In the deep midwinter, long before Christmas lights sparkled in shop windows or calendars divided our days into neat boxes, the peoples of Northern Europe gathered to honour Yule: the quiet turning of the year, when the sun begins its slow return from darkness. The world outside lay fallow, but inside hearth-fires glowed, evergreens shimmered with symbolism, and stories braided past and present together.

Yule was not a single day but a season: a sacred pause. A breath between what had been and what might yet become. Fires were kindled, evergreen boughs were hung, and families shared feasts that warmed the long nights. It was a time for clearing out the old, calling in blessings, and celebrating the eternal cycles of light, life, and renewal.

Among the Norse, legends told of Odin soaring across the sky at Yule, leading the Wild Hunt, a reminder of the thin veil between worlds. In Celtic and Druidic traditions, the season marked the rebirth of the sun itself. Candles, torches, and golden fruits were offered to guide the returning warmth. Holly, ivy, and mistletoe - plants that stay green through frost and snow - adorned doorways to invite protection and resilience.

Today, we honour Yule in quieter ways: lighting a candle at dusk, pausing to reflect, adorning our homes (and ourselves) with symbols of endurance, beauty, and hope. And in these small rituals, jewellery often finds its place.

At Fetheray, we’ve always believed that jewellery carries stories, not only of the artisans who shaped it or the loved ones who once clasped it, but of the energies and intentions woven into it over time. During Yule, these intimate objects take on a special resonance.

A Victorian garnet brooch, glowing like a coal in the heart of winter, echoes ancient associations with protection and the life force that burns steadily beneath the frozen ground. 

A lacy Art Deco platinum ring, glittering like frost on midwinter branches, speaks to the clarity and renewal that Yule invites.

And perhaps most Yule-like of all, an antique ivy or holly motif locket, entwined with symbolism of everlasting life, offers a place to keep memories close as we step into the year ahead.

These pieces are more than adornments. They are talismans, echoes of the evergreen and the candle flame, of resilience and return.

As the solstice approaches and the nights reach their longest, Yule invites us into a gentle stillness. A flicker of candlelight. A cup of something warm. A moment of contemplation.

In this quiet space, many choose a symbolic gesture to mark the shift: lighting a single candle; placing a sprig of holly on the mantle; selecting a piece of jewellery that feels like a companion into the new year.

Yule reminds us that even in darkness, new light is stirring. It is a time suspended between endings and beginnings, a moment to honour what has passed and to step toward what is coming with intention, beauty, and a sense of connection to all who celebrated before us.

From our treasure trove here at Fetheray to your winter hearth, we wish you a soulful Yule filled with sparkle, protection, and the quiet joy of returning light.