A Facebook message pops up unexpectedly: “Stef! I need a ring..two actually. Keen?” Always clear comms and to the point. Legendary school friend @kiefness strikes again.
I do a quick calendar check. I’m heading to Switzerland for three weeks, cutting the execution plan to meet deadline real fine. I reply: “Let’s do this!”
It’s hard to back down from a demanding challenge when quality humans and wholehearted trust in your work is involved. This was a commission I wanted and a deadline I’d gladly meet. Strong connection is an effortless incentive.
I arrive back from Switzerland and had a mere two weeks to pull this off. The following went down along with keeping to my everyday schedule of activities.
I picked up a really big diamond on my way to my weekly climb at City Rock in Paarden Eiland. Living in the surrounds of Cape Point makes for a tight planned out schedule to include all I need to do city side in one go, which means some times diamonds go rock climbing.
The Tanzanite needed refaceting. After a whole lot of research and a few references and phone calls the stone was dropped off before Easter weekend. Obviously April had to have all the long weekends in the two week deadline countdown.
Extra gold had to be ordered in as most of the existing gold was re-used but only got me so far. A mix of sentiment and new beginnings really. It’s a win-win. The old is the foundation and the new, the building blocks.
After the Easter bunny left the building, everyone got back to work. As for me, I kept the show on the road by simplifying the original design yet keeping the core of it’s meaning in tact. Two rings neatly contoured, the ocean and it’s waves as star of the show.
The brief more or less – Tanzanite needed to get barrelled and the diamond representing the sun shimmering on the oceans surface. If you surf you’ll know these moments take your breath away.
The stones still needed setting (on the Sunday) with my main freelance teammate @tuesdayschildjewellery and Postnet needing to pull off the impossible (on the Monday) by getting the rings from Cape Town to the Garden Route in a literal 24hours.
Did we do it? Yes we did!
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