I’m a real sentimentalist, so I love a piece of jewellery with a story behind it. If, like me, you’d rather have a pair of earrings or a sparkly ring that comes with a beautiful story, you’ll love the idea behind the new range from South African studio Black Betty Design.
Pinky Swear by Black Betty
Black Betty have just launched their stunning Pinky Swear collection, which is based on that little gesture we’ve all made before. It’s the promise that you know you can’t break. The Pinky Promise. The idea is actually of Japanese origin, and comes from the belief that soulmates are connected by a red string of fate, which is attached at the pinkies of each half of the whole. This thread is not easily broken, which is why we entwine our pinkies when we’re making a bond, or a promise that cannot break.
Symbolism in the Pinky Swear Range
The range symbolises promises, new beginnings and fresh starts. The pieces were designed to be gifted – to a friend, a partner, or yourself. Each piece symbolises a specific promise or commitment and it all melts my heart, tbh.
Stars & Moons
“Love you to the moon and back” “Reach for the moon. Even if you don’t make it, you’ll land amongst the stars”
Bullets
“Take a bullet for you” A promise from the heart with true meaning and intention. Wear a bullet close to your heart to remind you of the intentions of a pinky swear.
Hamsa
The promise and reminder of protection. The Hamsa is a strong symbol with many powerful meanings in more than one religion, and has strong connotations in Jewish, Muslim and Christian faith. It symbolises the eye of consciousness that you can never truly hide from and reminds you to be true to the promises you make to yourself.
Mountain / Tri Rings
A symbol to represent reaching your highest peak, conquering all your wildest dreams. Sometimes a pinky swear can be all to yourself. A reminder of your most intimate promises.
Shop the collection online or at the brand new Black Betty Kiosk at Hyde Park Corner in Joburg, or the Black Betty Kiosk, V&A Waterfront.
I’m turning 30 this year, and it feels so momentous to me. In my mid-twenties, I could never quite understand when my friends would freak out just before their 30’s birthdays. “What’s so different about being 30 anyway?” I thought. But with my birthday looming, the reality of saying goodbye to my 20’s has been causing some real feelings and nostalgia in my heart.I’ve been taking this time to reflect on what it means to go from your 20’s to your 30’s.
I mean, it’s during your 20’s that you truly become yourself. It’s the time for diving head first, for experimenting, for trying things – careers, friendships, identities – on and finding what really fits. So I’ve been thinking about whether I feel like I’ve done that – like I’ve really found my perfect fit. Throughout this nostalgic period, I’ve realised that I’ve become obsessed with the idea of “lasting”.
Lasting friendships, lasting commitments. I want to head into the next decade of my life really committed more than ever before to creating the life that I want for myself. I think this collection is such an amazing symbol for this time and these feelings. I love the idea of having a piece of fine jewellery to look at and be reminded of where I’ve been and where I’m going. And I love that because the pieces are so delicate, you could easily stack, layer, mix and match them. And then because the jewels are precious, they feel more special than regular costume jewellery. I like that with each new milestone, each promise you intend to keep, you can always add a new piece of beautiful jewellery to symbolise it.
WIN A Pair of Earrings from Black Betty’s Pinky Swear Range
As part of my 30th birthday celebrations, I’ve teamed up with Black Betty to give away a pair of rose gold star and moon studs. To enter, comment below with the promise you’d like to make to yourself for the rest of the year. It can be as small as clearing out your email inbox, to taking your first solo trip. I can’t wait to hear about it!
* Make sure to follow Black Betty Design on Instagram and like their page on Facebook. Competition will run from 23-30 April. The winner will be announced on 1 May. Competition is open to South Africans only. One entry per person.
72 comments
I love the story behind this so much! Most of my jewellery has some sort of meaning to me which makes it all that more valuable, even though it may not have cost much.
This year I’ve promised myself to do more things that scare me in general. I feel like I hold back or don’t do things so often because I worry what other people will think and I want to break that habit!
My life has been a work-in-progress for the past 29-and-three-quarters). This year I promise to still continue this mindset! I promise to never stagnate. Never to stop learning. Never to grow bored with each sunrise. I promise to look forward to tomorrow and to focus on today. Bring on the 30’s! 🙂
To be kind enough to myself to maintain a degree of balance in all aspects of my life. Work / life balance. Self improvement / self love balance. Ambition / celebration balance. And so on… We tend to get swept up in always trying to be better, do better and do more, forgetting to be gentle on ourselves too. It’s okay to pause, be patient and treat yourself! X
I promise to myself that I will take care of my body.
My wish this year is to be the best wife i can be (i just got married) and to love myself and my hubby enough to take steps (that ive been putting off) to help us grow together and embrace a true partnership. 🙂 its a self love and marriage love promise to myself x
I promise that I will not stop trying, no matter how hard it gets.
