A friend of mine Skeets, had a tendency to lose his rings and as expected, this fate also applied to his wedding ring. His wife Lorie approached me to create something entirely new and what followed was one of the most symbolic and enjoyable design journeys I’ve had since I started my career.
It was clear from the outset that the ring was to in some way artistically represent their relationship which, like all relationships, had its twists, turns, togetherness and its opposite. Both Lorie and Skeets were and are on a strong and highly expressive journey as individuals and as a couple - this gave me incredible inspiration to create something absolutely unique for them.
Thankfully time was not a factor so I could really dedicate myself to understand as much as needed of the nature of their partnership, their past and present and to play with various concepts and ideas. The ring design was kept a secret from Skeets – he had no idea of the design whatsoever but trusted Lorie (and me!) implicitly to create something worthy of his finger – and his heart!
One of the great things about this commission is that I was able to present all sorts of ideas and Lorie was equally creative in her suggestions but she also had no problem trusting in my developing vision of the ring and in my expertise. Our discussions took place on slow afternoons in my sun-drenched lounge over tea and with nothing else pressing – so it was perfectly relaxed and condusive to a deep considering and development of wonderful ideas.
The concept of the two flowing ‘rivers’ representing each of them was inspired and gave us the opportunity to play with the way the rivers interacted with each other. These interactions, such as the ‘coming together’, ‘dividing’, ‘crossing’, ‘twisting’, ‘creating a loop’ were all symbolic of their relationship. The stone texture surface representing the natural and strong underbelly of the relationship works perfectly symbolically but also aesthetically as a way of allowing the rivers’ flows to stand out.
Although the ring appears uncomplicated, she required an absolute mastery of traditional goldsmithing techniques and modern laser skills. Think ‘Olympic swimmer making it look effortless!’. The ‘stone’ ring is in 18ct yellow gold and the rivers in platinum and 18ct rose gold and I must say that this ring has marked a definitive moment for me in successfully expressing a complex yet wonderful story in a ring.
It's important to make clear that Lorie's articulation and expression of what the ring could stand for was like nothing I had heard before. So it was an amazing opportunity for me to translate this into what I believe to be one of my most delicious pieces to date. I hope I have totally honoured them and their partnership… and also shown when a ring is born of significance, emotion and meaning, not just tradition, it can be spectacular.
