Starting out with a memorable 1st gem I ever owned, 10 x 8mm rectangle Smoky Quartz, I’ve taken what I’ve learned by experience and have become very accomplished at selecting gemstones, envisioning just the right settings, getting the stone straight, prongs at the right angles without dents (oh, those first attempts back at the start!), the settings are polished to gleam and the final buff is gorgeous! Very tedious work and very rewarding.
I’m so passionate about gemstones, their properties, their origins and the history. So much to learn, too, about finishing precious metals. I will never get bored of my work and look forward to the moments that I can sit down and start a new project. I’d love to keep each finished piece, but I’d also feel proud for someone else to choose my jewelry to wear and enjoy. My items are not like the mass-produced rings out there for sale, no one put their creative energy into focus to make them individually, mine are handcrafted one by one, each piece given 100% focus so it will become a small precious treasure to own and keep for years.
Almost always, there is a little story behind each piece of jewelry that I create. Something about the gemstone or the setting. This is the story of the Amethyst Ring:
This night started out pretty much the same as usual, I waited until the baby was asleep to start working. I had three ring settings that were polished and ready to set gemstones. I’d been holding the gemstones for a few weeks, waiting for the inspiration on how I wanted to set them. Once I decided to use antique style rings, I contacted my silversmith to cast the rings and model them after antique settings stumbled upon at estate sales. Once I received the castings, it took some time to get them filed, sanded, polished and buffed. Now the rings were ready and so was I, I couldn’t wait to get started!
One of the gemstones was a bright purple Amethyst pear, so pretty! My oldest daughter has always loved Amethyst, so I thought of her the entire time I was setting the gemstone and finishing the ring. Being that my daughter is older now and going to college 650 miles away, it didn’t seem likely that she would get to see the ring, and I planned to post the ring on my Etsy website for sale. But this night, I re-lived some memories of when she was younger and how she would be drawn to the purple gemstone, especially the rougher version rocks or the crystal versions that look like spears. Once, we had made a trip to the Detroit Science Center and the gift shop sold little bags of rocks, minerals and gemstones. Pretty stones to collect. The Amethyst was her favorite. I took some nice photos tonight of the finished ring and started to put my tools away and call it a night.
Just then, my phone rang. It’s after midnight, so that surprised me. A bigger surprise was that the call was from my daughter! Not only was it ironic that she called right while she was on my mind, but she was only 3 hours away and asked if she and her friends could spend the night! Wow! I was so excited, no bother at all no matter how late, I got a second wind, and started setting up the pillows and blankets for her to arrive!
As she and her friends settled in, tired from the drive, I took a tiny moment to show her the Amethyst ring photos before we all went to sleep. In the morning, I had the pleasure of making a huge breakfast for everyone, I made waffles and bacon, my home smelled so great and we all had such a nice visit. I miss all those times from when the kids were younger and this was such fun!
I took the Amethyst ring from the packet and gave it to my daughter to try on and it fit her. She was very happy and told me the ring was beautiful and I told her all how she was the one I had on my mind as I was crafting the ring. How amazing that she would be right with me, in person, out of the blue, that I could present the ring to her as a special gift, just because I love her and know she really loves Amethyst. It was such a special moment, when just a few hours before there wasn’t even a hint that I would have this opportunity!
As she and her friends headed out with hugs and home-made sandwiches for the road, I had a “mommy” moment to treasure as a wonderful memory with MY daughter.
That makes the Amethyst ring priceless.
My Daughter's Amethyst Ring
