Real stories · The bracelet instead of a speech

When words fall short, I've started giving this little pair of wings

A little bracelet that says the thing you can't quite say — that's what this has become in my hands, three times over now. I'm 67, and at this age there's always someone in the circle having a hard month: a diagnosis, a loss, a daughter's divorce. And I've never once found the right words. Flowers wilt. Cards get put in drawers.

What I wanted was something small that would stay.

Then I found the Seraphyne from a British label called York Boutique — a vintage-style open bangle of two finely feathered angel wings, in a silver tone, with an adjustable fit that takes the guesswork out of giving it.

The wings do the talking. They stand for protection and a bit of quiet strength — which is why handing it over says 'I'm thinking of you' better than any sentence I've managed — and because it's light and comfortable, it actually gets WORN, daily, rather than saved for best. Every time she catches sight of it, the message repeats itself. That's the whole idea.

Two finely feathered wings in an open, adjustable bangle — which is why it says 'I'm thinking of you' every single day, long after the flowers would have gone.

It's £14.95, half the usual £30 — less than a decent bouquet, and it doesn't wilt by Friday. A fortnight to send it back and free delivery, for what it's worth; none of mine have come back.

The first went to Sandra before a difficult month, the second to my niece after hers, and when Sandra rolled up her sleeve at coffee last week — months on, still wearing it — she caught me looking and said, quite simply, 'it helps, you know.' I ordered the third that afternoon. And one for myself, since apparently I'm allowed.

If there's someone in your circle who needs the words you can't find, do have a look — and with the gift season coming, one to spare in the drawer is no bad thing. The Seraphyne is rated 4.7 out of 5 by more than 210 customers — and at half price, the little boxes go quickly.