This is one of my favourite commissions. A woman wanted to commission a really special item of jewellery because her sister was moving from the UK to Australia. She shares such a special bond with her mum and sister that she felt it was going to be very hard knowing her sister was on the other side of the world.
With so many commissions the first thing people say is "I'm not creative. I don't know what I'd like but I know I want it to be special" It's normal for people to feel that they need to have the final idea for a commission before asking me to make something but that's not the case. I can create something really special so long as people are willing to share something personal about their relationships with me. Otherwise I can't make something that will connect with them in a way they feel is just right.
I asked her to think about what it was that made their relationship so close. She went away to think about it and emailed me. She said that her mum had created the strong bond by taking the time each week to get together, regardless of what was happening in their lives. After school on a Friday, she would get a cake and they would sit together and share it and talk about what had happened that week to each of them.
She said that even after leaving school, they had kept this tradition going. It was the ending of this ritual that was going to signify the change in circumstances.
I wanted to create something that connected them even though her sister was on the other side of the world. I wanted it to be something that reminded them that they carry a piece of each other with them even though they are far apart and that things aren't the same without them.
I told the customer that I'd like to create a cake made of silver that split into three sections. On the top of each section, there would be a birthstone for the person the necklace belonged to. When the cake was opened, inside, where there would be the layers of cream, there would be words that would only make sense when the cake was together. I asked the customer to give me wording that she wanted inside the cake.
She asked me to engrave "Distance can't change who we are. Closest family, strongest allies, truest friends.
She wanted the style of the necklace to have several charms rather than just the cake so we added the teacup and the spoon which has a tiny heart in the handle.
Even more beautiful that the final pieces of jewellery is the relationship these three women share. I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful opportunity to make jewellery that represents a connection this strong.