Wednesday, June 29, 2011

cold water



pure and heavy, like cold water

I recently had the honor of creating an engagement ring for one of my best friends. Over the past few years she has developed a passion for surfing that rivals my own. Her fiance is equally smitten, with her and the sea. Technically this was the most challenging jobs I've faced, and by far the most satisfying.

Before sitting at my bench I would feel anxious and unsure if I would ever finish the ring. It was a process that was completely new to me, and I was finding it very difficult. Though once I picked up my tool and began to meticulously carve the ring from a block of wax, my thoughts would drift to the lovers; images of laughter, surfing, love and their future together would play through my mind like an old silent film. Hours would pass as my fingers learned to work with these new materials.  So many happy thoughts were imbedded into the process. There was a moment at the end when the design just emerged, ta-da! like it had been hiding in there all along and I only needed to uncover it.  I was elated! The design, the love, the story all came together in one magical moment. Seriously, it really was that great.

This project re-invigorated my passion for making jewelry. It reminded me how much I love the challenge, the material, the personal connections.  I like to think that the energy put into something is carried within it,  and passed on to whomever takes ownership of the object.

This design incorporates two waves flowing around the band. Some swells are larger, stronger while others are smaller and gentle. Like love which can be intense and powerful, other times quiet. Good times and bad, always flowing together with the same purpose. They meet in the middle, wrapping up onto to diamond to find the perfect balance.

Using recycled white gold and recycled diamond of impeccable quality I love thinking that this ring will see these lovers through many days of offshore ground swell and small summer wind slop.

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