Precious Gold by The Colourist

Relationships that enlighten the soul more precious than gold - ​Helen Trevisiol Duff

The dictionary describes the word PRECIOUS: of great value; not to be wasted or treated carelessly. Highly esteemed, valuable, priceless,'precious works of art',

During the last year with the pandemic and lockdown many of us have been reflecting on what's important and precious in our lives. Whether it's our community, our friends, our relatives or our pets: surely the most PRECIOUS and valuable things in our lives are our relationships? What could be more precious than time with our loved ones?

I asked my friend Stella Tooth what is precious to her? She replied: “I can count what's precious to me by the things I currently miss - face-to-face contact and connection with those I cannot be with, shared experiences once taken for granted.”

With Mother's Day just around the corner on 14 March many will be cherishing their precious relationships with their mothers. But there’s some mixed feeling about celebrating it this year, with many not having seen their mothers for a long time and others, having lost them, perhaps spending their first Mother's Day in mourning.

Then there's the fact that the pandemic started showing its face here exactly a year ago and,12 months later, we’re still doing the whole social-distancing thing.  But whether we can see our mums in person or not, Mother’s Day 2021 is a chance to remember, celebrate and appreciate everything they do or have done for us and, it turns out, there are plenty of ways to to do this.

Although some with difficult relationships with their parents will be passing this day by, others will be celebrating being reminded of how significant their mother is to their lives.

Personally, I'm reflecting on how incredibly precious my relationship with my mother, who has passed away, has been. Precious memories, precious bonds, precious moments and precious times spent together laughing, enjoying each other's company and sometimes just enjoying each other's company in silence. 

I keep safe the dainty gold watch which she once wore as a precious keepsake and this precious metal that I cherish symbolises how special and rare our relationship was. The gold watch passed down to me brings back memories of sitting on the beach in Ireland as a child watching the gold shimmer and twinkle in the sunshine while I sat on my mum's lap, enjoying a picnic with our family.

She wore this gold watch every day, a present from her mother. So why has gold always been so revered?  For thousands of years, gold has been coveted and considered special, and has been bought, traded and stored as wealth for generations, around the globe.

Throughout history gold has been seen as optimistic and positive, adding richness and warmth to everything with which it is associated - it illuminates and enhances other things around it.  It's a colour associated with light, illumination, love, higher ideals, wisdom, understanding and enlightenment.

It is also associated with wisdom, courage, compassion and understanding, in fact all the qualities that remind me of my mother. It inspires knowledge, spirituality and a deep understanding of the self and the soul. To me relationships that enlighten the soul, as the bond with my mother, are far more precious than gold or any precious metal.

In the meaning of colours, gold is generous and giving, compassionate and loving, the benefactor or patron, sharing its wisdom, knowledge and wealth with others.  So, what better way to celebrate Mother's Day than with a golden gift full of meaning and love?

Many of our artists at Skylark Galleries have original artworks which use precious metallics including gold which may be the ideal gift for your precious mum or a keepsake to remind you of the good times you have spent together.

Or, for those of you who are mothers yourselves, what better way to treat yourself on this special day than a piece of golden art to cherish?

Have a look and see if you can be tempted to make someone's day or your  own day extra special:

Mirror by Sangeeta Bhagawati £80

Lady of the manor by Heather Tobias £185.

Safe and sound by Gill Hickman £495

Antique Kookaburra brooch by Amanda Gosse £135

Four ellipses by Corrine Edwards £65