This year, the big trend in jewelry accessories is customized necklaces. This trend began in American mall, popularized by teenage girls, but has grown to attract even Hollywood stars and fashionistas on the world stage. Many women are now showcasing their interests, their passions, and even their favorite charities or causes with charm necklaces. While gold is always in style, its high cost this year has made silver customized necklaces the must-have item for formal and semi-formal affairs. Sterling silver makes an attractive charm that is easily monogrammed and worn in place of a large pendant.

Let’s take a look at the big draws in 2009 so far. By far, name charm jewelry is at the top of the list. New moms are wearing personalized mom necklaces to show off their new baby’s name, and on the reverse, the baby’s birthdate. Adding a small charm like a crystal or a stone to the top of the personalized silver plate is a nice touch. Now, a word of warning for those of you not used to wearing silver on the skin: it does tarnish, so you have to clean it at least once a year to keep it shiny. On the other hand, when silver has a slight tarnish it has a baroque look that is very fashionable in some circles. I personally think this style is darling, and of course it’s easy to make this happen because all you have to do is make sure your jewelry gets some good time out of the jewelry box.

Lastly, a style that has been noticed in cosmopolitan areascombines the personalized nameplate with a semiprecious stone, such as ruby. This can make a great gift idea, because the stone can be picked out to be the birthstone of the recipient. A variation on this theme is to give matching necklaces to mother and daughter, with their own birthstones. So the set of customized necklaces is both personalized and also reflects that special mother-daughter bond. A wonderful idea for rites-of-passage, such as turning 16, or moving away to college. After all, if you daughter is starting her own family far from home, it's nice for her to have something that reminds her of her family that is also professional enough for work.

The spectrum of modern jewelry has changed drastically in the last generation. While conventional jewelry is still popular for the big milestones in life, such as weddings and anniversaries, now more than ever people are celebrating the smaller life events with more casual pieces such as personalized mom necklaces. These ornaments have a deep legacy in old world charms and good-luck pendants, but have blended seamlessly with the sophisticated and elegant pieces of the past.

Examples are the best way to display this new craze of women’s accessories. A popular choice today is a “baby and mommy double pendant” that is composed of two silver pendants, one smaller than the other, that have matching monogrammed names for Mother and daughter. The piece is elegantly accented with small silver heart charms that lay on top. Indeed, this piece is a great example of the trend of personalized mom necklaces in modern women’s wear. What makes this piece so iconic is its blending of old-world charms (literally) and modern silver styling. What we are seeing in general is more eccentric designs, more personalized accents done on the customer level, and more blending of Parisian, world, and tribal stylings. When it comes down to brass tacks,what makes personalized mom necklaces work on a more personal level is the emotional appeal. These pieces work best when they are given as gifts for baby showers and significant birthdays. Honestly, our favorite pieces of jewelry are those that bring up memories, and the feeling it stirs within our hearts. Personalized jewelry formalizes this strong emotional bond and makes it easy to choose a gift that is beautiful, compelling, and, ultimately, touching.