One of a kind, practical yet beautiful, simple but practical are all things that I look for when I look for birthday and Christmas gifts.  I love gifting something that the person can use but most likely someone else did not get for them.

I recently had the opportunity to take a look at what Novica had to offer.  Novica is a unique store in that each piece is a work of art created by 1 of the  2,000 extraordinary master artists from around the world. You have the opportunity to read about their lives, explore their fascinating cultures, and select from more than 30,000 handcrafted works of art.

I fell in love with their jewelry but especially their necklaces.  I am always looking for good quality sterling silver jewelry that would make wonderful gifts but not cost me a large fortune. 

The first piece I fell in love with and ordered was the Marcasite and Garnet pendant necklace made from Thailand.   I love how classic this pieces yet so unique.  I love that it is .925 Sterling Silver and that it was a great price at just $29.99!   What a perfect birthday or Christmas present this will make.

Choosing a second piece was so hard because truly Novica has done a great job in having a beautiful selection of pieces that are absolutely stunning.  The 2nd piece that I chose was the pearl and carnelian strand necklace.  I love the mixture of pearls with carnelian and peridot.  Again this piece was a great price at just $24.99 and a perfect piece for my sister’s 26th birthday.

Not only does Novica specialize in jewelry but they also specialize in home decor and have stunning pieces that not only would look great in your home but that are conversation pieces as well.

When you purchase a piece from Novica, not only is packaged well and ready to gift but it also comes with an artisan card explaining the history and story behind each piece.  These truly are one of a kind pieces and something special for a loved one’s special occasion.

WIN IT!

Novica has generously offered to give one of my readers a $50 giftcard to Novica.

1.  Visit Novica and tell me one other thing you would love to purchase with your giftcard if you won.  Do this one first!!

Extra Entries:

2. Become a follower of this blog. Leave me a comment letting me know you follow. This will be verified.

3. Subscribe to this blog by email. Leave me a comment letting me know you did so. This will be verified.

4. Grab my new button (found in the sidebar) and post it on your blog. If you have an old button, make sure you grab the new one. This must be up when the giveaway closes.

5. Leave a comment on another one of my posts – must be a nongiveaway post. Leave a comment with which post you commented on. If entering many different giveaways, it must be a different post for each giveaway.

6. Enter another Empowering Mommy giveaway. You may only use a giveaway one time for an extra giveaway. For example if you enter the iCute giveaway and leave it as your extra entry on this giveaway, you may not use the iCute giveaway as an extra entry on another giveaway. Let me know which giveaway you entered.

7. Follow me on Twitter and tweet about this giveaway. Please leave a comment with your twitter name letting me know you did so. This is not a once a day tweet – only a one time entry.

Tweet this – Win a $50 gift certificate to Novica to purchase a one of a kind gift for that special loved one! @rachaelcoe http://empoweringmommy.com/2010/08/novica.html

8.  “Like” Novica on Facebook and let them know that EmpoweringMommy.com sent you. Please leave a comment along with your facebook name letting me know you did so.

9. Become a fan (or like) of Empowering Mommy on Facebook. Please leave a comment along with your facebook name letting me know you did so.

10. Click the like Facebook button at the bottom of this post. You will find this right below the disclosure statement. Please leave a comment letting me know you did so.

This giveaway ends August 22, 2010 and is open to the US. Make sure that you leave your email address in each comment. Leave a separate comment for every entry that you make so that these will count for you! Have fun and I look forward to announcing the winners of this great giveaway!

Disclosure: I was sent a product to review in exchange for thoughts on this product. All thoughts and opinions are my own and were not influenced by the sponsor.