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Gift ideas for when daughter turns 16

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ProudFather

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 9, 2020
Messages
2
Hello! This is such a great community that everyone has put together here!

My daughter is currently only 1.5 years old, however I'm looking to purchase a gift for her now, to give to her when she turns 16 (or maybe 18? I feel like sweet sixteen is the more typical one). I had a necklace that was given to me as a child, but held on to until I was old enough to appreciate it, and I always liked that it had that history that it was given as a gift when I was little. I'd like my daughter to have something to cherish that has the same background.

Right now I'm looking at the Tiffany & Co. Schumberger Egg Pendant, in 18k gold and Turquoise:

Necklaces & Pendants for Women | Tiffany & Co. CA

Explore classic and modern Tiffany necklaces and pendants, including diamond drop necklaces, charm necklaces and heart pendants in silver and gold.
www.tiffany.ca www.tiffany.ca
tiffany-co-schlumbergeregg-pendant-63820059_1013222_ED.jpg

It's $2900 CAD, which is pushing the limit, but I absolutely love the design of it. I have some questions and I wanted to get people's honest thoughts! Don't hold back!
  • Is this the kind of gift you think a 16 year old would appreciate having?
  • Do you like the pendant itself?
  • Are there other pieces that come in at a lower cost that you like or think would make a great gift?
Thank you so much for your help!
 
That's a beautiful piece of jewelry.
Here is some food for thought.
What happens if the gift gets lost between now & her 16th birthday? It's a long time and things can happen.
It also appears delicate, and it might break if she asks to try it on or play with it.

What happens if it gets lost after age 16? It costs a lot & not all teens are careful with expensive things

What if she grows up to not care for jewelry?

Or it's out of fashion and she doesn't like the actual piece you chose?
 
Definitely good questions! It would be added to the house insurance to cover if it gets lost, but that doesn't cover the other cases you brought up. I would hope it would hold some sentimental value, but it could happen that she doesn't like the style or care for jewelry at all.
 
I love that necklace - absolutely love it. I am tagging @meesmom because she has that same necklace in lapis rather than turquoise. It is stunning! Here are my thoughts - you cannot possibly know what your daughter is going to be like when she is 16. She could be into classic jewelry, could be into rather large statement jewelry, or she could not like any jewelry at all. I still love the idea of you buying something now for you to hold onto and give to her when she turns 16. I just think you need to allow for the fact that she might not like it/wear it.
 
This is a beautiful idea and the necklace you’ve selected will make a very special and beautiful family heirloom. I love it!

It’s impossible to know what your daughter’s future style will be, but this gift is more about sentiment than her style/trend at the moment. Can’t go wrong with a classic piece like the Tiffany Schlumberger egg.
 
I think that's a beautiful piece, but I also think it's the kind of thing you either love or hate. As long as you are prepared to find she's not really "into" it when she's 16, then go ahead with the plan. It could be the kind of thing that she loves later in life as her tastes change, also. It's just not possible to predict the future.
 
What a thoughtful dad you are!

I like it. But at 16 I think I might have preferred something like this, which also seems more sentimental. Tiffany also has similar charms/pendants without the red enamel of course:

Necklaces & Pendants for Women | Tiffany & Co. US

Explore classic and modern Tiffany necklaces and pendants, including diamond drop necklaces, charm necklaces and heart pendants in silver and gold.
www.tiffany.com www.tiffany.com
 
What a lovely and thoughtful idea! I will agree that the pendant, lovely as it is, is a bit polarising in that it could be something that she grows up to love but also something that isn’t to her taste since it’s a specific aesthetic. I personally really like it but she might not. Part of what makes the pendant pop is that lovely blue colour but that is also what makes it something taste-dependent IYKWIM.

I wonder if something like a diamond solitaire pendant, or a birthstone pendant, or a diamond & birthstone pendant might be a nice gift idea? A solitaire pendant for example is a classic. And if she doesn’t wear pendants it can be reset into a bracelet or a ring that she would wear at that age. Keeping to the 2500 Canadian (or so) range, you could probably come in at 0.75-0.9ct (with something like J SI1 specs) which is a lovely daily pendant size even as an adult! If you really want something branded perhaps something like the sweet Alhambra collection (MOP clover or butterfly) from VCA or maybe mini frivole from VCA? Those are in the range of 2-2.5k Canadian I believe. These would be my preference! I checked out Cartier, but I think Cartier necklaces are a bit more expensive in the 3k Canadian range.

edit with links:
- MOP SA Clover: https://www.vancleefarpels.com/ca/e...bra/sweet-alhambra/vcarf69100-sweet-alhambra-
pendant.html

