Whether you have a Valentine or you’re single this year, Valentine’s Day can be fun. We decided to spice up the day with some fun facts you may not know about this widely-celebrated day:
- It all started in Rome. The most popular origin story is that of St. Valentine, who performed marriage ceremonies in secret after the Roman Emperor, Claudius II, banned young men from getting married. It was said that he wanted to grow his army, and married men don’t make the best soldiers. St. Valentine was executed on February the 14th.
- Another theory is that Valentine’s Day derived from Lupercalia, a pagan fertility festival that included animal sacrifice and a lot of spanking.
- The Roman Pope, Gelasius, officially declared 14 February as St. Valentine’s Day at the end of the 5th century.
- The oldest record of a Valentine’s poem written was in 1415 by the French Duke, Charles, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
- Esther Howland was the first Valentine’s Day card manufacturer. She started making these cards with lace, ribbons, and colorful pictures in the 1840s. Up until that point, people made their own cards or they wrote handwritten letters.
- Hallmark was the first to mass-produce Valentine’s Day cards in 1913.
- Today, about 144 million cards are sold in the US alone.
- Teachers receive the most Valentine’s cards from their students. But you knew this one was true, right?
- The first heart-shaped box of chocolates was sold in 1861 by Richard Cadbury. Yes, the well-loved Mr. Cadbury himself.
- Today, about 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolates are sold across the US.
- 43 million households buy flowers on Valentine’s Day and spend about $3.3 billion just on flowers.
- The rose is the most popular flower to gift on the day of love; it was also said to be the favorite flower of Venus, the Roman Goddess of love.
- Men spend about double the amount on gifts than women do.
- But, it’s not only humans that are appreciated on this day – 9 million people buy Valentine’s gifts for their beloved pets.
- In a 2017 study by diamond retailer, James Allen, they found that 43% of millennials choose Valentine’s Day to propose to their loved one, and almost 6 million couples get engaged on this day.
What are you giving to, or hoping to get from, your Valentine this year? Cards? Flowers? Chocolates? Well, we may be biased, but we think you should buy your Valentine something long-lasting, like pearl jewelry.
Pearls for Your Valentine: The Ultimate Gift of Love
Pearls are the ultimate gift to show your Valentine just how much you love her because pearls symbolize love and the deep bond between two people.
Here are a few pearl jewelry designs perfect for Valentine’s Day. And if you’re single, it’s a great excuse to treat yourself.
Tell her that you’ll be together for eternity with The Eternity Pearl Necklace or show her your hearts are intertwined forever with the Tale of Two Hearts Pink Pearl Necklace:
Show your sweetheart how much you love her with this Sweetheart Pearl Bracelet or tell her that your love will go on forever with the Infinity Edison Pearl Ring:
Give her a rose that lasts forever, like the Golden Rose Pearl Brooch or tell her that she’s your angel with these Angel Wings Edison Pearl Earrings:
Not exactly what you’re looking for? Head over to our shop to browse all our pearl jewelry designs.
Now, you may look at all the pretty jewelry and wonder what your Valentine would truly like. We thought of you too. If you’re afraid you’ll buy the wrong jewelry, why don’t you let her choose? Introducing the digital gift card. When buying this gift card, you can add a personalized message or a poem, choose your own photo for the card, like a photo of the two of you on your last holiday, and you can even schedule the date ahead of time so that she wakes up on Valentine’s Day with the gift in her inbox. That way, she’s sure to get the jewelry she loves. Crisis averted! Get your gift card here.