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I am trying to embrace change this year and see where it takes me:)
I promise to say yes to every work opportunity that comes my way this year even if it makes me nervous! Take risks and learn more about myself!
My promise to myself is to do the park run every single Saturday even if I’m feeling tired .
To spend less and save more
I just want to live a healthy and purposeful life and be have holistic joy
Every year I pick a theme that I want to live by-it’s not a New Year’s Resolution because I find those to be too specific- but a direction that I want to take for myself. And it is a promise to myself. This year’s theme is “be more” and I wrote down “I want to live into my very edges as my most authentic, strong, brave and kind self. I want to be more content, more loving and more loved”. So far, it’s going quite well 🙂
I promise myself that I will stick to my morning routine that I’ve planned out for myself- investing in my day and as a result, investing in my happiness.
I’m 32 now and also remember exactly how I felt right before my 30th birthday.
The promise I made to myself was to go to every doctor appointment and get my treatment every month. I have been sick for a while and got tired of all the appointments. So I stopped. I took a break which wasn’t good for my health but it was good for myself mentally. I stuck with my promise to myself so far this year, completing my 5th treatment in May.
Thank you for the opportunity to win such a stunning prize.
Hey Natz!
I promise to try and save enough pennies to book in time for the second leg of the Reunion Island trip. It sounds like such an amazing experience, especially for a first-time traveler to the the magical island.
I just had a baby 5 months ago and although it’s been wonderful, it’s also been really challenging and I’ve been so consumed with figuring out my new role of mom, that I feel like I’ve lost myself a little. I don’t go out as often or see my friends as much as I used to so I feel like I need to find a balance between who I used to be, and the new mom me. This year I promise to find myself again and be brave enough to be the mom, friend, wife and person I want and know I can be.
Today is my first day as a freelancer. My promise to myself would be to stay true to my vision and goals.
My little freelance business is called “Each & Other” inspired by the quote “Let’s root for each other & watch each other grow”.
My goal is to empower female entrepreneurs through marketing, and to stay true to these females. To give them the very best of what I have to offer.
I pinky promised myself that I will make it work for myself and them!
Jewellery is such a personal investment and spoil! My promise to myself this year involves ME TOO. Me too is about self care and balance. Sounds simple, but as a single parent to a very busy 2 year old boy – our life is a fast paced, learning adventure and just as I take a breather, thinking I’ve kind of figured out, things change again! I love my life with my son, but I am learning how to take care of me too. How to balance our needs and wants.Our dreams. Taking time for me & investing in me too.
I promise to be kind to myself, using reassuring and and loving words when talking to myself (as I would to others), especially when looking in the mirror and on social media. I will celebrate my uniqueness in all ways I can.
I promise to celebrate myself – my quirks and perceived flaws, my small victories, my good hair days and lucky parking spots. I promise to celebrate finding that random R50 in a coat pocket, fresh flowers and great coffee. I promise to celebrate the small things, on my own terms, and not according to everyone else’s timetable.
I promise to expect to be blessed this year ♡
My promise to myself is to let go of the past and move forward to make the conscious decision to be happy again. I’m over feeling sad, I’m a struggle every day BUT I’m working towards it each day.
I promised myself that the toxic and drama addicts be removed from my life to ensure I can live more positively
I promise myself to let go of the heavy burden of my past. To turn my wounds into wisdom, and my difficulties into opportunities.
I promise to give of my all in my studies. I promise to cum laude this damn thing! ?
My promise to myself is to remind myself that my teenager is meant to test me and be moody speckled with moments of still needing me hugely and not to take it personally! And to give her the moon and stars if I win because she holds a piece of my heart!
I promise to keep turning my dreams into goals, and chasing them until I achieve them.
I promise to take better care of myself so I can be the best for my son
love this giveaway!
it’s only in my late 20s where i’ve learnt and realised (more and more) the important things in life. to continue on this thread, i promise:
– to stop sweating the small stuff
– to prioritise self-love and care
here’s to being better, each and every single day x
This year I want to more conscious of the plastic items I use and out back into the ground. Stop using one time plastic all together!
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I promise to be kinder to myself and my body
Spend more time on the things that make ME happy – work will still be there on Monday – so enjoy MY time!
I promised myself that i will focus on health this year and improve my fitness, to stop making excuses and stop telling myself i am fat and ungle… But too start telling myself i can do this and improve my “self love”
And to LOVE MYSELF TO THR MOON AND BACK!!!! ?➡️?➡️?
Having already passed my thirties and setting into my mid forties, this range reminds me that age is just a number. One thing that I’ve got to keep reminding myself is to be me, every day. To be be happy and to be kind to myself and others. This is the promise I’m making to be better.
I promise to be kinder to myself and confident with just being me 🙂
Love this idea! My promise to myself is to focus more on the bigger picture!
To lose 5% body fat ??
