the Wedding Planner

UK Wedding News

12/12/2013

Women Store Keepsakes From Former Relationships

A new survey has revealed that one in five women secretly have keepsakes from a previous relationship.

The research found that women hide mementos from their past lovers away from a current partner, with the keepsakes including photographs, ticket stubs and letters, to jewellery – including old engagement rings. Other items included cuddly toys, cards and dried flowers.

Of the 2,000 people surveyed by The Museum of London, some 61% admitted they had a private collection of memories stashed away - but fears that their partner wouldn't understand why they chose to hold onto something from another man was the most common reason why so many kept the items a secret.

A fifth of women have a piece of jewellery given to them from a past relationship that they still wear when with their new partner. In these cases half of the women admitted their current beau is unaware that what they're wearing was given to them by another man. For one in six women, they have even held on to an engagement ring from a previous relationship. A quarter described themselves as a 'hoarder', and find it difficult to part with anything they've held dear; while one in six said they have an obsession with jewellery. Interestingly, almost half of the women studied said that the emotion and story behind a piece of jewellery was the most important thing about it, with seven in 10 claiming the value of a piece of jewellery didn't have a bearing on how much they treasured it.

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Elsewhere, the study also revealed that men can be sentimental too - with a quarter of men polled admitting that they have kept a birthday card from a previous partner. However, three in 10 women admitted they would question their other half intently if they discovered their other half was keeping mementos from a former relationship.

Beatrice Behlen, the Museum of London's Senior Curator, said: "This study confirms just how much we relate emotions to objects.

"We seem to need tangible proof that something actually happened, maybe even more so when we have lost contact with the other person involved.

"It is not surprising that jewellery appears high up on the keepsake list as it is often used to convey feelings or to mark a significant stage in a relationship. From Roman carved gemstones commemorating a betrothal, to medieval pewter heart badges and Elizabethan 'gimmel' or 'twin' rings given as tokens of goodwill during courtship - this is an act that has been prevalent across the ages."

"Many of us will have 'emotional objects' that remind us of people and periods in our life. Some are stashed away and others we might carry with us every day."

The top 10 most commonly stored keepsakes by women are:

1. Photographs


2. Birthday cards

3. A ring

4. A piece of jewellery

5. Cuddly toys

6. Valentine's Day cards

7. A necklace


8. CDs/playlists

9. Earrings

10. An engagement ring

(JP/MH)

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"A new survey has revealed that one in five women secretly have keepsakes from a previous relationship."