When I walked into the lobby of the Revolution Hotel in Boston, Anna was sitting in a chair next to a fire, mask on. Despite her casual attire for a long weekend in Boston with her two daughters, Anna was strikingly stylish with her eclectic assortment of jewels. Chains of necklaces, charms, stacks of bracelets in oxidized silver and 18k gold, subtle Cartier splashes here and there... Each piece Anna wore was a talisman and notable in its own rite. Together, her jewels created a composition of stories and layers.
I could have sat and spoken to Anna for hours. The layers of her jewelry are an external show of her complexity and intrigue as a person. Fluent in four languages (English, French, Swedish, and Spanish), French-born, European approach to raising her daughters. She has been staying upstate during the Pandemic and misses splitting her time on Nantucket and in the Caribbean. She spends time in Europe every year, teaching her daughters about their roots and expanding their thirst for independence and morals. She's a jeweler and a spa consultant. A gardener and an amazing chef. A city woman with a country life, Anna is a fascinating human.
Anna and her husband and have been married for over 20 years and instead of getting an engagement ring, they purchased a house! Together, Anna and her husband have had countless battles that have bonded them. She looks at couples in restaurants sitting together, both staring at their phones. But when she is with her her husband, they are together.
She told me they have always prioritized their relationship, which is why, as her daughter's are getting older and going away to school, she doesn't feel sadness. She's proud of their independence, their strength, their maturity. And she is happy to have the opportunity to spend her time focusing on strengthening her already strong relationship with her husband.
I met Anna in Boston to start redesigning a pile of jewels that sits unworn at the bottom of her jewelry box. She has given me carte blanche to design with her jewels and we will slowly work our way through the jewelry, redesigning and creating pieces that will fit into her life and the lives of her daughters.
After hearing Anna's stories and learning about the strength of her bond with her husband, I asked if I could start by creating an engagement ring that incorporates diamonds and rubies from her unworn jewelry and celebrates her relationship with her husband. I am thrilled that she said yes!
The ring we created was made with a satin finish in 18k Recycled Yellow Gold. I designed tiers of diamonds and forms of gold that highlight a central round brilliant cut diamond. Four round brilliant cut diamonds are nestled closest to the hand in each corner. Four French cut diamonds in the north, south, east, west positions of a compass, representing the four members of her family.
The tiers are held together in what from a distance looks like a half sphere shape. When you look closer, you can see each diamond is held by its own petaled form that extends from the center of the ring, allowing the diamonds to bloom into shape you see from the top.
Hidden from the top view, but visible to the Anna, two rubies were bezel set as a surprise pop of color leading from the knife edged band into the central arrangement of diamonds. Anna is the kind of person who will alway have more to share, more layers, and more depth. These rubies are a nod to the beautiful stories that will continue to be revealed if you listen to this remarkable woman.
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Do you have a piece of jewelry you'd like to redesign? Shoot me a DM through IG: @originalevedesigns or leave a comment below 👇 Your jewelry should decorate you, not the top of your bureau!
Let's see what beauty we can create together!