Farm Girl

I recently made wedding rings for a lovely couple, Gay and Ann. They had been together for many years and were now able to be legally “married”. As part of the process of deciding what the rings would look like I showed them all of the possibilities I have to offer. They chose their ring designs which were a pair of magical double Mobius strip bands (subject of another blog sometime!). One day Ann called me to ask if I could make a pendant for Gay as a wedding gift from her. She remembered a line of jewelry that I make from tiny pieces of driftwood from the north shore and asked if I could make a pendant from a piece of birch bark. We managed to find a piece from a small branch that had all the distinctive markings associated with that look and I made the pendant. 

Some time passed and I get another call from Ann asking about a pendant for herself. She was raised on a farm and has always thought of herself as a “farm girl”. Her parents no longer ran the farm but knew the people who did. She said there used to be a hundred year old hay barn on the farm that had fallen down. Some of the pieces had been saved. Ann asked if I could possibly use a piece of the old weathered barn wood as a background for the pendant. “Sure!”

Ann went to visit her parents. Her father is living with Alzheimer’s disease. As they were talking she asked her father if he could draw a picture of the old barn. He used to entertain her as a bored child in church with simple sketches. He proceeded to draw a very nice likeness of the old Illinois barn from memory. They then got a small board from the barn and brought it to me. 

I was able to make a reverse impression of the wood texture and from that make a positive in wax. I carved “farm girl” in one piece of the wax and carved a copy of the sketch of the barn in another piece as a pendant for Ann’s mother. We are all pretty happy with the result.

Cabin Sketch 

Wood piece from the Barn

reverse image of barn wood piece in silver

Wax casting

  

Finished pendant

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. 

Winter Wonderland

Final ring- Front with cabin 

Ann and Steve are good friends of mine who were recently married. Steve and his family have a cabin in the Black Hills where they have spent wonderful times together. They asked me to make their rings for them. 

Final ring- Deer tracks leading to rose

When I asked what they wanted their rings to be like, Steve thought of the cabin. He then drew a sketch. Ann wanted a rose to be a part of the design as well. There are deer tracks leading from the rose to the trees surrounding the cabin- a winter wonder land.

The "sketch"
You don't need to be a Rembrandt, I'll know what to do

The Wren

Several years ago I made wedding rings for a great couple,  Dave and Wren.

In November, Dave called me to ask if I could make a wren pendant for his wife. It sounded like a fun project and I think it turned out well. It's made from platinum and is a little bigger than a quarter. The branches are made from molds of tiny driftwood pieces from the north shore of Lake Superior.  There are small rubies set in the blossoms of the branches to give the piece a bit of color and suggested the berries of spring.

Happy Holidays From James Hunt Designs

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Enjoy!
James Hunt

Love is The Law

As a "straight" person, I grew up with a prejudice toward and a lack of understanding of people who were "gay". Age and experience, if we pay attention, enlightens our minds. 

Back in the mid '70s, a woman asked me to make a ring for her "girl friend". They had been together for ten years. She wanted me to carve a symbol of corn growing in the snow. She explained that this was a native american symbol of something that was impossible. This was to signify how hard their relationship had been to maintain in the climate that existed at that time for same sex couples. It was a moving encounter.

Ten years later her partner contacted me to make a matching ring for the first woman. I have never forgotten that experience and have had a particular fondness for the many same sex couples I have made rings for over the years.

I may have a picture of that ring but I have not been able to find it yet. However, several winters ago I was driving to work and passed a field and saw two stalks of corn left standing in the snow. It was the symbol that I had carve so many years ago.

I have been making rings for same sex couples throughout my career. These came to be called "commitment rings".  I never liked that term since it was clear to me these couples were no different from the couples coming to me for "wedding rings" and who are just as much in love and just as committed to a life together.

I would like to express my joy for my gay and lesbian sisters and brothers and my pride in the people of Minnesota for abolishing that arbitrary distinction.