Red Berry Ruby & Diamond Christmas Wreath Necklace

An Authentic New England Christmas

I grew up in a big old farmhouse on a hill in Gorham, Maine. Our Christmases were celebrated in a big way. My mom loved Christmas more than anyone I’ve ever met. Our formal room was called the “Best Room”. It had the Christmas tree with presents beneath, and a fireplace with three stockings hung.

We had a formal dining room with a table always set, and another fireplace and more stockings, a another Christmas tree and more presents. Then there was the kitchen with a big old Queen Atlantic stove, more stockings, a fire burning all winter where stewed beef, potatoes and carrots drenched in butter would cook. There was a fireplace in the kitchen too. Christmas cards received were lined up on the mantle and pinned at an angle along the leading edge. All these rooms were decorated to be seasonally appropriate.

Then there was the Christmas room. The Christmas room stayed up all year round. There were two Christmas trees in the Christmas room, three windows with authentic Indian shutters also decorated appropriately, while Christmas decorations remained up year-round. And of course, this room had a fireplace with stockings.

The farmhouse was painted white with green shutters and you can imagine what a lover of Christmas would do with that.

This necklace is a little gem red berry wreath with 10 brilliant rubies, each surrounded with a wreath of tiny winter white diamonds.

Winter Story, Summer Story

Red Berry Wreath Item CT9053 is identical to the next necklace Item CTCT9166. Two different style numbers, same house inspiration, same price. One is winter and the other summer. Two stories, same item. Following is the Strawberry Rhubarb Ruby Diamond Necklace.

This is a painting of my mother’s farmhouse decked
out for Christmas in Gorham. Mom did this painting.

This is the farmhouse of the Red Berry Wreath and the farmhouse of the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie.

My Mom would understand this necklace, inspired by Christmas and additionally named Summer Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. She was someone who moved quickly, could be inspired by multiple muses. When we’d go off to school in the morning, the kitchen had post-it note yellow walls and matching curtains. We’d come home in the afternoon and she had repainted the kitchen pistachio green and sewn matching ruffled curtains and put them up. The kitchen’s color changed many times over the years.

Mom would approve of the double name and identity of this Christmas Strawberry Rhubarb ruby and diamond necklace. She would have loved wearing the necklace year round too.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

I grew up on a farm in the 1950s. We had strawberry and rhubarb gardens, and of course, we made strawberry rhubarb pie. We had a chrome and black Queen Atlantic wood-fired stove. The crust was made of flour, egg, lard, a dash of salt, and a few other secret ingredients rolled out by hand. Then pure magic, red, red sweet strawberries, and tart, sour rhubarb baked in the oven. My mom’s best friend had a dairy farm and for our first strawberry rhubarb night each year, she always prepared handmade vanilla ice cream. As the pie was still steaming out of the oven like a volcano, she would place a dollop of vanilla ice cream snow at the side.

First Bite

The first bite tradition: forks ready, mom would say now and everyone closed their eyes to taste. There was a zing of soft and sweet and a touch of sour and tongue and tooth tactile texture, a sparkling taste that glittered like diamonds.

Adults would continue onto bite two and three. We kids knew better and went for the ice cream. I remember those summer evenings, crickets in the fields, lightning bugs on the lawn, with open windows and a breeze blowing curtains into the kitchen. The 1950s were good years.

Winter – Berry Ruby & Diamond Christmas Wreath Necklace CT9053 $1,950

Summer – Strawberry & Rhubarb Pie Necklace CT_____ $1,950

This piece has two seasons and two names, same piece, same price. Leading up to Christmas, it’s a red berry Christmas wreath. Come January, we look forward to spring and summer and it becomes strawberry rhubarb pie. One piece with two personalities allows you to easily wear year-round.

These are Burma rubies, the finest, richest, reddest rubies in the world. Sparkly, brilliant red surrounded with five infinity sweeps of diamonds circling the ten red rubies. The Strawberry Rhubarb Pie is made as though it was baked in 14K yellow gold with an 18-inch 14K yellow gold chain that leaves your strawberry rhubarb pie necklace two inches from your heart.