Le Petit Bola - arabesque heart harmony necklace review

#GIFTED 

Pregnancy can be a wonderfully magical experience. I love being pregnant and cherish the fact that I've been fortunate to have been able to experience pregnancy. Having been told I may never conceive I feel especially blessed that I have two beautiful children and am currently pregnant with my third. 

Whilst pregnancy and its symptoms can be tough as I feel grateful that I've been able to experience it I've always celebrated each pregnancy and remembered the wonderful journey of growing a baby inside of me with scan and bump photos. 

With this third pregnancy likely to be my last it is even more important to me to celebrate and document it. To me bonding with baby also starts from when they are in the womb as you feel baby wriggle around inside, see bump grow as hey do and hear their little heart beating from inside of you. Also as we are welcoming a third child into our close little family of four I've wanted to encourage the children to begin to bond with the baby as he grows in the womb. 

Ways I have been celebrating and documenting this pregnancy and encouraging bonding with baby include a pregnancy reveal photo with the kids, taking photos of my growing bump, recording baby's heartbeat and having a 4D wellbeing scan which was an enchanting experience. 

I have also been bonding with baby with the help of a harmony ball pregnancy necklace from Le Petit Bola.

What is a harmony ball pregnancy necklace?

A harmony ball pregnancy necklace is a spherical pendant that emits a gentle jingling sound that inspires calm and harmony.

History of the pregnancy necklace

The harmony ball is a piece of pregnancy jewellery that has a history of ancestral tradition. In fact it is steeped in generations of history from civilizations as diverse as Mexico and Indonesia. 

The harmony ball was traditionally given to pregnant women who would wear it throughout pregnancy as an amulet to protect their baby. 

After the birth, the harmony ball would provide continued protection as well as offering comfort as the soft and familiar tinkling sound of the bell would settle the newborn, helping baby to sleep by remembering the gentle warmth and care of the womb. 

The Indonesian provenance of the harmony ball saw Balinese women wear a harmony ball during pregnancy to protect their unborn baby and keep dark spirits away. 

In the Mayan culture, the harmony ball was known as the “Llamador de Angeles” - the Angel Caller. Legend states how the soft tinkling sound of the ball, which is unique to each pendant, has the magical ability to summon a guardian angel for protection. 

Modern harmony ball pregnancy necklace

Inspired by this beautiful ancestral tradition expectant mothers wear harmony ball pregnancy necklaces to bond with baby from within the womb, soothe baby and to style their bump.

How harmony balls work

The small copper balls which are secured safely inside the Harmony ball produce a soothing melody.

Worn as a long necklace that sits on the bump, the soft chime of the harmony balls moving on the mum-to-be's bump can be heard within the womb when the baby's hearing starts to develop from around the 16th week of pregnancy. In theory baby will learn to recognise this soft sound and feel comforted by it. The familiar sound of the harmony ball can then continue to be used to soothe baby after birth.

Le Petit Bola

Founded by two friends, Emilie and Florian, who fell in love with the Indonesian tradition of harmony balls, the French brand Le Petit Bola was created in 2016 from a small apartment in France. Sparked by the beauty and unique bonding benefit that harmony balls provided they decided to create their own collection of beautiful harmony jewels. 

The team has grown over the years and Le Petit Bola has gone from strength to strength producing a stunning range of beautiful pregnancy jewellery for expectant mums. Since their humble beginnings they've sold over more than 2000 special harmony balls.

Le Petit Bola harmony ball collection

Le Petit Bola offer an impressive range of different harmony ball necklaces. 

They create stunning harmony balls in different designs and colours to suit all styles and budgets. Their harmony balls are available in a range of metals including 925 sterling silver, silver-plated, copper-clad and gold-plated. 

The different styles of the beautiful harmony ball jewels include balls that are silky smooth, a heart shaped pendant and balls embossed with intricate designs.  

The collection of Le Petit Bola harmony balls include pendants that are personalised with little medals engraved with initials and harmony necklaces with semi-precious stones and beautiful charms.

In honour of harmony balls originating from Indonesia, some of Le Petit Bola's harmony necklaces are from Bali. The range of Balinese harmony balls are created with an ethnic and traditional design based on arabesque styling and engraving which is eye-catching and easily recognisable. 

Designed with the spirit of traditional harmony balls in mind, Le Petit Bola pregnancy necklaces feature a long chain or cord so that the harmony ball is worn the baby bump so baby can hear the soothing sound from within the womb. Depending on the design the harmony balls either come with a metal chain or cord. Many of the Le Petit Bola necklaces are created with an adjustable cord so that the necklace length can be altered for a perfect fit as pregnancy progresses and bump grows. 

