I’ve been thinking a lot about all of the custom designs I’ve been doing since 2003. Over the past seven years, I have been working with clients in a very unique and intimate process of transforming their past objects into a renewed and cherished object. Each client has a story, a history and a sentimental attachment to their past objects- whether it’s a former wedding ring, a tennis bracelet or capped tooth. There’s a greener “PastYour” (pasture) for their repurposed past object.
I thoroughly enjoy this intimate exchange with my clients and have always wanted to find an avenue of communication to tell others about this process. It’s green and it’s full of sentiment. I encourage you to take a good look at your own past objects and their potential for a new life. This will be the first of many entries on my stories of past objects transformations so please stay tuned.
These stacking rings of white gold and antiqued yellow gold with bezel set diamonds were originated from a client’s former platinum wedding band which housed all three diamonds.
The gold utilized to make this wedding set was from a client’s family gold. The couple had inherited gold on both sides of the family and requested it be used for both of their rings. The bride did not want to have diamonds at all and really wanted an opal. They are very fragile and not the best choice for an everyday ring. With my suggestion that it’s a little heartier, she settled on a pretty moonstone instead.
The silver that was used to make this ring was from a silver ring the groom used to ask his bride to marry him with. The original silver ring was a square shape. The bride wanted this ring to be worn on her right hand to compliment the above moonstone ring set. The stone is called a rutilated quartz and comes in many varieties of colors and striations.
All the gold in this ring is made from the bride and groom’s family heirlooms on each side like the moonstone ring set. The texture design is created with a rough file in the wax carving stage before it’s cast. This is the first ring the groom ever wore and he wanted it to be very comfortable. That is usually the only request I get from my groom clients.
This client, an old family friend of my parents had a big blue topaz that she had always wanted set into a pendant. The stone is quite large and angular. The hand carved setting has 3 prongs made from rose thorns to hold the topaz. All of the gold made for the wax carved setting was from past objects of gold from the client, including her uncle’s gold cap tooth! The tooth was still attached when she mailed it to me. What a surprise opening that package! I torched the tooth to get the gold to melt off which worked, but produced a not so pleasant burnt smell.
This client found about my nature inspired jewelry designs featured in Garden & Gun Magazine. He commissioned me to create a symbolic piece to celebrate his victory over lymphatic cancer. He’s a big hunter, so I chose to use this megoladon shark tooth from the waters of Charleston, SC. It’s not as big as some megoladon teeth out there- they can get really big, but it’s still a very strong symbol. On the back is engraved “NED” -an acronym for No Evidence Of Disease. I loved doing this project. All of the gold used is from objects from his past. He was in a place of transformation and I was so happy to be able to create an object to assist him in this process.
The creation of the snake ring was a commissioned request from a client that had traveled to Greece and saw an ancient snake ring she liked and wanted me to created something similar to represent the strength she found within herself. She was no longer in a marriage and I used her former wedding rings to make this piece in it’s entirety. It was a very challenging project. This carved object is one of my favorites and it turned out so beautiful and strong- just like the client herself.
The same client had another platinum vintage wedding set. Her request was to use all of it in a necklace and earrings. This is the original delicate filigree prong setting for a fairly large diamond. I repaired some damaged prongs and added the bail for the white and gold cable chain to go thru. It’s a shorter necklace that rests in the delicate notch between the collar bone. The rest of the original ring had 2 tiers of tiny diamonds like little steps on either side of the large diamond. The tiny diamond tiers are attached to posts. I cut the shank in half and bent it to a curved shape to complete the look of small hoops or cuffs. They are everyday small earrings. She wears them all the time. I don’t have a picture unfortunately.
