Recycling old jewellery with Eva Dorney

Today's post was triggered by a question asked by Goldsmith Eva Dorney:

"Does your jewellery box need a makeover? Why not recycle your old gold and stones and make something special you'll wear every day?"

What a great idea! I got in touch with Eva and before I knew it, we were chatting away at her cool workshop, in her Dundrum home. Eva had carefully recorded the process of this recent commission and I thought you'd all like to hear about it.

Engagement ring with diamonds removed

So now, we're going to meet Barbara, the owner of a gorgeous old+new ring! Come back tomorrow so you can hear all about how to commission a piece of jewellery with Eva Dorney.

"My engagement and wedding rings had to come off when I broke my arm, and they have never fitted my fingers since, so they sat in a drawer for a few years. Then I met Eva, and we were chatting about her jewellery making, and wedding rings etc. So I thought, I wonder if my husband would go for it...thankfully he did. It was around my Birthday, and my husband asked what did I want for a present..."

Eva's sketches for the new ring design

"We arrived at Eva's house and began to go through her portfolio of work, chatted about the kind of ring I liked ( I was hard to pin down!!), and from her portfolio, we liked a particular photo of two rings. We then spoke about how we could do a similar design for my rings. Eva drew up some sketches and sent them through to me."

"She then went about making the ring, and before securing the diamonds, or the additional white gold we added, she dummied it up with silver and the diamonds sitting in place. We agreed which way to go with it, and it was ready around Valentines day."

Melting and forming the gold

"When I saw it I loved it. I put it on and it just felt so right, and in a funny sort of way I recognised my diamonds!! Eva also showed me pictures she took of the whole process, and of the rings and some other small pieces my husband gave me all those years ago, that we added to make up the gold content, before she did anything to them. Having gone through the metamorphosis, these photographs took on a huge importance. Eva kindly sent them to me and I am going to frame a couple of them to hang in the house."

The finished ring with three diamonds

"We were married over twenty years ago, and you do change, your life changes, so in a funny sort of way, changing my rings made sense, without losing the sentimental value. I can't take my eyes off my new/old ring, its like being engaged all over again!!"

Barbara - I love the idea of displaying photos of your old jewellery to hold on to those memories too. And how nice it must be to feel newly engaged again after twenty years :-) Thanks so much for telling us the continuing story of your new ring.

Tomorrow, you'll get to meet Eva and I know she will be happy to answer any of your questions. Have you any jewellery that needs a new lease of life? Post your comments or questions below and we'll get a conversation going.

For more information, check out Eva Dorney's website and Facebook page.

All photos by Eva Dorney

A very special wedding

This year I have three good friends getting married within the space of five months. And this morning, the first of the invites popped through the door. I love the illustration, the idea of an outdoor procession and me being one of those colourful, umbrella-swirling guests!

Best of all are the clothing and shoe suggestions -

Creative attire encouraged, and bring comfy shoes for grassy walks as well as your party heels...

An invitation really sets the tone doesn't it? I'd love to hear about how you chose your invitation designs or ones that you received that you loved.

Amadean and Ronan's wedding

I remember clearly meeting Amadean for the first time in my studio. She was full of ideas and enthusiasm for planning her wedding. She told me about a specific idea for a headpiece which she had visualised in her head. I love when this happens - it's such an exciting challenge for me to turn these ideas into a reality. The design evolved through lots of conversations and drawings which you can read about in  my previous post.

So now it's time to meet Amadean and thank her for sharing the story of her wedding!

"I got engaged in Ashford Castle on January 2010. I love when a place has a history, a story behind it and so my now husband knew that it would be the perfect place to propose.  It was my birthday, so Ronan invited me out to the grounds of the castle to light a Chinese lantern. He told me that one should close one’s eyes and make a wish as the lantern floats up to the sky. When I opened my eyes he was down on one knee. It was so special. We set a date for August 2011 and went about planning our day."

"When planning our wedding, we kept in mind that what we wanted was to portray a sense of classic elegance on our wedding day. I spent a great deal of time looking for my wedding dress. I wanted something that would be feminine, timeless and unique. You hear of daughters and granddaughters wearing their mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress and I really loved the thought of passing it on through the generations should myself and Ronan be blessed with children. I went to a dress designer in London called Fiona Clare.  Fiona uses a great deal of Chantilly lace in her designs and this appealed to me because again there is a great sense of tradition that comes with lace … a skill handed down through the generations."

