{ Above: Nora & T. - Switzerland }
My ring represents our meaning of love, that much like the moon, it can be shiny and sparkly...and yet is sometimes a rough trail. T. designed the model out of wax and the goldsmith did the finishing in gold.
Symbols of love come in all shapes and sizes. Most important are the people, cultures and beliefs that are brought into union. Today, we glimpse the wedding rings across several of our global neighbors! In each case, you'll find that the materials, process, design and meaning are all so varied. Probing deeper...they let us in to answer, what makes it uniquely yours?!
• • •
Courtney & M. - Mexico
(Lovely neighbor Courtney, over at Chiapas Bazaar) wanted something simple, beautiful, and most importantly, meaningful and symbolic. We decided on using one of the few organic gemstones in existence, a 25 million year old tree resin that is found in a few places in the world, one of which happens to be the state where my husband was born and raised. We chose a piece of faceted amber and had it mounted as a solitaire in white gold by a local artisan. We love the way it turned out, its uniqueness, that it comes from organic materials and was locally made in Chiapas. The artisan who made the ring kept repeating,'it is a true jewel, no one else will have something like this.'
How beautiful to weave in your husband's home town and local artistry...and there's something about amber that embodies the mystery of the earth's history!
• • •
Karen & J. - Chicago
My father-in-law's grandfather had this ring made for his future wife sometime around 1919 or 1920 in Germany before they left to come to the United States. When my husband had it appraised, the jeweler said everything about this ring is hand-crafted from the cuts on the stone itself to the delicate filigree work in the setting and down the side. It was saved for the wife of my husband (the only boy of four). The diamond has a flaw in it, but it's part of his family history and I wouldn't want any other ring.
Ohhh...Karen, all the way from Germany...this ring was destined for you all along!
• • •
Audrey & S. - Chicago
The engagement began with the mountain rings. Each member of S’s immediate family has one of these rings—handmade by an artisan in Alaska and modeled after the mountain range along the Kachemak Bay. The view has always struck a chord with S’s parents, and became representative of their wild Alaskan natures.
S. has always been my stars, and I’ve been his moon. We’ve never yearned for diamonds or glamour, so we wanted to find something simply representative of our past, present, and future. With a Portland-based jeweler, we designed the sapphire wedding rings to represent the moon circling the sky over the mountains, in a perfect union.
How beautifully symbolic and the pieces truly *fit* together, just like the two of you!
• • • LESSONS LEARNED #51 • • •
There's a story behind every ring.
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