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Why we are learning to love ourselves this Valentine’s Day (and every other day too!)
Being happy, content and being able to love others properly actually starts with being able to love yourself first. Accepting yourself for who you are, and loving yourself for it. In a world filled with so much pressure to do better, be better, be more, do more… it is so easy to start to feel bad about yourself, or your short comings, and I’m speaking from experience here. Sometimes I look around at the world of social media and get caught in the trap of looking at other peoples lives and comparing mine to it. And then I have to pull myself out of the hole I’ve let myself sink into and tell myself that social media is basically a booklet of people showing you what they want to. Highlights! And that’s it! Not lowlights… highlights!
Remembering to be grateful for blessings
And that’s when I decided that this February, I would make it the month of SELF love. Rather than focusing on things around me- always trying to be better, do more, be more productive, lose weight – I will tell myself every day that I am enough. This is what inspired me to make our new jewellery collection ‘I am enough’. It’s actually a mantra, and a good one too!
I am enough
By definition, a manta is a statement or a slogan that is repeated frequently. It is a motivating chant such as ‘I can, I can’ – and saying it over again either out loud or inside your mind can help you make positive changes to your outlook on life and also your thought process. I wanted to create a special collection of jewellery that would serve as a reminder that ‘I am enough’… Just the way I am. They feature tiny cut out hearts inside a circle. The circle actually represents ‘completeness’ and ‘wholeness’, and the hearts, because they symbolise love quite frankly!
Our gorgeous ‘I am enough’ jewellery
Reflections
I don’t want to let myself fall into the thing I call ‘the social media trap’ again, that trap where you can spend hours of your own life just looking at other people’s lives online and comparing my own to their ‘highlight reel’. Before I knew it, I found myself looking around me and feeling nothing short of total disappointment and dissatisfaction. I didn’t feel like that previously, but suddenly my little living room which I made so cosy and happy looked small and cluttered. My hair which I had washed that afternoon looked drab and limp compared to the bouncy blow-dried influencers’ hair, and my jogging bottoms and lounge wear that I was quite comfy in suddenly seemed like it needed to go straight into the bin so I could wear a trendy belted dress even though I wasn’t going anywhere.
Feeling deflated and sucked in
I remember feeling so bad about myself, and even though I knew it wasn’t ‘real’, I felt absolutely and totally inadequate. This is when I decided I needed to make some changes, and in all honesty it was this moment that inspired my ‘I am enough’ pieces.
Because, I actually am enough. And happiness starts within. I had been absolutely fine before my little online scrolling stint, and I think it serves me well to remember that online is a highlight. And nothing more. But with the tough times we are all currently experiencing, it really is easy to feel down when you normally wouldn’t. I think back to what my mum told me when I was younger.
Life isn’t a race. Never compare yourself to others
And I remember this. I am enough. See? I’ve already repeated this a fair few times now, and I actually really do believe it!
I chose gorgeous Pink Tourmaline accent gemstones to pair with our ‘I am enough’ jewellery, not just because they are such a pretty colour but because Pink Tourmaline gemstones actually have some great healing qualities, and I really wanted to incorporate them into these special pieces.
Gorgeous pink tourmalines feature in our collections this year
Pink Tourmalines
Such a gorgeous gemstone, I could practically talk about them all day. But in a nutshell, they are perfect for helping you on your path to happiness because they help us to practice a bit more of what we all need – self love!
This gemstone is believed to help you keep things in perspective and be grateful for your blessings in life, especially during difficult times. Do you see why this gemstone was just perfect for this particular piece? We have started to use pink tourmaline gemstones in a fair few of our more delicate designs now, and I couldn’t love them more!
Pink Tourmaline is believed to help with your creativity too. It is also one of the gemstones to symbolise those with an October birthday. The traditional gemstone for October is an Opal, but we can’t help falling in love with pink tourmalines at any given opportunity!
Be Kind
Whilst I am on the subject of ‘self love February’, I wanted to talk about another special piece we have released this month. Our brand new ‘Be Kind’ necklace spells out what it says on the tin… Be kind! It also features a secret smile shape, and the piece has been specially designed for MIND Mental Health Charity. All profits from this wonderful piece are donated to MIND, to help them to continue to do more of the great work they are doing. But for us, as well as raising money for MIND, it’s also about raising awareness of the work they do, as not everyone has heard of MIND.
Our gorgeous new ‘be kind’ necklace being made for MIND
I wanted our special ‘be kind’ necklace to serve as a reminder to not only be kind to others, but yourself too. And since February is our celebrated month of (self) love, it seemed the perfect opportunity to release these wonderful limited edition pieces- I am so pleased that the design has been so well received by our amazing community!
Hand making our Be Kind necklaces
Gemstones for love and happiness
As many people know, I have been quite literally obsessed with jewellery and crystals since I was a small child, and I’ve had over 18 years’ experience in working with gemstones in my special jewellery now. It means the absolute world to me that I have been able to turn my one true passion in life into a job- creating the brand of Alyssa Smith Jewellery when I was in my early 20’s.
We’re always asking what you want to see from us
I’ve always used gemstones and crystals in my personal life, and over the years I have incorporated them into our collections too. I get more and more requests for gemstones in our jewellery, and so we’re busy working hard on new designs every week to incorporate the crystals you love.
It is common knowledge that crystals and gemstones all have special healing qualities, but it can be hard to know which gemstones have which qualities. I have popped some of my favourite gemstones below, which are all good for positivity, happiness, love, and self love!
Peridot- This is known at the happy gemstone. A gorgeous green in colour, this stunner of a gemstone is believed to bring joy, health, abundance and a positive mental attitude to those who wear it! I always associate it with happiness, because it is just so fresh looking, and the colour green is often great for helping to lift our spirits!
Rose Quartz- Probably the most popular and well loved gemstone we work with! This gemstone is a gorgeous light, milky pink in colour and is believed to help encourage ALL kinds of love. Not just helping to bring love and happiness into your life, but it is also believed to help with self love, and the maternal bond between a mother and her unborn child too.
Shop our rose quartz jewellery
Rhodonite- A gorgeous candy floss pink in colour, it’s so easy to see why this gemstone is connected to happiness! This gemstone is believed to help you live your best life and to remind you to enjoy each moments both big and small.
Moonstone- Glorious moonstone! One of our absolutely favourites! This gemstone is traditionally known as the stone of new beginnings, but it also helps to balance your emotions and help attract love!
Garnet- Being as we’re on the month of love, let’s talk about sex! Garnet is believed to stimulate your sex drive. I’ll just leave this one here!
So this February, and actually this year as a whole – I’ll be practicing a little bit more in the way of self love, and stop comparing myself to others. I’ll also be stopping putting myself down for the things I haven’t achieved, the workouts I haven’t managed or the ‘to do’ lists which remain untouched! And lastly, I will be making sure I remember to appreciate the small things, and be thankful of my blessings- of which I have very many. We are all unique and we are all just great the way we are. We are all enough!
Happy Valentine’s Day to US, from US.
Alyssa x
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ALYSSA ( Sparkle Queen ) SMITH
Founder, Director and Jewellery Chief Elf Designer Maker · Alyssa Smith Jewellery
ALYSSAS DIARY
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