I was asked to make two pendants by a woman, one for her and one for her best friend. They have been friends since they were children and her friend emigrated to Australia when she was sixteen. Over the last 30 odd years they have kept their friendship strong despite being on opposite sides of the world. My customer wanted something really special that they could both have that celebrated their friendship
To make a commission personal, it’s really important to know something personal about the people I’m working for. I asked her what she thought made their friendship so special and unique. She said that despite being separated by 33,000 miles their lives have followed similar paths.
I did some design research into paths and considered a number of different options but one stuck with me the strongest and I made the suggestion to her. I sent her this message.
“I like this idea of the jewellery having a starting point of a path because you said the things that connect you to your friend is that you have shared similar paths even though you live on opposite sides of the world. I’ve got an idea of making a pendant that has a winding path cut out all the way through with a bar that goes through the path and moves. On one side of the bar, I would set a birthstone for you and on the other a birthstone for her. The pendant is reversible to reflect the fact you are on opposite sides of the world but is linked and moves the same way at the same time along the path. What do you think? What months are you both born in so I can include your birthstones in the drawings? x"
The customer loved the idea and told me that their birth months were June and July which is pearl and ruby.
Here are some pictures of the final pendants. You can’t see from the pictures but the bar set with the ruby and pearl moves up and down the path freely. Here is the side with the rubies.
Here is a picture with each side of the pendants on show.
Here is a picture to show that the stones move.
Here is a picture to show that the bar goes all the way through the pendant with a pearl on one side and a ruby on the other.
The customer has taken both pendants out to Australia and has asked me to upload this blog on the day that she is giving the gift to her friend so she can show her the way the pendants were commissioned and made and the story behind the design. Two pieces of jewellery that are unforgettable and that I know will be treasured.