"I wanted to reflect the design of this lace in my headpiece. I also wanted something that was individual to me … something that I could show others and tell them the story behind how it was created. I had observed the passion and dedication that my dress designer had put into creating my dress and I really wanted to accessorise it in a way that would do it justice. I researched on the internet and Rangoli Designs was recommended by many brides.

I met with Aisling and knew immediately that I had found the right person. I gravitate towards people who accept nothing but the best of themselves and this was really evident in Aisling.  Coupled with that was a talent for design which was second to none so I couldn’t have asked for any more."

"I gave Aisling a piece of the lace used in my dress and she worked on creating the most wonderful headpiece using pearls. The delicacy of the pearl reflected beautifully the delicacy of the lace.

You can imagine what you want and it can be very frustrating going to and fro trying to get that across to another person. Not with Aisling. It was like she took the design straight from my mind and recreated it for me. Aisling seemed genuinely enthused by the challenge of creating this elegant individual piece for me and I found her enthusiasm infectious."

"Our wedding day was just as we had imagined it. Surprisingly, the part which we had worried about the least was the most special to both of us … that is the church.  Marrying the man I love and making a commitment to him in front of our friends and family and God made me feel complete. The countless hours I had spent planning for our big day seemed worthwhile because everything was just as I had wanted it … timeless, elegant, and unique.  Truly perfect!

You come across people from time to time that will leave a lasting impression on you. Aisling is one of those people because you cannot help but marvel at her talent; you cannot but be impressed by her passion and you cannot but be bowled over by her enthusiasm.

 

I wish Aisling all the very best in the future and hope that for many years to come, she continues to share her talent and passion with brides throughout the country and continues to provide brides with a wonderful story to tell about a treasured piece to future generations."

Amadean - thanks for everything you have said. I am truly touched by your words. And on a personal note, congratulations on your new job; it's been a very exciting year for you! Wishing yourself and Ronan every happiness together.

Credits
Headpiece, bracelet and earrings by Rangoli
Dress: Fiona Clare
Photography: George Jozwiak

You make me laugh

This is a story without a picture. In fact it's a snippet of a conversation that I had with a client on Saturday.

Ciara came in to see me with her sister and her Mum. We were happily chatting away for a while before she told me how she had come across my designs.

The story began over a year and a half ago when Ciara was teaching her primary school kids. It was International Day and they were looking at different cultures. There were two Indian children in her class who wanted to make *Rangoli drawings. So Ciara did a Google search and came across my website. In her words, she got a bit sidetracked! She said that my designs were exactly what she had in mind for her wedding. So she saved the page and managed to remember me for all that time!

We seemed to spend that hour laughing a lot - in between fits of giggles, (all four of us), Ciara also told me that her visit with me was more enjoyable than choosing her dress... Could I love this girl any more? While beaming to myself, her sister Niamh helpfully added; 'Yes, you can't look fat in a headpiece'

I get to hear amazing stories, both serious and funny. People say that love makes the world go round. For me, it's the stories that do it every time. Ciara, thanks for allowing me to share yours!

*I'm often asked where my business name comes from - You can read about how I chose the name Rangoli for my business and what the word means.

Paper Flower centrepieces

A quick post and inspiring thought for the day! Do you love colourful flowers and can't find a supplier for those botanical Helleborus Orientalis?! I spied this playful paper sculpture and thought it would make a great table centrepiece - graphic images carefully displayed on pins and low enough for your guests to see over.

This year I have three close friends getting married; all with tons of creative flair, (you know those arty types). Every time we meet up, they are burbling with ideas ranging from how to walk across fields in high heels to incorporating peacock feathers into their headpieces. Bring it on - it's going to be a memorable summer and I hope to share some snapshots of their weddings on the blog too.

I'm quite tempted to try out a project inspired by this - would anyone like to help me?

The delightful floral sculptures are by Anne Ten Donkelaar.

I'm a flower girl at heart. You can read lots of other posts about flowers from my archives.