By Laura DeSisto
There is perhaps no more iconic structure on the South Shore than Minot’s Light, a lighthouse perched on Minot’s Ledge just 1 mile offshore of Scituate and Cohasset. Originally built in 1849, a new light was installed in the edifice 45 years later, with a 1-4-3 flashing cycle. Not long after that locals began referring to it as the “I LOVE YOU” lighthouse (1-4-3 being the number of letters in each word of the phrase).
In the 1960s, Forrest King Jr. of King Jewelers in Cohasset created a charm modeled after the lighthouse that proved to be very popular with many of his local customers. In recent years, charms have fallen somewhat out of favor, so the store’s current owners Valerie and Vicki King (Forrest’s daughters), decided to create a new piece to honor the lighthouse.
“Taking after my father, I have always wanted to design a piece of jewelry based on Minot’s Light,” says Valerie King. “The lighthouse means so much to many of us on the South Shore. My daughter, Kendall, was engaged on Well Rock (on Minot Beach) with the lighthouse flashing 1-4-3 in the background.”
King had the idea to commission a bracelet from Evocateur, a national company that produces hand-crafted cuff bracelets. She reached out to her high school friend, artist Peggy Farrell Bruno, who painted a scene depicting the flashing lighthouse. Evocateur put Bruno’s art into production and created two stunning cuffs—one in gold leaf and another in silver. Each piece is skillfully made by hand.
“The cuffs are already on a lot of our customer wish lists,” says King, who is happy to be continuing the family tradition by offering customers an iconic, South Shore-inspired accessory.
For more information, visit King Jewelers, 812 Route 3A, Cohasset, kingjewelersinc.com