I have shared my frustrations with finding anything I want to wear while pregnant, and I have basically given up. The one mainstay that always "fits" is jewelry, but I've never found a piece of jewelry specifically designed for pregnant moms, until I heard about the gorgeous pregnancy necklaces by ILADO. Pregnancy necklace? What's that? Click through to find out more about this incredibly unique piece of jewelry just for moms to be.
ILADO Paris is the first Maternity Jewelry brand created in Paris by Sandra Zeller and Célia Bonahon in 2015 to bring back the meaning and beauty of the Pregnancy Necklace tradition. The collection is inspired by a Mayan chime pendant: the “Angel Caller”, an ancestral spherical pendant that contains a silver ball that emits a subtle and harmonious chime when shaken. Legend has it that this sweet jingling sound, that is unique for each necklace, is magic: it has the power to call the Guardian Angel of the wearer to provide them protection, comfort and guidance throughout life.
These necklaces were traditionally worn by the Mayan mothers: during pregnancy, as a protective amulet for the expectant mother and her baby; and after birth, as the familiar gentle chime sound of the necklace would soothe and reassure the newborn baby by reminding it the comfort and warmth of the womb.
I recently spoke to co-creator Sandra Zeller about the inspiration behind this beautiful idea...
Sandra: "We discovered this beautiful tradition while we were pregnant with our first child by reading a press article about motherhood tradition. We loved it! But then we search for a modern pregnancy necklace that we would actually like to wear... and we couldn't find it! So, we decided to create ILADO Paris to revive this beautiful tradition for modern mums like us.
We wanted to design jewelry pieces that are both modern, easy to wear, and precious to make lovely gifts for a future mother, especially from a dad-to-be or during a baby shower! A symbolic and memorable gift of the bond between mother and baby that you can keep all your life."
The necklace charm sits right at bump level, and it creates the gentle and soothing chiming sound as you move throughout the day. A baby in the womb begins to hear at 18 weeks, and can hear the soft chime every time you move. After the baby is born, the familiar sounds of the chimes are very comforting and reassuring for the baby, reminding it of the safety in its mother's womb, just like the sound of their mother’s voice. As you feed them, rock them, and bond with them, they will hear that same soothing sound they heard before they were born (pictured below is my silk cord necklace).
For me, the soft chiming is also a reminder to slow down and be mindful of the whole pregnancy experience, and I've been wearing the necklace non-stop since I received it. The style I have is the Joy Pregnancy necklace which has an adjustable silk cord that can be worn shorter after pregnancy (I chose a pink silk cord since I am having another baby girl, and the cords come in 7 vibrant colors).
Besides the beautiful Joy Pregnancy necklace they have some gorgeous pieces like the Uh Pregnancy necklace that also has an adjustable chain length that can be worn shorter after pregnancy. Its name is directly inspired by its shape and by the word Uh, meaning moon in Mayan, a universal symbol of femininity and motherhood.
The ILADO Paris pregnancy necklaces have already been seen on fashion bloggers and celebrities like model Karolina Kurkova (pictured below) and Sandra and Célia are hoping that their Kickstarter campaign will help them spread the word about this beautiful tradition among American mothers. Their pregnancy necklaces are already sold in France in their E-shop and at a few retailers worldwide, and they are now raising funds on Kickstarter to meet the minimum quantity they need to order to produce the new Joy pregnancy necklace summer collection (and find them on Instagram and facebook too).
I plan on wearing mine long after I welcome baby #5, besides loving the chic and understated style of it, I will cherish the connection it helped form between me and this little person I haven't yet met. The soft chime reminds me of the beauty of motherhood itself, always present, always with you, there to provide comfort and a sense of security.