Two in five adults (41%) say they would love to be able to pass down a family heirloom to future generations – but 43% claim they don't own anything of real sentimental or monetary value.
The top item Brits believe is most worth passing on is jewellery – with 61% of those, who have received an heirloom, saying that it was a piece of jewellery.
The poll of 2,000 adults found that, if they had something to leave behind, 13% would leave it to a friend, instead of a family member.
However, less than half of adults plan to pass down an heirloom – as one in five (21%) feel that items are more “disposable” now, meaning that they typically have less sentimental value (18%).
But 35% say that keeping their family's heritage alive is their top reason for wanting to pass down an heirloom.
And 36% have inherited an heirloom of either sentimental or monetary value.
Other items deemed most worthy of passing down include books, and household items such as glassware, cutlery, or dinner service.
And Whitley Neill Gin, which commissioned the research, is hoping to reignite the age-old tradition of passing down heirlooms – by giving 15 winners a diamond in bottles of Distiller’s Cut London Dry Gin, worth a collective £25,000.
Johnny Neill, founder of the gin brand, said: “As a family brand, whose distilling knowledge has been passed down through eight generations, we value the importance of heritage and legacy.
“Which is why we want to help others have something lovely to pass on – in this case, a diamond which can be embedded into a piece of jewellery, watch, or precious item.”
It also emerged as a nation we would prefer to receive something of sentimental value (28%), rather than monetary value (22%) – although this stance does vary between genders.
A third (33%) of women claimed they would prefer an item of sentimental value, while just 20% would prefer something of monetary value.
By contrast, men were more evenly divided, with 24% claiming to prefer an item of sentimental importance – and the same amount (24%) thinking about their finances.
Sentimental items are also valued amongst younger generations, with over a third (38%) of 18-24-year-olds stating that they would prefer an item which meant something special.
However, some older generations said otherwise, with nearly a quarter (24%) of 55-64-year-olds stating they would prefer an item of monetary value, according to the OnePoll figures.
Johnny Neill added: “Jewellery is the item that most people would like to pass on to loved ones, and premium gin and diamonds are both renowned for their quality and cut – so when thinking about what we could offer, diamonds seemed like a fitting choice.”
