Appreciation and sweet satisfaction

I'm still amazed by how well my jewelry has been received by the outside world because I make jewelry that I enjoy wearing. And my best work happens when I just let my creativity flow and form. Feelings, emotions and imagery strongly influence my designs, and I gravitate towards rich textures, illusion and movement. I imagine the piece and how it feels to wear it. And it's a wonderful feeling when my work is purchased, worn and adored by others. But an even greater feeling of accomplishment comes from collaboration, where my design has inspired another.

I recently had a custom project that I particularly enjoyed making for a special couple. They found me on Etsy and ask if I would customize a set of "Twiddle Rings" as promise rings. His was simple with only one spinning band, hers was more ornate with three spinners and stones, but both rings have a stamped message that reads "Married to the sea."

I just had to share this sweet note of appreciation and the photo they sent to me.

Berlin,

Josh and I wanted to let you know that we're so delighted with our rings- they are above and beyond what we'd hoped to find. It's been a joy working with you. The design process was a blast (and we appreciate your patience with all the questions!) and having such unique, completely perfect representations of who we are is pretty much the best thing ever.

The photo fails to do them justice but hopefully you can tell that they are truly treasured. Thank you.

Marie & Josh

Successful experiments...

Getting it right is not always easy but it's my rule of thumb when it comes to my jewelry. My last blog post was about my latest experiment with a new spinning band "Twiddle Ring" that I call the "Jeweled Twiddle." The idea stemmed from a request to have faceted stones on a Twiddle Ring. Well, faceted stones just aren't practical for spinning band rings because the stones could be subjected to some pretty harsh treatment. And generally faceted stones are more expensive and can be more fragile. But I got to thinking....what if I mount a stone on the top of the ring and the spinners sit opposite?

As luck would have it, I was approached by a client that loved my "Twiddle Rings" and she wanted to use a 3mm blue sapphire that was very special to her. I discussed the design with her and worked up a quote. Then I "experimented" with the idea and showed her the first "Jeweled Twiddle." She loved it and I got started. I melted her gold for the 14k spinning band and the balls. I purchased a 14K tube set bezel for her blue sapphire and mounted it on the ring after she came in for the fitting. After finishing the ring I set the stone and gave the ring a final polish. Then I snapped a picture and TAAAA DAAAAAAAAA! Here it is...

Experimenting!

I love making my spinning band Twiddle Rings and it's a good thing because I've been selling a lot of them. Which is soooo wonderful! Being busy filling orders is wonderful but I don't get a lot of time to experiment with new ideas... so, with a bit of extra time on my hands this week I finally got to try out a new idea. It's called the "Jeweled" Twiddle Ring!