Some of our most-ordered engravings are not really about what's inside the jar. They are about telling somebody you understand them.

BIKE NUTS for the cyclist whose Saturday morning is a 60-mile ride you would never go on. RUN FUEL for the friend training for her first marathon. GOLF NUTS for the husband whose handicap you do not entirely understand. STUDIO SNACKS for the painter. KNIT NIGHT for the friend who hosts the Wednesday circle. HALF-TIME SNACKS for the rugby coach.

The trick of these jars is that you do not have to know what cyclists actually want. You do not need to choose between a chain whip and a cassette and a pair of bib shorts in the right size. A jar that says BIKE NUTS says, I see this thing you love.

We hear from customers all the time that the BIKE NUTS jar was the bit of the present the husband picked up first, and the cycling jacket got opened second. The little jar, full of his favourite cashews, with a single carved word on the lid, is the gift that landed.

That is the trick of the engraving in two words: I noticed.

Never JUST a...

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