Sometimes the act of spontanous creation is a gift I give to myself. Allowing myself time to explore my craft without a fixed design in mind. Not starting with a plan means I am free to take the creation in any direction it wants to go, try new techniques, or use some of my favourites. Just playing. There’s definitely a difference in how I approach pieces I custom design for clients, and the creation process when I let myself go. With custom gold pieces, precision is everything; it reduces waste which allows me to give my clients the best possible price possible. This means I’m often designing within a fraction of a millimeter.
So, giving myself bench time that is unconstrained and undirected, is really important for keeping my creative energy flowing. It is easy to forget to build that time into my life, but it makes a huge difference when I do. Allowing myself the freedom to play helps recreate the excitement around my art, and having no fixed outcome means I can let go of fears of failure and just explore. No pressure.
That’s kind of how this custom pendant piece came about. My creation process started by drawing a few ideas; I knew I wanted it to be asymmetrical, have a bezel & prongs to hold the stone. Then, I just got into my studio & allowed myself some creative time.
This piece combines a stunning dark veined piece of Pixie mine turquoise, set in fine & sterling silver. I showed the stone to my sister shortly after I got it & she was mesmerized by it. I kinda tucked that away in my brain & always thought I would gift it to her if I ever had the chance. This year provided the perfect opportunity.
My sister is one of the most important people in my life. She turned 50 this year & I wanted to craft something really special to mark the occasion. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting my sister, you know she is truly one-of-a-kind, and I am so glad that I decided to make her a custom pendant that is as unique as she is!
I love this piece, and so does she. I found the process of creating something freestyle extremely energizing.
Do you have an artistic outlet? Do you remember to let yourself play, to explore, and learn and develop through experimenting. It might be by trying new ways of cooking, drawing, dancing…anything! But giving yourself the freedom to do things your way, just because you want to can have wonderful results. I don’t just mean because you might create a masterpiece! I mean because playing is something fundamental to being human that we often lose as we become adults, and finding ways to get back in touch with it is a fantastic way to improve our wellbeing!
Do you want to celebrate someone you love? Reach out and we can see whether a custom piece could work for you.
Custom pieces can be ANYTHING; pendant, brooch, tie-pin, earrings, ring, or body jewellery. Create something one of a kind, for a person who is one in a million!