Origins of the Modern Vacation and Jewelry Travel Cases

As summertime approaches, we turn our thoughts to vacation travel.  So how did the concept of "vacation" come about.  Well, as you likely surmise, the movement from an agrarian economy to specialized industry obviously plays a huge role in the ability to "get away" while not greatly impacting your ability to create wealth by taking care of livestock or crops.

The modern concept of vacation travel is generally attributed to the "Grand Tours" taken by upper-class Europeans (who obviously had the economic means and were not required for daily work).  These travels were mainly meant to be educational:  learning various cultures, perfecting their language skills, and maintaining cultural common ground between and among the ruling elite.

The economic limitations of this kind of extensive travel was logistical:  there were few roads and limited mechanical means.  With the advent of the steam locomotive and expansion of railway systems, the ability to readily travel moved down the economic scale and by the mid-1800s, travel for recreation or tourism became common place among the upper-middle class.  And with the industrial revolution, labor shifted from the farm to plants and assembly lines, where the need for any one individual was not so crucial for production as on a family farm.  (We should not forget the legal introduction of work rules here either!)

The final piece of the puzzle for U.S. vacations is the automobile and corresponding road system (set up, by the way, by Eisenhowser's Interstate Highway System), which made cheap travel possible for almost all on the economic ladder, and contributing to several other industries, one of which is the travel case industry, and specifically for ChasingTreasure.com, the jewelry travel case.  More on that in our next blog!

A Brief History of Mother's Day!

Ever wonder how Mother's Day became a national holiday?  Thank Ann Jarvis!  Originally intended as a Mother's Friendship Day to honor mother's whose sons were killed in the Civil War (and helped along by Julia Ward Howe as an anti-war observance).  It became moderately formalized "Mother's Day" as part of the temperance movement, and, over time, was first recognized by the state of West Virginia, followed by several other states.  It was formally recognized, and brought back to its roots by President Woodrow Wilson who proclaimed a National Mother's Day to honor mothers' sons killed in war, and was made a national holiday by federal congressional law on May 8, 1914.

Not to be outdone, the present day U.S. House of Representatives in 2008 voted on a resolution commemorating Mother's Day.

And now you have a brief history of Mother's Day!

And if you need some Mother's Day gift ideas to commemorate YOUR mother, take a look at our selection of luxury jewelry boxes.

M is for the Many Things She Gave Me - Our Mother

With Mother's Day less than a month away (May 12th this year), let's reflect on that classic from 1915 by Howard Johnson.  You may know these lyrics, even though it doesn't get much play.  Frankly, I'm not sure where or when I first heard this:

M Is for the Many things she gave me,
O Means only that she’s growing Old.
T Is for the Tears she shed to save me,
H Is for her Heart of purest gold.
E Is for her Eyes with love light shining,
R Means Right and Right she’ll always be.

Put them all together, They spell MOTHER.

A word that means the world to me.

Given how much our Mother's mean to us, consider a quality luxury jewelry box as a great gift.  Either wooden jewelry boxes for her dresser or standing jewelry boxes, such as armoire jewelry cases (shown below), which will let her hang her necklaces  Make sure whatever jewelry box you select has padded cushions, to keep pieces separated so that they do not mar or scratch.

Jewelry Sales Increase after Disaster

Something interesting is happening in Japan since the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami in March of 2011.  Jewelry sales are unexpectedly growing strongly.  And since September 2012 growth continues at a 10+% pace.

What the jewelry industry found was that the disaster reminded and reinforced to people of what was really important:  their loved ones and family.  Jewelry became an immediate symbol of this bond, and the gems were tangible and valuable assets.

Human kind places special value on unique and rare elements and stones such as gold and diamonds, and the giving of these precious items is the most obvious symbolic gesture of love and regard.

Because of the value of these kinds of jewelry, always store them in a proper quality jewelry box for protection from direct sunlight and extreme heat or cold.  Wooden jewelry boxes will help keep moisture from the jewelry, and standing jewelry boxes, such as armoire jewelry cases, will allow necklaces to be hung, removing the possibility of damaged chains.  And most luxury jewelry boxes have thickly padded cushions, critical for keeping jewelry separated so that they do not mar or scratch.