Dog Tags have been around from time immemorial, and now they are becoming an exciting piece of jewelry. The rich and famous, as well as the not so, are finding great joy and delight in wearing them as jewelry. Of course, in the military they play a vital role in the recognition of a soldier. They carry a person’s name, rank, and serial number, and proclaim to any viewer that this person is not his…he belongs to the military.
As jewelry, dog tags are being given to a boyfriend or a girlfriend. They are being worn to show that I am taken. They remind the wearer that he/she has an admirer. A dog tag is worn close to the heart to show that the person who gave it is “near and dear to my heart.”
Children are being given a piece of dog tag jewelry. Usually a parent gives it to their child for identification purposes, in case of an accident, etc. Grandparents are finding that children, from infants to teen-agers, love having their name on a romantic piece of jewelry. At the same time it is serving a purpose. They might put a phone number on it. Maybe an address is shown.
The rustic look of a plain metal dog tag is nostalgic. The expensive look of gold plate or silver plate in a thick, rich metal is undeniably a fashion statement. There are colored metal tags that boast your favorite color subtly.
Images engraved on the dog tags often reveal the interests of the wearer. A baseball, a football, or any other sport is very customary for a boy. A girl might like an engraving of a dog or a cat. A horse lover might get a picture of a horse head, or maybe their horse’s name engraved on their dog tag.
The chain of the dog tag says as much about the individual and his taste in jewelry as anything else. There are plain round links, much like you would find on a pull string on the light in the garage or basement. Then there are the expensive gold and silver plated ones, that come in all sorts of chain link styles and sizes.
Dog tags have come a long way!