When your mother handed you the most valued jewelry piece in her collection, her mother’s gold heart-shaped locket, tears flowed from your eyes. For decades, your mother has told you the story of the day she was given the locket, and how only weeks later, your grandmother passed on and your mother has cherished the piece since. You clutch it close to your heart, looking deeply into the eyes of your aging mother as she tells you to take great care of the family heirloom. You tell her there is nothing you will care for more. In the back of your mind, your thoughts turn to your own daughter, and a future gift.   Heirloom Quality Jewelry at Amidon Jewelers While you have a tradition started by generations before you, anyone can turn a valued piece of fine jewelry into an heirloom piece. Certainly, we've all heard about antique pocket watches passed on from generation to generation, and many families continue to use engagement rings and wedding bands worn by an ancestor, but any valuable, fine jewelry can become an emotionally valuable and cherished heirloom.   Wedding sets are a very popular choice for many people hoping to create a generational heirloom. Women's diamond engagement rings and wedding bands right alongside men's wedding bands can easily be passed along to increase the meaning of an engagement and wedding. Passing an engagement ring to a daughter or son when the time comes is a long standing tradition in many families around the world. In fact, many brides and grooms claim that, as they exchanged rings, they felt the presence of the long passed relatives who had worn the wedding rings for a lifetime.   Valuable timepieces, pocket and wrist watches, have long been traditional heirloom pieces. While pocket watches have lessened in popularity in the past few decades and wrist watches have become more of a fashion statement than a functional timepiece, the value of antique and family heirloom watches continues to increase. Many jewelers offer maintenance and watch repair services to keep that family heirloom ticking for years to come.   Brooches and pins are more popular jewelry items often passed from generation to generation. Through history, many high end jewelers and artisans created such pieces with heirloom hopes in mind. In today's market, you can find the same type of unique and valuable brooches and pins that will serve well to begin your own tradition.