It’s taken me a while to get around to this, but I wanted to share with you a commissioned piece I’m particularly proud of. When my client, Kristin, approached me about making a keepsake necklace for her daughter’s 21st birthday, I was thrilled and flattered to be chosen to work on such a wonderfully heartfelt and sentimental project. Once the reality of what I needed to do set in, I have to admit I freaked out just a little bit!
This piece entailed incorporating over 30 different pieces from various family members, which included a watch, a ring, various pins, pendants, charms, and even a pair of pink Barbie glasses. The materials ranged from plastic and pot metal to sterling silver and 14 karat gold, and represented many different decades. My challenge was to create an aesthetically pleasing necklace that wasn’t tacky or overly clunky. I realized right away that I would need to engineer a waterfall necklace, something with which I had no previous experience – but since I’m always up for a challenge, I tackled it head on.
After figuring out the chain structure (which ended up being three tiers), I set about preparing all the materials for inclusion in the necklace. This meant clipping off hardware, filing and smoothing, wire wrapping, drilling and cementing. Once the prep work was finished, I laid out the anchor pieces and started assembly. Once that process started, the work flew along. My biggest regret is that I didn’t get pictures as I went along. I was so engrossed in what I was doing that it only occurred to me afterwards!
Kristin presented the necklace to her daughter on her birthday, accompanied by a scrapbook featuring pictures of each of the individual components along with a story from each contributing family member as to the piece they’d contributed. I thought this was such an inspired and sweet idea.
I’m so glad to share pictures of the necklace, along with a picture of the lovely recipient happily showing off her birthday present. I feel so honored to have been a part of this project!
Kristin was kind and gracious enough to provide this testimonial: “I couldn’t be happier with the beautiful and one-of-a-kind treasure in honor of my daughter’s 21st birthday! After collecting jewelry mementos from a variety of friends and family, I met with Amy to discuss potential design, materials, etc. Amy listened carefully, took great interest in the project, and ultimately designed a necklace that showed her heartfelt dedication to making this piece something my daughter would hold close to her heart forever. We absolutely love what Amy created and will be finding more pieces and projects for her to creatively and beautifully assemble!” Thank you for the opportunity, Kristin! I look forward to working with you again soon.
