A Butterfly Affair

My granddaughter with a
Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterflies are one of the great joys of our summer. In addition to their beauty, the story of their life cycles and incredible journeys is amazing and inspirational.

Five years ago I met with a couple about wedding rings. They were older, somewhat unconventional and wanted their rings to express how they felt about their new lives together. They went home to think about it. It took a while! I was delighted to hear from them this spring.

A monarch caterpillar had attached its chrysalis to the eves of their house. They actually saw it emerge.

They were struck by the unique turquoise color and golden markings of the chrysalis as well as the wonderful metaphor of the new life emerging as this glorious creature. “Ah ha! Let’s call Jim.” They asked if this symbol could be used as a design for their custom made rings.

I found two elongated oval turquoise stones. The ring is made of 14K yellow gold with a line of pure gold beads representing the pattern of gold dots on the chrysalis.

Beautiful, meaningful, and certainly unique!

Let’s talk about diamonds

Let’s talk about diamonds. They are beautiful, unique gifts from the earth – the symbol of something that will last forever and never fade. If you want a diamond I will get one for you.

First of all it is very important to me that the diamond you buy is “conflict free”. This is assured by working with reliable, trusted and ethical suppliers - people that I know personally, have a long relationship with and who share this concern.

When you come in, I will explain what diamonds are all about.  In ten minutes you will know more about diamonds than many people who sell them. We will talk about quality and price, then, if you like, set up another appointment. I will go get several diamonds in your price range for you to look at and choose from.

I do not have a drawer full of stones or hundreds of “unique” settings. I only have a few diamonds as samples to show you.

What I do that is different from the stores, is to go to my suppliers and carefully look at each diamond available and choose one that meets my standards and has the qualities you have asked for.

After decades of being in this business I have come to know the subtle differences in the qualities of a diamond that go beyond the standard classifications. Does the cut enhance the brilliance of the stone. Are the flaws dark or light. Are they in a place that can be easily seen or not. Is there clearness in the structure of the stone or a slight haziness. Is there florescence and if so is that good or bad. It is essentially a matter of how does the stone look to my experienced eye.

You learn about diamonds. I find the best ones. You choose the one you want. And you will most likely save money. I charge less than the stores because I don’t have a lot of money tied up in stones and when you get here you will see that I don’t have a lot of overhead.

Diamonds are like people and couples. Each truly is unique. You have chosen each other. I would love to help you chose the right diamond. 

Tire Tread

This wedding ring was made for a client who lives out east. The couple found me through my web site. We, unfortunately, never met. (I prefer meeting with people. It is just more personal) It was all done on the internet and by phone. They are a really nice couple.

He is a motorcycle racer and wanted a tire tread ring! She was OK with that. A good sign, I think! He sent me a picture of a specific tread design. My guess is that it has a design meant for going around in circles at some kind of frightening speed and precarious angle.

Tire tread picture

Wax casting

Finished ring

How’s that for unique? 

Roman Glass

This pendant was made for a friend of mine. His daughter went to Israel on an archeological dig. The site was a 2000 year old roman ruin. Scattered about the site were pieces of glass from that era. She was allowed to take pieces outside the specified work area and brought them home.  These delicate shards had developed an amazingly beautiful patina, after all that time, that was like an opal. The piece we chose to set was very thin and the coloration was vulnerable to flaking off, both concerns in setting and wearing.  Also the coloration was faint.  What I ended up doing was to mix two part glue, which dries thick, with black india ink and put it on the back of the glass. This gave it strength and enhanced the color. I then sprayed the colored surface with clear enamel to protect the patina.

The setting is made from tiny pieces of driftwood giving it a look of something found along a shore.

This was fun. It is a man’s ring. He brought me a picture of water and said “Do water.” The small stones are black diamonds. (Very manly!)