Ok so maybe the title doesn’t say it all, but as Remembrance Day approaches we wanted to tell you how you could support the excellent work of the Royal British Legion. The Royal British Legion is the nation’s “custodian of remembrance” as well as doing impressive work to support existing and former members of the armed forces and their families.
Like me you may only start thinking about Remembrance Day once the poppies start appearing on your local high street or station, for a number of years now I have sought out the poppy pin badges which vary from year to year as a more permanent way of commemorating the annual events, as I find I can get away with wearing them for many months whereas my paper poppy seems to cause me nothing but trouble (I am too incompetent to manage to pin one on so they tend to loiter around buttonholes…)
It may seem a little early, but I want to give you the chance to explore what alternative ways of supporting the cause are on offer, particularly in this year, the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War.
Poppies have moved on a lot in recent years, and I’m not just talking pin badges and ceramic poppies at the Tower of London. There’s an entire site dedicated to the poppy related accouterments produced in support of the Royal British Legion, from umbrellas to stationary, and (unsurprisingly since we’re talking about it on this blog!) jewellery.
The jewellery collections from the Poppy Shop span several ranges, and the variety available is immense, here are a few of our favourite items:
The real flower poppy heart range comprises a bangle, earrings and necklace made from real miniature poppies – we like these because the use of real flowers really interesting, it’s a trend that is becoming more and more popular and the variation of having a heart shaped feature on these is really nice. It’s also a really nice way to wear the poppy, but would be suitable for the whole year round.
If you’re not such a fan of the heart they do similar designs in an oval shape on the website.
There are fabulous long drop earrings from the Falling Poppy collection, they were created by British Royal Warrant holders, Toye, Kenning & Spencer, and at £10.49 they are an absolute bargain. The matching necklace is under a tenner! For a slightly more dramatic look though, we love the Poppy Cascade collection, these feature a similar design of poppy clustered with a silver poppy and an oak leaf. Also created by Toye, Kenning and Spencer these have a longer drop (6cm) and are a real feature for any wardrobe.
For a more traditional approach to the poppy how about a Union Flag inspired poppy brooch. You know we love a brooch and the personality in this one really shines out.
Finally a special mention for these First World War poppy cufflinks, because these really are an amazing piece of art. To quote the website “they have been created from the solid brass of original artillery shell fuses found on First World War battlefields. The shells have been melted down and cast, using the traditional ‘lost wax’ method in which each and every poppy requires a wax version, into a hand sculpted poppy design.
The design is based on a 100 year old dried and flattened real poppy from Private Len Smith’s diary – Private Smith, a veteran who lived until 1974, plucked the poppy from No Man’s Land in 1915 and preserved it in his illustrated diary.” There’s no point me trying to say anything as this speaks for itself – the ultimate form of upcycling, what a great way to Remember. Additionally these are a beautiful, practical item which is sure to be good value for money at £79.99.
On the topic of cufflinks, do have a look at the fabulous spitfire cufflinks made from an actual spitfire…I kid you not, they are amazing.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this post, please do remember the purpose behind Remembrance Day and bear in mind that the Poppy Shop is the official online store for the Royal British Legion, all profits go to support the charity. Delivery charges may apply, please see the website for details.
Adventures through the loupe 
