by Theresa Nolet U.S. Army Air Corps pins & sweetheart jewellery items. Canada presently has approximately 24,000 soldiers in the Canadian Armed Forces with close to 8,000 on deployment at any time. In June of this year the death toll for Canadian soldiers in the war in Afghanistan reached 150. I wanted to talk about what is known as sweetheart jewellery today but first wanted to acknowledge the sacrifice that went along with this collectible. These items are more than just historical treasures – they represent love, loss, and the honor of fine young men and women who have served, and are serving, to protect the freedom that we in Canada enjoy. –photo courtesy www.timepassagesnostalgia.com Now you may be asking, “What is sweetheart jewellery?” Technically, it’s jewellery with a military insignia and, although it was mass produced, it was commonly made by the men in their spare time. It’s the name given to personal items soldiers often sent home to loved ones. Tokens of love made the time away easier to bear not only for the soldiers but also for those left behind. During World War 1 and 2, communication was mainly by letter, rarely by phone, and the troops were away for years at a time! Soldiers were very inventive and used scrap metal, coins and things like buttons from their uniforms to make bracelets, lockets and more to send back home. Handmade lockets fashioned out of military uniform buttons are prized by collectors. Soldiers were also very imaginative and just when you think you have seen it all, something unusual turns up. Of course it is the more unusual items that demand the highest price. However, if you come across a military button that has a crudely soldered pin on its back, I hope that you will look at it with the respect it deserves. Perhaps the monetary value is not high for such items but they represent so much more than money, especially if you are lucky enough to know who they were made by. Theresa Nolet owns Jardin Estate Jewelry and Antiques in Okanagan Falls, BC. For more info on Sweetheart Jewellery visit www.jardinantiques.com.