Gratitude, Grace & Gold: Family Traditions and Cherished Herlooms

As we slow down this season for a day — or at least a moment — of gratitude, we find ourselves reflecting on what truly endures — connection, beauty and the quiet rituals that give life meaning.

Melanie here: For me and Stacy, jewelry is more than adornment or style. It's also about substance — the kind that deepens with time, just like love, friendship and tradition. This Thanksgiving, we’re celebrating the grace of those enduring bonds and the golden moments that define them.

For me, Thanksgiving has always been a lesson in effortless elegance. Growing up, our family gatherings took place at my grandpa and grandma's midcentury modern home in Kentucky — a space filled with sculptural furniture, cozy textures, Elvis records spinning on the walnut hi-fi console and the aroma of turkey with all the trimmings drifting from the kitchen.

It wasn’t a formal affair, but it was beautifully intentional. My Grandma Ruby, mother and Aunt Rita each had their own sense of glamour. Grandma Ruby wore her classic diamond stud earrings with a diamond solitaire pendant, resting against her graceful neck and framed by a simple blouse. My mother was the bold one with trendy bangles and a ring on every finger (many handed down from my fabulous, thrice divorced great Aunt Irene). Aunt Rita's style fell somewhere between the two with a mix of traditional and au courant, a study in understated chic.  

As a child, I remember watching the way their jewelry caught the light as they moved, laughed, dished up their plates and family news. The right jewelry wasn’t just about sparkle; it was about presence — how it made them feel in the moment.

Like Stacy's mom, Mariann, my grandma, died from lung cancer. Grandma Ruby was 87 when she passed and among the lovely pieces of jewelry she left behind for my cousins and I to remember her by was her classic diamond pendant. It wasn't the most expensive piece in her collection, but she wore it a lot, often asking me to help her clasp it around her neck. Thanksgiving (and many other days), I wear it — not out of habit, but in quiet tribute to one of the women who shaped me. It’s my reminder that jewelry, at its best, connects us across generations. It carries stories, love and a bit of the sparkle and light our loved ones left behind.

From all of us at Maison Mariann, thank you for allowing our creations to accompany your most meaningful memories. 

Happy Thanksgiving from our maison to yours. 

Cheers!

P.S. Please join us this month in supporting individuals and loved ones affected by lung cancer. We are donating 10 percent of all purchases through November to LUNGevity Foundation or you can donate directly through Team Maison Mariann's LUNGevity fundraising page.