, keys let us into unknown worlds.

Keys symbolise freedom, they open things up and lock precious things away. They reveal secrets. Superstitions and symbolism around keys abound. Jewish midwives used to give a key to a woman in labour to encourage safe delivery of the baby. In Eastern Europe keys were hung upside down over beds to ward off bad dreams. Several cultures have buried their dead with keys to unlock the afterlife. There are beginnings and endings, but they always lead on…

 

 

Stephen Einhorn Key Pendant Necklace

Stephen Einhorn - Key Pendant Necklace

 

Stephen Einhorn Key Charm

What is the meaning behind a key charm?

The ancient Greeks saw keys as symbols of knowledge. Key charms can symbolise this authority. They can symbolise love, they can symbolise possibility.

What more fitting gift to bestow on someone then, than a piece of jewellery in the shape of a key? A key pendant necklace or personalised key necklace: a key hanging close to someone’s heart. It is a pathway, freedom, an expression of desire to open up the world. Or a way of making it clear to your loved ones who holds the key to your heart.

Stephen Einhorn Key Charm in 9ct Yellow Gold

 

What’s the significance of giving key jewellery for a 21st birthday?

In many cultures the age of 21 represents a significant coming of age. A gold key pendant is a traditional present for anyone, male or female. A piece of key jewellery represents the start of the rest of their lives, the opening of many exciting doors to come. Keys are also traditionally given to graduates, and indeed anyone at the threshold to their next adventure.

You choose the occasion, let us do the rest.

Stephen Einhorn Key Sketches For Tim Burton & Disney’s Dumbo FilmStephen Einhorn Key Sketches For Tim Burton & Disney’s Dumbo Film

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