Before we get into that issue can I ask you a quick question?

"Have you ever been to a shower and found that some people had given the same gift?"

I remember one wedding I went to where the wedding couple had been given three toasters (two of them were part of matching sets with other kitchen equipment). Think about the disappointment both the recipients and the guests must have felt at that time. Everyone may have laughed it off but just think of the embarrassment they will have felt. Then there is the additional burden of going back to the shopping center with the receipts in hand, in order to make an exchange.

Would you really want to put yourself or your friends/family member into that situation? Who would set out to really embarrass their friends in public in that way on such a special occasion?

But can you get around the problem of duplicate gifts? Or to put it another way.

How do you make sure your idea is truly unique gift and special to the person receiving it?

First of all, your gift has to say you have spent some time searching for something that says you think your friend, family member or colleague is special. That means it should not be found in every store in the city.

It should be something that has an element of personalisation about it. A personalized gift idea is going to be special to them and make them think about you as the giver whenever they see it.

It should be something they can talk about with pride and how their 'special friend' took the time and trouble to find the unique personalized gift just for them and them alone.

There are a lot of unique gift ideas on the market but we need to ask some questions.

* Just how many of the gifts are truly unique in nature?

* Does the gift say you have gone to some real effort to find something just for them?

* How many gifts can be truly personalized to the recipient and the recipients alone?

* Is your gift going to be treasured and constantly remind the recipient of how special they are to you? Or will it be like a box of chocolates here today and gone tomorrow?

* Will the gift provide an everlasting benefit to the person receiving it?

* Can they be given to the man or woman who has everything already and is otherwise impossible to buy for?

When you stop to think about it very few gift ideas meet all the above criteria. When I first saw the concept of helping someone become a Lord of Lady I thought it was fanastic and bought the rights. Over the last three years it has been revised with a much better presentation package and a completely new Laird of Jura Handbook. Many recipients of this personalized have so loved the concept they have since become customers buying for other friends. What better testimonial can any gift idea have?