- Mini Frivole WG: https://www.vancleefarpels.com/ca/e...le/vcarp0j400-frivole-pendant-mini-model.html

- RG SA Clover: https://www.vancleefarpels.com/ca/e...hambra/vcaro8df00-sweet-alhambra-pendant.html
 
Last edited:
What a lovely gesture.
For my 16th birthday I received a wee diamond ring off my parents. Just a .15 carat diamond set in gold. I wore it for many many years and have since given it to my daughter when she turned 16.
I think a wee diamond set into a fine chain might be better than a larger, heavier pendant. The sort of pendant can just be left on. I remember a locket I was given that I always had to remove when playing sport as it used to bounce about.
The gift I gave a god daughter for her 16th was a gold charm bracelet. Every year I bought a charm and had it put on the bracelet. These days the Pandora bracelets are the modern alternative but I still prefer the traditional ones. I chose charms I felt relevant to her like one with her birthstone, a dog, a cat, a horse (see loved animals) a globe charm, a tree, a horseshoe, a heart etc. it was also a lot of fun thinking about and choosing each charm.
 
I love everything about this idea
i love this necklase
How can you be sure what you buy for her when she is actually 16 she will like ? Daughters are fickle :mrgreen2:
Just go with your gut and buy it now
 
My vote goes towards the Tiffany necklace you initially chose ... really, there is no "safe" choice, and what a 16 year old might wear today, or 10 years ago, or 10 years from now, may be nothing like what your 16-year daughter will actually wear ... Go with your gut feeling, and then it's part of the gift/story of the girl ... taking a poll from strangers and making a decision based thereon turns this lovely fatherly/parental gift into something else and into something less (to me).

The necklace you are buying now to give her at 16 will likely be stored in her jewelry box so whether she wears it immediately and/or in future years she will see it every time she opens her jewelry box and think of you/parents.

Personally I think the necklace you selected is beautiful, and personally I don't care for many of the other options that posters suggested as perhaps more safe / wearable / less polarizing / etc.

If your daughter doesn't like jewelry/necklaces/pendants/whatever and/or is careless, it will be her necklace to do with as she will ... keep stored, lend, give away, turn into a charm bracelet, etc.
 
ProudFather said:
Hello! This is such a great community that everyone has put together here!

My daughter is currently only 1.5 years old, however I'm looking to purchase a gift for her now, to give to her when she turns 16 (or maybe 18? I feel like sweet sixteen is the more typical one). I had a necklace that was given to me as a child, but held on to until I was old enough to appreciate it, and I always liked that it had that history that it was given as a gift when I was little. I'd like my daughter to have something to cherish that has the same background.

Right now I'm looking at the Tiffany & Co. Schumberger Egg Pendant, in 18k gold and Turquoise:

Necklaces & Pendants for Women | Tiffany & Co. CA

Explore classic and modern Tiffany necklaces and pendants, including diamond drop necklaces, charm necklaces and heart pendants in silver and gold.
www.tiffany.ca www.tiffany.ca
tiffany-co-schlumbergeregg-pendant-63820059_1013222_ED.jpg

It's $2900 CAD, which is pushing the limit, but I absolutely love the design of it. I have some questions and I wanted to get people's honest thoughts! Don't hold back!
  • Is this the kind of gift you think a 16 year old would appreciate having?
  • Do you like the pendant itself?
  • Are there other pieces that come in at a lower cost that you like or think would make a great gift?
Thank you so much for your help!
Click to expand...

Just as an aside in now an orphan and I am available for adoption ;)2

I was not big into jewlery for most of my life but i quite happily wore what mum and dad gave me
In fact i still wear something they gave me when i was 9

My mum brought my 21st present was 16 (not jewlery) and kept it in a very high cupboard
Every time we had an earthquake she would have to get up and check on it

My aunty brought my 3 cousins diamond rings for their 18th and only the younger one lost it

Have i said i really love this egg !
 
I considered giving my daughter a bellerina pendant, but she has emotional problems that have made her destroy her jewelry, so I did not give it to her. I did have an opal ring made for her in her size (size 3) with the help of a Pricescope jeweler using a standard Stuller setting. It was lovely, but did not break the bank. (It was a classic, creamy opal not a fire opal or anything exotic and I knew she liked that kind of stone.) Within a week she lost it, and this was not one of the times that she deliberately destroyed a piece a jewelry due to her inner demons. It was just her natural carelessness at that age. If your daughter is careful with her jewelry, of course you should feel free to do what I always did and give her her quality pieces. My advice would be that if she can get careless, think about how much you are spending. 16 is still young. Teenagers are not fully grown yet. (Although truth be told, some people are always careful and some people are always careless.) :))
 
I just reread your original posting, @ProudFather. I misread it the first time. I saw that your daughter is only one and a half years old. I am sure you do not know, yet, how responsible she will be with her jewelry! I had thought that she was one and a half years from turning sixteen.

