Gem Weekly 4

Staying Connected

A tangible connection through jewellery

I think I am managing to sit reasonably quietly in my small living room / yoga studio/ office, although there was a little incident this week…
 
#StayConnected, is the hashtag for Virgin Media. 
 
“I would love to #StayConnected with my family Virgin Media if the Wi-Fi hadn’t been constantly dropping out all week!”  I exclaimed in exasperation on their Facebook page, my confidence slightly boosted by Prosecco.  Thankfully, I deleted the bit that said, “I bet it’s perfectly fine on your island Richard!”
 
I feel there are those who are locked down with children, dogs, cats, husbands, wives, and fiancés, and then there are those who are precariously locked down with prosecco…

I am no philosopher, but is Pascal’s theory being proven today as millions of us around the world are forced into isolation? He believed humans fear the silence of existence, dread boredom, and find aimless distraction. Today, are these aimless distractions our electronic devices? Information technology has increasingly influenced our culture through radio, TV, phone, and internet etc. in turn broadening our connectiveness to the wider world.
 
How disconnected would we feel now without this technology and our precious electronic devices connecting us to the people we love, whether they are a few miles away or on the other side of the world?  Hence my annoyance at Virgin Media, the intermittent signal a constant reminder of the distance, and the absent physical and emotional connection.  The real. The tangible. The hug.
 
This week I received an enquiry from Grant regarding re-making his fiancé Clare’s engagement ring in 18ct yellow gold because the 14ct alloy it is currently made from, is turning Clare’s finger green, possible due to the higher copper content of 14ct.
 
Grant is in New Zealand, a million miles away from Clare, who is here in London.  It must be incredibly difficult for them, and although New Zealand seem to have done a fantastic job at controlling Covid-19, if the rest of the world is not on the same page then it doesn’t really help them very much. I really do hope they are reunited very soon.  In the meantime, hopefully I can bring some small comfort to them both by re-making their engagement ring which is a tangible and physical symbol of love, given during a happier time and place, and now connecting them from opposite sides of the world.
 
For me, Jewellery is about the connection it has to people, places and moments in time, and their engagement ring is certainly providing that for them right now. 

The story so far ~ Anya's bespoke bracelet

New Zealand silver fern inspired bracelet commissioned by Rob

There was an uncanny connection to New Zealand this week. Maybe it’s the promising news of no new cases of Covid-19,  some hope for the rest of us? 

Rob contacted me a few weeks into Lockdown Life and asked me to design a bracelet for his wife Anya.  They live in America and have just received their visas to live in New Zealand. To mark this next chapter in their lives, they would like the bracelet design to incorporate the New Zealand Silver Fern, whilst staying in keeping with the platinum necklace I designed for Anya a few years ago to commemorate their fifth wedding anniversary.  Over the past few weeks I’ve been collating inspiration and mulling ideas over in my head, and this week I’ve started to bring it all together.  READ MORE

 

Applauding our NHS and key workers

Through bespoke jewellery stories.

I'm continuing to applaud the NHS through jewellery! Marilina is a specialist kidney doctor and so I wanted to re-feature her stunning one-of-a-kind bespoke bluish-green sapphire engagement ring. I've added more to the journey in designing and creating it on my blog since I featured it a few weeks ago. There is a little video so you can see the true sparkle of the stone!  READ MORE

The story also features on my Instagram page and I wondered if I could take the unsubtle liberty of ask you to like a few of the images and maybe also follow me? I’d be extremely grateful!

Staying connected with you

It's always lovey to hear from you! 

I received a lovely email and photo’s of this bracelet that I made Blaine quite a few years ago, he thought it was around 2011. So, I sent the photo with the clear hallmark to my friend at the London Assay office and she was able to tell me it was made in 2010!  Wow, where does the time go?? “

I’m sure you wouldn’t remember me or the bangle! It was so long ago. It could have been 2011. I just remember it was wintertime, and I came to your studio in Hatton Gardens area. I came twice I think for fitting and tweaks and then I’ve had it ever since. The story is my dad used to have one like this. Plain, round, and rounded ends. I’d been looking in shops for years but couldn’t find one with just that spec, so found you online and you helped me. I think after that I passed by and said hello once or twice when you were at your stall in Spitalfields. Anyway that’s all the other detail I can remember!”

It’s nice to hear from you because sometimes I worry my Gem’s are just me talking at you and spilling out all the things wiring around in my head. After-all, the conversation with the four walls is a bit flat! 😉

Think I've been sitting alone in this room for to long.

A tangible gift from me to you

Something real in the post! 

 

I’d love to know if you’re enjoying these Gem’s, and what you’ve liked most.

They came about as a response to Lockdown and Isolation and have gone from daily to weekly and I’ve just introduced Little Gem which will go out at random times with offers and treats! So I’m starting to think about how to move forward with them as the country begins to make small steps to return to work and some-kind of normal. So if you have a spare 3 minutes, some feedback via these questions would be wonderful, and in return you'll receive a little tangible gift through the post. Something real, that will hopefully make you smile!

Stay connected and stay well everyone!

Amanda