Places are where the heart is. This is about remembering that special place.
Talia Sari, an industrial designer and jeweler based in Tel Aviv, combines her background in goldsmithing and love for travel in her particularly unique line of map jewelry. It is one of the most distinctive gifts we've seen if you're looking for something out of the ordinary.
Though Sari produces a wide array of jewelry from the Brick Heart Necklace to the Sprouts earrings (which are simply delightful), her custom Map jewelry is beautiful and timeless. This sterling silver chain link necklace here is perfectly beautiful and timeless!
Though we have a preference for the functional, there's a lot of joy in the random things too. Especially if it means carrying around a place that is near and dear to us.
A collection of map jewelry
Depending on preference, there's a variety of selection: Necklace (small, large on a short or long chain), ring, earrings (small, large), brooch (small, large) and a tie clip (so the men aren't left out!).
Here is quick sample of their offerings:
| Small | Large | |
| Necklace | $189 | $199 |
| Ring | $189 | $199 |
| Earrings1 | $189 ($219) | $199 ($229) |
| Brooch | $189 | $199 |
| Tie Clip | N/A | $199 |
In general, most of their products run $189-199 for either a small or large custom map piece of jewelry.
There's not a price difference between the finishes, jewelry option or chain length, which make things fairly easy to sort out. (If you do choose to opt for a pearl marker, that does add to the cost.)
It really comes down to map size; and all the maps have exactly the same dimensions across their range of products.
For example, the large map is 1.2-inch (30mm); while the small map is 0.87-inch (22mm). The tie clip is a rectangular bar that suits 2-3-inch ties.
The only place where the pricing is slightly different are the earrings, depending on whether you opt for a single earring-to mix and match-or for a pair. Respectively, a single earring costs $189-199, while a pair of earrings runs $219-229.
Simple and easy customization
Click to enlarge.
The Talia Sari website makes it a seamless experience of designing your own custom jewelry map.
For us, we opted for a pair of small earrings, in silver with an enamel marker. Each option comes with different finishings, from silver (silver-plated brass, matte finish) to gold (24K gold-plated brass, matte finish).
It won't matter if you are a gold or a silver girl; it's possible to be both.
It's an incredibly straightforward process to customize each unique piece. Once an address is inputted for a marker, customers can adjust and move the map, zooming in or out as necessary.
There's a wonderful little preview feature, so everyone can see how the piece of jewelry is made before confirming.
It's possible to keep the map as is - or add a heart, enamel, or pearl as a marker.
There are a lot of different options available. (Courtesy of Talia Sari)
The beautiful part of the experience is really selecting the place to be featured. There were so many places we contemplated in our heads: Our childhood home (Los Angeles), the first place we lived abroad during our formative adult years (Hong Kong), and the home that we've put our head down for ten years (New York City).
Our final selection ended up being our childhood home, the rationale being: Wherever we ended up, we would never forget the place that we came from.
A beautiful finish and flourish
Don't expect Amazon Prime shipping on these! Each Talia Sari piece is made-to-order, and takes about two weeks to arrive.
This was on par with our experience. Once they arrived, we were a bit stunned at how gorgeous each piece was.
The earrings we received.
Never mind the compliments, these were keepers. They are delicate pieces of art, and feel like they are to be treasured.
The earrings can be a little tricky to figure out how to put on (hot tip: the hoops go in the back!). Lo and behold, the company was nice enough to send us a pair of backup hoops after we mangled one of them in the process.
If you're looking to treat yourself - for no rhyme or reason - this is a travel gift that is likely a worthwhile indulgence.