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Oh my goodness if I was to choose anything from this pinky promise Collection best believe it would be the star and moon earrings, I am all about stars and moons as one of the sayings my fiancé and I hold close is: moon of my life, my sun and stars!
Anyway back to what I promise myself this year, I promise to let it be and be present. I spend a lot of time worrying about things which leads me to not live in the moment but rather 5steps ahead, I reallllllly promise myself to work on it this year, I have already started and just need to be consistently trying to worry less and be in the moment more!
To get my ass back in shape – for me & no one else… just because healthy feels great!
Im promising myself to make an effort to my appearance. Comb my hair everyday. Put in some earings and gloss on my lips.
I promise to be kind to myself and to realize my power and in doing so, I promise to strive to make the Earth a better place every day in by being the best version of me that I can be….
I promise to take better care of myself❤ i have been neglecting myself and now i need to take charge again
I promise To further my studies for the next 5 years no matter how difficult it gets,to focus on more self love and happiness rather than negativity and to let go of the past and move forward with a more positive outlook on life and happiness
I promise to focus more on self care – spending time doing things that relax and refuel me.
I continue to promise to act 50% more friendly than I feel is appropriate, and to keep up my new year’s resolution of learning to surf.
I must promise myself to BREATHE and let go.
This year I am taking the greatest leap I have ever taken….I am going to start my own Biokinetics practice. As terrifying and daunting as it is, I am so damn excited! And I am making a pinky promise to myself to always look out for me, my practice and to stay true to who I am!
I’m turning 44 this year. I’m a working woman with a daughter and husband and for the past few years, it feels like my life is one big rush from one event to the next, from school to work to home . . . This year I promise to slow down and take time to enjoy life.
Beautiful jewels, with beautiful stories and symbolism! My biggest promise to myself this year is to be more adventurous and explore more. Planning a solo trip to Iceland as I’ve always wanted to see and sleep under the Northern lights. There is so much beauty and I’ve promised to try and enjoy and experience as much of it as possible.
Remember to breath…. with all the stress and pressure of being a wife, mom and boss I often forget to just breath when it all feels like its getting too much.
I make a promise to myself to never let anyone get in the way of my happiness and goals this year, actually for the rest of my life. I started this year off on a bad note and after the things that happened I have realized I am the holder of my destiny, my dreams and my goal and I am the only one that can make them a reality. I CHOOSE to be happy and positive!
I absolutely adore the symbolism held within this range! The value of a promise that can’t be broken is so important these days where things seem so easily taken for granted!
My promise to myself this year is to be more gentle and kind to myself and to our Earth. Life can be so harsh sometimes and if we can’t be gentle to ourselves then we tend to feel constantly defeated! If I can be gentle and kind to myself and our planet, It helps to maintain a feeling of balance in my life!
I love what the range symbolizes and it is so apt for where I am now in my life. The promise I made to myself this year is to focus on enjoying the journey more and stop focusing and worrying about the destination I think I need to be at already. In a way it’s a promise to be kinder and gentler on myself and appreciating where I’m at at this moment
say no more often instead of spreading myself too thin.
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I promise to be kinder to myself this year. If I can try say one nice positive thing about myself every day it would be amazing. You can’t love anybody else properly if you don’t love yourself first x
To make time for me….being mom of two will zap all your energy.
I’ve started working again after being a stay at home mom for three years! I promise to work my butt off, save like a crazy lady and take our son on another international trip. Our aim is to show him the world! 🙂
To stop taking the small things for granted
My promise to myself since turning 30 in March is to make this my year of “doing”. I’ve spent so much of my life waiting for someone to do things with, to travel with or watch a movie with, or buy a home with, not realising that I’m all I need.
What an inspirational and beautifully thought out competition! I would like to promise myself that I will take that trip to New York at the end of this year and work hard to get there <3
What an inspirational and beautifully thought out competition! I would like to promise myself that I will take that trip to New York at the end of this year and work hard at saving to get there! <3
I promise to declutter my life by giving – or throwing away something every single day.
I recently turned 30 too ? and I’ve actually started doing things that helps me grow, more often, things that are simple but subconsciously started my journey (20’s to 30’s) more fruitful. I cook more (try new recipes, experimenting in the kitchen), I finished two certificates and am now doing a diploma online. By the end of this year I’m hoping to take my first trip abroad… Alone! Which is huge for me because I’m so used to being with my hubby all the time. All the best with your thirties, life gets better as you grow older.
I pinky promise ?to read more books.
Stop measuring my self-worth according to how much I work <3
I promise to take better care of my body by eating healthier and working out more often.
This year I promise to learn self love! To take it one day at a time and not be so hard on myself! I promise to give it my all, and work towards starting my own company!
I have a small catering business and two small kidlets, this year I’m hoping to take better care of myselfas I seem to have forgotten how. Starting with the gym…