Welsh Lovespoons

In the old days in Wales, a young man would carve a fancy spoon to give to the girl that he wanted to court. (The expression "to spoon" comes from this custom.) It was important to prove to the potential father-in-law that the young man was good at working with wood, because he would have to make all his family's furniture, dishes and eating utensils. The symbols carved into the spoon's handle all had meanings. Hearts are for love, of course. Bells are for the hoped-for wedding. A horseshoe is for luck (in Wales, a bride and groom are always given a horseshoe on their wedding day). A wheel promised, "I will work for you." Circles in a cage could mean either the number of children hoped for, or the number of years together. And so forth; there is a long list of possible symbols. Today lovespoons are often given as wedding and anniversary gifts; however, they are also given for birthdays, baby gifts, friendship, Christmas, etc. They are considered to be folk craft items first, and, under the right circumstances, romantic items as well.

FLOWERS - Affection and love that continues to grow.

Although other flowers are carved, it is the daffodil, the national flower of Wales, that is most often included in a love spoon design. The Welsh word for daffodil, cenhinen Pedr, is very similar to the word for leek, cenhinen, the national emblem. Legend tells how the Welsh were fighting a battle in conditions of poor visibility. The Welsh commander instructed his troops to pick a leek from the field in which they were fighting and place it in their cap to distinguish friend from foe. Now, men and boys wear leeks on March 1st, Saint David’s Day, the (albeit unofficial) national day of Wales. It is thought that the linguistic similarity to the word for leek has led to the daffodil being adopted as the national flower of Wales

Sterling silver DAFFODIL LOVESPOON charm which measures

  approx 13 x 28 x 2mm and weighs approx 1.7g

All charms are delivered with a split ring attached