Bespoke Project: Double Pearl Ring

Decades.

The one-word response stunned me. I had asked my client how many years she had kept her mother’s pearls in a safe. When she answered, I felt the responsibility of saving these pearls from a life in a dank, dark safe immediately weighing on my shoulders. These iridescent spheres deserved to be bathed in and play in sunlight to display their full beauty.

We decided to start with the two smaller pearls. Considering they weren’t exactly a matching pair and had variations in color, size, and luster, I suggested we make a ring. After a bit of brainstorming, I eventually presented her with a sketch inspired by a photo I took in Tanzania of glowing tree branches. The leafy extensions grew and flowed around the pearls- the smaller pearls almost completely enveloped and branches just beginning to creep from below the larger ones. The rationale behind the visual disparity being twofold: first, to imagine the branches growing at different speeds and, second, to minimize the difference in size of the pearls.

Once my client green-lighted the sketches, we began work on the mold. A couple of iterations later, we settled on a gold ring. At the beginning, the metal was bare- save for pen marks showing where the diamonds would eventually be placed. Even though it was hard to envision the final product at that point, I still presented it to my client so that she could get a sense of the general shape of the ring.

It was quickly approved and we excitedly mounted the stones. We then finished the ring with black-gold (per request of the client- a great choice for the overall feel) as a whole and, after 8 weeks of planning and crafting, delivered the bespoke ring to my client. Seeing her beam with joy when she received the ring made my day that day and it still makes me smile when I think about moments like these- moments that remind me exactly why I love my job!