As their range is so vast I was spoilt for choice and found it difficult to choose between the gorgeous jewels with 'boreal' pregnancy necklace, 'copper heart' and 'to the moon and back' harmony necklace being strong favourites. In the end I decided on an arabesque design that is the perfect nod to the origin of harmony balls. 

Arabesque Heart

The arabesque heartharmony ball necklace from Le Petit Bola arrived gorgeously packaged. The harmony ball was safely nestled inside of a simple yet elegant box inscribed in gold lettering the words ‘Le Petit Bola - un lien unique avec mon bébé’ which translates to ‘the little bola - a unique bond with my baby’. The box was carefully wrapped in delicate tissue paper which along with the elegant gold inscribed box gave the harmony necklace an air of luxury and made the gift feel special.

The care and love shown from Le Petit Bola is displayed in the packaging and surprise little gift for baby - a gorgeous teething aid.

The wonderful arabesque heart harmony bola is made in 925 sterling silver. Part of the sterling silver and arabesque collection, the arabesque heart jewel is beautifully made thanks to superb craftsmanship making this unique pendant of the utmost quality.

It has a stunning artisan style thanks to the lovely hearts and scrolls engraved on the ball. I love the hearts that adorn the ball as it symbolises my unconditional love for my baby.

I also love the fact that thanks to its arabesque design it honours the history of harmony balls from Indonesia. 

I adore the style of the arabesque heart and love seeing it dangling against my bump. It really is a special jewel that looks precious when the sunlight shines on the sterling silver ball.

Whilst the standard coloured cord that comes with the arabesque heart was lovely, the friendly Le Petit Bola team happily accommodated my request for a different coloured cord showcasing how they are happy to make the perfect harmony ball pregnancy necklace for every customer. 

The silver grey cord feels silky smooth which makes wearing the long necklace comfortable. The long cord that comes with the arabesque heart pendant can be adjusted for the perfect fit.

Not only is the harmony necklace aesthetically beautiful and a wonderful piece of jewellery in its own right, it also has the unique feature of helping mother and baby bond during pregnancy thanks to the soothing sound that the harmony ball makes. 

The sound of the harmony ball is a sweet, melodic sound that is beautifully charming. I love hearing the delicate jingle of the ball against my bump and hope that baby is also enjoying it from within my womb. I can say that on numerous occasions I have felt baby kick and wriggle in response to the harmony ball jingling on my bump. I love the harmonious sound that the pendant makes and that it is helping encourage the precious, unique bond between myself and my little baby.

Time will tell if my baby will still be soothed by the harmony ball outside of the womb but as I find the sound relaxing I hope the sound of the harmony ball will also be relaxing and a comfort to him once he is born. 

Whilst I cannot test the theory that the familiar sound of harmony necklace will help comfort and soothe baby outside of the womb, I can say that my 4 year old boy is obsessed with the harmony ball. When he is having a cuddle with me and bump he loves to gently play with the ball to hear the jingle sound which seems to soothe him, especially when he is upset. 

I truly love the Le Petit Bola arabesque heart harmony ball pregnancy necklace. Not only is it wonderful to wear during pregnancy and hopefully will help soothe baby once he is born, but it is also a truly special and unique keepsake to remember pregnancy. As it is such a beautifully made, unique piece of jewellery it is something I can continue to wear after pregnancy.

If this baby turns out not to be my last I would definitely use this harmony ball necklace again, most likely even picking another design to purchase as there were so many designs I loved the look of. I only wish I had known about Le Petit Bola for my previous pregnancies. 

Also due to my health conditions I have worried a lot during this pregnancy about whether baby will be negatively affected. Wearing the harmony necklace has not only helped me bond with baby but I have also found it has helped me to relax thanks to the gentle melodic sound.

A Le Petit Bola pregnancy necklace would make a truly unique and wonderful gift to give a pregnant loved one as not only is it a unique way for mum-to-be to bond with baby, a lovely gift to celebrate the pregnancy and a stunning piece of jewellery for mum but it is also a wonderful pregnancy keepsake.

The luxurious packaging and the stunning quality of the harmony ball showcase the fact that Le Petit Bola create these wonderful and unique jewels with love.

* We were gifted the Le Petit Bola arabesque heart pregnancy necklace for free in return for this review. All opinions are my own. The photographs are a combination of my own and those from Le Petit Bola *