Tessa's Ruby True North Necklace

Living thousands of miles away from your mum is hard, especially when you're on different continents and separated by an entire ocean. Kaitlyn moved from the US to Australia ten years ago, and her mum Tessa resides in Florida. On Tessa's recent visit to Sydney, Kaitlyn surprised her with a customised Truth North necklace, making the trip that much more memorable. 

On this week's blog post, we talk to both Kaitlyn and Tessa about their favourite memories of one another, and what the True North necklace means to them. 

Kaitlyn

1. What prompted you to gift this necklace to your Mum?

I wanted to give my mom something really special that she could hang onto forever. She's never had a piece of jewellery that was nice and ever-lasting, so I felt she'd really love a necklace with her birthstone in it. I also think rubies are very beautiful.

I knew something from Tania would be perfect and the True North necklace would suit my mom. It's something unique to her, that she could wear forever and never take off. Plus, my mom has always loved nature and I thought to give her something that is symbolic of the True North Star (our guide in the sky) would be pretty cool. 

2. What's one of your favourite memories you have of your mum?

One of my favourite memories of my mom would be when she first visited Australia after I had moved to Sydney. It was exciting being able to show her around and explore new places together. It was January, so Australian summer, and we went to the Hunter Valley, Newcastle, Crowdy Bay National Park (always have to visit a national park), and explored the obvious places like the Opera House, and around the harbour.

It started a little tradition for us. Now she comes and visits every other year and we get to explore and adventure around a new place in Australia together. It's something we never thought we'de have the opportunity to do together. We didn't travel a lot when I was younger, and now we have so many opportunities! It's a great feeling.

Tessa

1. What's one of your favourite memories of Kaitlyn?

I have so many favourite memories with Kaitlyn, which makes it hard to narrow down. So I will use this memory...
 
We spent time living on the gulf coast in St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. We spent almost every weekend at the beach doing all sorts of activities. One of my favourites was putting her on my shoulders (she was 4 years old) and trekking through the ocean waters to the farthest sand bar with our cooler in tow on a raft.

We would spend the day there collecting all sorts of shells and snorkelling. We had so much fun exploring and identifying shells and marine life. We still do these activities minus her being on my shoulders. 

2. How did it feel when Kaitlyn gave you your necklace?

When Kaitlyn gave me a white gift box I didn’t know what to expect. When I opened it and saw that it was a necklace that had been handcrafted with my birthstone, I was beyond excited. I have never had jewellery professionally made just for me. My heart swelled with joy and my eyes with tears at such a heartfelt loving gift.

3. What does it mean to you to have a special piece to connect you to Kaitlyn even when you're back home?

To have this piece of jewellery is a symbol of our unique bond and a reminder that no matter the geographical distance we will always be close in heart.