Built on Trust
I met my client - who has since become a friend - on my usual morning run along the boardwalk. We had been on “good morning” terms for a few weeks when it seems someone let slip that I was a jewellery designer. One morning, he approached me and asked if I could make something for his wife’s birthday.
That was a few years ago.
Since then, I’ve made many pieces for his wife, all very different, unique and personal- from hand-dyed woven cotton belts with bespoke brass buckles to botanical wearable art pieces using local Sea Island Cotton.
He has become one of my favourite clients. With each commission, he trusts me to create something his wife will love . Something beautifully made, considered and timeless.
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A Ring That Hugs
The Vine Ring began with his idea for a traditional “hugging” ring, to symbolise the strength of their relationship, their companionship and the travels they have shared together.
When he sent me a photograph of the ring he had in mind, I was honest with him. It wasn’t a design I felt I could recreate authentically, so instead I suggested we explore the idea of a ring that could hug the finger, but in a more romantic and botanical way.
I gathered ideas for two directions - one more geometric and stylised, and another more whimsical and intricate. He chose the latter, and I set about creating the first version in brass.
Precious Metal
I did a quick sketch before getting straight into shaping the metal. The ring was built from eight individual pieces, with the composition evolving quite naturally as I worked.
Once I felt happy with the balance of the ring, I showed it to my client and suggested that the final piece would work beautifully in silver. Not only aesthetically, but practically too. Something this intricate needs to be kept clean, and silver would be much easier to care for.
He loved the idea.
I think the design lends itself so beautifully to silver. The white metal gives it an ethereal quality, while the free-flowing, intertwined vines feel much more personal than a literal interpretation of a “hugging” ring.
