A Heart Shaped Tradition ❤️

A while back, I met a newly married couple at a community event. We were fortunate to sit next to them during a meal ~ remember being face to face?

We exchanged stories about what we did for a living and the next thing I knew, she was asking me to help her with a special project.

In her family, there is a tradition of cutting heart shaped sections out of a single piece of china and making them into necklaces that the women of the family can wear in celebration of a marriage.

Working with fine china presents a unique challenge: it is not flat, it is curved. We had to customize a setting deep enough to securely hold the china and flat enough on the back for comfort and engravability.

She also asked for diamonds to be set around the heart shape.

Adding diamonds posed another challenge: when we have to make sure there is enough gold surrounding the center section to hold each diamond securely.  

We collaborated on the design, the metal, the quality of the diamonds, and the bail (which is the little loop that connects a pendant to the chain). I shared my knowledge and expertise of the mechanics of jewelry design, and came up with this one of kind piece. 

I’ve never seen anything like this before, or since!

What is your family tradition? If you don’t have one yet, what would you like to create for yourself? I'd love to help you.

Tip: When working with several different materials, how you clean the materials becomes very important. The china will respond to mild soap and water, but the gold and diamonds need specialized care.

Happy Valentine's Day ~ Jane

(212) 923-3328   jane@jbjewels.com