You should, of course, just decide on something classic that you like.

I adopted my daughter in Colombia and when I was there I bought her a tiny Colombian emerald ring and necklace that she could wear as a baby. When she was a toddler a jeweler friend made her a tiny ring using a pavé diamond out of one of my pieces we were dismantling. So I really like what Bron did in her family. My mother started an add-a-pearl cultured pearl necklace for my daughter. I bought my daughter a cultured pearl necklace, which my mother knew, but she insisted on adding one pearl a year to the necklace she made-on my daughter's birthday-as her own special present.

Obviously I like symbolic jewelry presents. :wavey:
 
A pendant would be very nice, and a generous budget of over 2.5k CAD would get a very nice diamond solitaire pendant or a DBTY necklace.

A set of pearls would also be nice, and she can mix and match the pieces as she pleases.

Sorry, however, I am not a fan of branded jewellery (or certain accessories) as I am not prepared to pay extra for a name.

Personal opinion and all that.

DK :))
 
Two options:

Buy the thing you think is great, and then even if it’s not her style, it will be something her dad carefully chose and thought was beautiful.

Or, go super safe and go for an diamond solitaire necklace or something like that.
 
I agree that the egg pendant is pretty polarizing.
 
I think a little bezel set diamond pendant would be a lovely gift for a 16 year old :)
 
We've had many posts here where people feel stuck with something they don't want out of guilt, whether an engagement ring, inheritance or whatever. So I'd wait and include her in the choice.

Also, things can change in fifteen years. For example, mined diamonds could go the way of fur coats or Tiffany's could lose its status by then, who knows.

All that said, I think a special keepsake is nice, as long as too much weight isn't put on it. In other words, if you wouldn't be too disappointed at a less than thrilled response from her, if it wasn't crazy expensive, if it wasn't the one and only gift she received. Just my opinion, of course.
 
What a sweet gesture. My heart!

I'd personally get something durable and classic that can be put on and not babied.

Style aside. I worry that the pendant might be fragile, especially as many 16 year olds are clumsy, involved in lots of extra curricular like sports, and may not remember to take it off before showering (or god forbid, take it off and leave it in a locker somewhere or forget it at a friend's house...)

Turquoise is beautiful, but porous. Soaps, lotions, perfumes, etc. can hurt the stone from what I understand. I got a lovely turquoise ring, a true Navajo antique, when I was 17 and I wrecked it. I shudder to think of the layers of raspberry bath and body works lotion and chlorine from swimming practice I slowly ruined it with. I never took it off.

She honestly may arbitrarily not like blue. Kids can be funny. "But daaaad, you KNOW I love pink!" What if she's a cool goth princess and loves black? (I was, LOL)

For most 16yr olds I know...I'd go for beautiful gold sleeper hoops, or a small diamond pendant or diamond studs. Nickel is also a common allergy so I'd steer clear of white gold just to be safe...
 
Austina said:
I think a little bezel set diamond pendant would be a lovely gift for a 16 year old :)
Click to expand...

Hmm maybe he should buy mine that I just set but will probably never wear!! Lol
 
What if you bought something less expensive now, and let her pick something to match or complement it when she’s 16? Not sure how much budget is an issue...

My aunt always took me shopping for my birthday. She gave me a reasonable budget and off we went! The experience, the togetherness, and how much she supported whatever personal style I was rocking at the time (no matter how questionable) was such a treat and something I will always treasure!
 
What a generous gift. Two things come to mind for me:
  • It's hard to predict now what your daughter will like in 15-16 years.
  • My grandmother gave me a small antique necklace when I was 16. Though I tried to be conscientious, I ended up losing it. It didn't mean to, but between the ages of 16-22, I moved between three different countries, went to (and graduated) from college, lived in many different apartments, sold and re-bought furniture multiple times, etc. After one move, I realized it was gone. I'm quite sad about it now, though I understand how it happened.
Based on my experience, my knee-jerk reaction would to be to buy something smaller when she's 16, maybe something she picks out, and perhaps give her this gift when she's a bit more settled. Or, give it to her when she's 16, but try to not get upset if something happens to it (lost or damaged), as it could easily happen at that age without ill intent, or if she doesn't wear it a lot (maybe it's not her jam at 16, but she'll grow to love it later).
 
How about a lab/MMD set of earrings and a pendant from the likes of Lightbox?

DK :))
 
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