Playful Heart
A new everyday ring and the beginnings of a sea-inspired collection
There’s something magical about creating with your hands. Quiet focus, unexpected turns, the joy of bringing a small idea to life. Play can lead to surprise, and surprise can spark more creativity.
The open, looping heart motif that I incorporate in several of my jewelry pieces is an example of how experimenting and trying leads to more ideas. The concept began as a pendant to gift to a friend, then evolved to one-of-a-kind necklaces, a delicate bracelet, and most recently, a dainty ring. (Interestingly, this post of my Open Heart Pendant in rose gold is my most “saved” post on Instagram.)
So if you’re seeking creative inspiration, my best advice would be to simply start creating with the spirit of a playful, open heart.
New ring
My latest ring joins my collection of whimsical heart pieces. Contrasted against a smooth band, the delicate center heart of the Playful Heart Ring has an organic shape and texture.
I made the heart first in mitsuro wax before casting it in silver. I brought the heart back to a wax (this time, a different soft jeweler’s wax), to join it to the band. (Another way I could have done this was to solder the band in silver to the casted silver heart. The outcome would be virtually the same, although whenever you transition from wax to metal you have to account for shrinkage, which is something to consider as a jeweler. So if I wanted my ring to be a hair thicker, I would have done the original version directly in silver.)
I played around with a few design ideas with different central designs. I ended up going with the simplest because it is the most versatile and balanced.
I’m really happy with this ring. I want to add more everyday pieces to my collection and I definitely think this ring’s size, shape, and design are very wearable as part of a daily stack.
Current projects
I made the first step in wax toward my vision of a chunky, silver shell bracelet. This project may take me the whole summer, but I want to connect 5-6 of these shells to make a statement bracelet. Once I get the master copy back in silver, I will polish it then add jump rings (the loops that will later interconnect to join the shells together), then make the rest of the bracelet.
The silver pendant above is the original copy of a plain round pendant. I quite like it in its simple form so may one day even cast it as-is into gold, but for now I want to make a sand dollar pendant in its rough shape.
As a fun side project, I am working on a silver figurine of my dog, Umi! I finished the rough outline of it in wax (I am aware it is currently somewhere between a cute sculpture and a grotesque figment of a nightmare). Over the coming weeks I will hopefully be able to add more details and capture the essence of the real Umi!
Recent inspirations
My brother! He is a patissier in Paris and recently hosted a group of his friends for an original dessert course party. You can find him on Instagram here.
