THE STORY
An elderly couple, a brooch and an oak leaf. The story for this design began during an opening weekend. Previously, the husband gave his wife a custom made brooch made by another jeweller, but the design of the oak leaf was not entirely accurate, so she never wore it. They had been following my work and evolution as a designer for a while and trusted my expertise to transform the existing jewel and design a matching pendant as a reminder of their life’s work.
The quest
The previous designer had inspired his design on American oak instead of the French oak which they had been working with for years. Thanks to my years of experience in furniture restoration and joinery, I immediately understood what the couple was referring to.
After consultation, I started working on a new design for the brooch and pendant where the diamonds as well as the oak leaf took centre stage. A brisk walk through the woods brought me exactly the inspiration I needed.
