In much the same way that space is virtually infinite, so is the possibility of gifts that can be themed around it. Whether you wish to instil your own love for the stars and the great beyond in your child from an early age, or you have someone special in your life who is an astrophile, we have the perfect set of gift ideas for you to go through next.
Table of Contents
The Astronomer’s Sextant
The sextants used by ancient navigators and those used by ancient astronomers are different instruments, despite them sharing several similarities. Since we are looking to find the best gift for someone who has an affinity for astronomy and not navigation, don’t buy sextants that are marked as celestial navigators or mariner’s astrolabes.
These double mirrored celestial navigators were used by old ships to find their way on the vast ocean, which involved calculating the distance between well-known celestial bodies at night. The measurements allowed them to approximate the ship’s present position. What astronomers used back in the day is called the astronomer’s sextant and it is not a double-mirrored sextant.
Before transit telescopes and navigation satellites took over their job, astronomers used sextants to determine the present position of the stars, planets, satellites, and other celestial bodies. Find one that looks antique in construction and designed to make the gift feel extra special. Don’t attempt to buy a real antique online though because antique sextants are far too expensive and rare for such listings to be anything but a fake.
Custom Star Maps
Craft & Oak custom star maps are fully personalised artistic recreations of past celestial arrangements. In other words, these are artistic, but astronomically accurate depictions of the various stars, planets, and other celestial bodies, exactly as they were on a specific date. That date can be any special day that holds significance in the life of the person receiving their custom star map.
Birthdays, marriage dates, first dates, dates of special achievements, children’s birth dates, or any other date of private meaning can be personalised and framed in line with the stars. A star map is the perfect gift for freezing a special moment in cosmic significance (quite literally!).
The Astronomer’s Watch
Be warned that this is going to be an expensive gift since unbranded and exceptionally cheap astronomer’s watches dare invariably fakes. If you have the budget and the person is special enough to you, then an astronomer’s watch, aka the horology watch, is one of the best and most premium gifts that you can ever buy for an astrophile.
Cosmic watches do not just keep time and date – they also show us the position of all major and even a few minor celestial bodies within the solar system, in real-time. Some of the more famous and absolutely stunning astronomer’s watches would be the Van Cleef & Arpels Complication Poetique, the Bovet Récital 20 Astérium, and the Jacob & Co. Astronomia Tourbillon. These exorbitantly luxurious watches might be far too expensive for most of us to consider, but “comparatively affordable” astronomer’s wristwatches are also available from respected watchmakers.
The Astronomer’s Jewellery
Astronomy-themed jewellery can be as expensive or cheap as you want it to be, with plenty of options in the middle too. For example, a simple, silver bracelet with accurately coloured, designed, and differentially sized beads representing the various planets can look amazing when crafted by expert hands. As one can imagine, they don’t cost much at all either. At the same time, a similar gold bracelet where each of the planets is represented by their respective, astrological gems of exquisite quality means the price will skyrocket in no time.
Celestial rings with the various representative gems included are a much more affordable and elegant option to consider. These are usually made from sterling silver, white gold, or platinum, while the precious gems are always original. What brings the cost down is the fact that it takes are lot less metal to cover a finger than the wrist. Other than that, the gems used in making that ring are also going to be a lot more affordable. Despite being genuine and beautiful, jewels small enough to fit many onto a ring should not cost much.
Just in case you were looking for cheaper options than the ones already mentioned here, go with an astrology themed coffee mug. You will find astronomer’s mugs that reveal hidden galactic designs, signs, celestial bodies, and other markings, only when you add hot water, coffee, or tea to them. The signs and symbols disappear soon after the heat dissipates, adding an almost magical touch to the effect. They will appeal to people who are in love with the stars, and most importantly, galactic mugs don’t cost that much either.
