Over the years, I have had the opportunity to create engagement and wedding rings for many people, each with their own stories to tell. One of my very favorite sets of story rings was created for a loving couple both entering their second marriage. When we began our conversation they didn’t really know what they wanted as far as designs… they only knew that they wanted wedding rings that pertained to who they were as individuals and as a couple.
As our conversation progressed, I learned that one was born and raised in the Southwest desert and the other was born and raised on the Oregon Coast. These two regions were a big part of what was important to each of them. Having lived for 9 years on the Oregon Coast myself, I had a sense of what I was wanting to create for the one ring. With my mother having lived in Sedona, Arizona for over 20 years and having been able to enjoy some great hiking in that area, I also had a strong idea of what I could see happening for the other wedding ring. What evolved was a palladium band fluidly carved into what I now call my water ring. The other ring was carved and cast in 18kt red gold that reflected the rocky formations of the Arizona desert. The rings were a symbolic representation of who these two people were.
The truly beautiful part of this story though revealed itself during their ceremony when they gave each other the ring that was stylized for the other one so that the person from the desert wore the water ring and the coastal person wore the desert ring. This sort of wedding jewelry could never be found in commercially manufactured jewelry.
The story has to be listened for, found and translated so that the end result is a beautiful, well crafted set of rings that can be worn for many many years.
