Legacy Jewels | Once Upon A Jewel
Heirloom Custom Jewelry from Life’s Key Moments
Blue Pearl - Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings

Have you had those fleeting moments in life when you experienced an unusually profound insight, a feeling of connectedness or intimacy? It’s as if God pulls a curtain back, showing us the deeper workings of life. Then, it’s over, and we’re back to everyday life once more. I call these luminescent moments “Blue Pearl Moments”.

Capturing Blue Pearl Moments in Custom Jewelry

With my clients, I create custom jewelry commemorating their Blue Pearl Moments. A talismanic piece of fine jewelry can capture a story or feeling, which can then be returned to again and again….even by future generations.

When a client wanting custom jewelry comes to me, I think of how we can tell her story leaving clues about the wearer as the heirloom jewel is passed through generations. The client may not come thinking of a specific story, but there is always one…

Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings - Before Custom Jewelry Design

Frances came to me asking for a custom earring to showcase the scintillating 12.14 carat tanzanite pair her son had faceted that had been set in a temporary stud mounting. Her son is award-winning gem cutter Zava Mastercuts who happens to be my former husband…but, of course, that’s another story!

Listening and Custom Jewelry Design

Tanzania at sunset - Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings

During our conversation, Frances told me of a few Blue Pearl Moments, but the one that caught my attention for this project was in a hot air balloon over East Africa, watching the graceful giraffes lumber over the vast Serengeti Plain. This is also the geographic area where her are from, as they are found only in Tanzania.

I thought of how to work giraffes into the design motif without giving the earring an overt “Big Game” look. Giraffes’ long necks and nimble tongues are adapted to feed on the tender leaves high up in the thorny acacia tree. In all of life, we have beauty and the thorns. With that image, I set off to capture Frances’ Blue Pearl Moment through framing her Tanzanites with a wreath of acacia leaves, set with “thorny” prongs.

Giraffe in Tanzania - Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings
Acacia leaves from Tanzania - Inspiration for prongs on Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings

We went through several versions of the idea; which do you like best?

Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings - Before Custom Jewelry Design Sketch
blue-tanzanite-earrings-sketch02
We refined the concept on the above far right, eliminating the surround of small round diamonds and incorporating larger diamonds from a ring handed down to Frances from her dear mother (see sketch below). We wanted to include her mother in the earrings too, so the granddaughter who would eventually inherit the earrings would have jewels worn by Grandma and Great-grandma.

Earrings that feature big gems, diamonds and gold detailing are heavier and tend to pull or tip forward if posted directly on the earlobe. I added a short gold “leaf” stem with a post to the top of the earring, so they are comfortable and well positioned on any ear.

Linear Matriarchy

Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings Custom Jewelry Design

Frances plans to hand these earrings down to one of her granddaughters (who also happen to be my daughters). To further link the continuum of Frances and her mother to their granddaughters and great-granddaughters through heirloom jewelry, I linked the initials of Frances and her mother (K and B) in an under-gallery on the back of the earring.

So, here we have it – a jewel with meaning linking one woman’s life with family: Tanzanites cut by Frances’ son, a motif inspired by her Blue Pearl Moment, diamonds from the ring of Frances’ mother, initials of Frances and her mother.
"Serengeti Moments" ~ Cynthia Renée full custom design earrings in 18 karat yellow gold and 14 karat white gold featuring pair of 12.14 carat tanzanites (Tanzania) accented by 0.80 carats of diamonds. Photo by Moghadam.

Frances’ custom heirloom jewelry featuring 12.14 carats Tanzanite and accented by 0.80 carats of diamonds. The tanzanites are surrounded in a wreath of acacia leaves – the pointed platinum prongs represent the acacia thorns which the giraffes deftly navigate around. Crafted in 18 karat yellow gold, 14 karat white gold and platinum.

Tell me your Blue Pearl Moments!
Cynthia Renee’s life’s work is helping clients distill their story into a custom piece of jewelry. Each jewel is deeply personal…..a reflection of your life in precious metals and gems that becomes an heirloom carried as a legacy to future generations.

Cynthia works with clients all over the world, using personal visits or video conferencing.

There is a wide range of budgets.

Blue Tanzanite Gold Earrings Custom Jewelry Design - Blue Pearls
To see more of Cynthia’s custom jewelry design work, click here.

To see more of Cynthia’s custom jewelry design work, click here.  

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