2022 Year in Review

Just like that, it’s 2023!

It took me a whole month to catch up with everything since we returned home from our trip to Taiwan in mid Jan. Now I can really figure out the goal for this year.

So much happened in 2022 and I still can’t wrap up my head around how time flies these days. The biggest accomplishment is that I survive the first year of motherhood and yet also working full time in my studio (pat on my shoulders)! Last year is all about learning and adapting our new life with a baby. She brings us so much joy and love……and those sleepless nights…..lol

Here are couple projects I did in 2022 that I’d like to share with y’all!

If you are thinking starting a custom project with me this year, now it’s a perfect time to start! Feel free to reach out via my email!

A versatile ring for a firefighter that wants to share his love of flowers and nature in his wedding band. Hand carved 18k rose gold band with color sapphires.

A sweet boyfriend wants to recreate this pendant in a modern style that his girlfriend lost as a surprise gift. Hand fabricated and engraved in sterling silver.

Just love how stunning this sapphire is! Such a natural beauty!

A memorial pendant of puppy foot print and his birthstone for my client to cherish the life of her deceased puppy.

A hand-carved Blue Ridge mountain wedding band for a musician that loves NC mountains and bluegrass.

A chic “Push Present” from a sweet husband to his wife, celebrating their first baby boy by using baby’s foot print, their initials, and birthstone.

Hand engraved matching wedding bands inspired by their heritage and roots.

Counting down 2020

2020, what a year!

I’m reading my 2020 New Year Resolutions that I wrote down back in December, 2019 without knowing the pandemic was coming 3 months later will turn everyone’s life completely up side down. I had a really decent 2019, both personally and professionally, I was ambiguous and ready to keep the momentum rolling for 2020.

But then the pandemic hit, I have to put a pause on so many things, I have to learn how to live with uncertainty, be grateful, and be content. I’m grateful that even my business was impacted drastically by the pandemic but at least my hubby still has a stable job that can provide for both of us in my down time. We couldn’t do much travels so we shifted our time and energy to home remodeling and finally finished the outdoor projects that’s been putting off for years and provides us a backyard oasis to relax and connect during the quarantine and stay-at-home order. I moved my home studio to downtown Raleigh Artspace to gain more exposure to metro RTP clienteles, and it has worked, I’m starting to getting more custom orders from people finding me on Google. We even rescued a kitty cat “TC” during the lockdown back in May, it was trapped in a giant tree at a grocery store parking lot during a bad storm, we helped him climb down the tree and brought him home with us, this energetic kitty bounced back only within a day or two, he sure brought us so much joy and laughters. Most importantly, we are healthy and alive, so as our family and friends, that’s really all that matters.

One thing I learned this year is that love still happens no matter what, I’m fortunate enough to continue help my clients to celebrate their life journeys. I want to share one of my favorite custom projects that I did this year, this engagement + wedding ring set was design for this sweet couple, the Rococo motif is inspired by their love story. The moment when they realized they are meant for each other was when they found out they both have a half one dollar bill in their wallets on music concert date, it’s like they finally find their missing half, literally. She wanted to integrate this one dollar bill love story to the ring design, it took me a couple days to figure out how to do it without being cheesy or too literal, eventually I came up with the idea to combine her love of ornate design jewelry with the rococo motif designs in the one dollar bill as the main design element of her ring. I re-purposed 11 of her heirloom diamonds for the engagement ring center diamond and accent diamonds, I also added two custom cut sapphires in the engagement ring and three pear shaped diamonds for the wedding band. I’m not bragging, but I’m so happy how it turned out, I have to pat on my shoulders for this one, because she LOVES IT! Many congrats to K & W!!!

I have so much mixed feelings about 2020, I’m just glad we made it (almost) in one piece, that’s all I can ask for! Cheers to a better 2021 and thank you for your continuous support!!!

Happy Holidays!

Signing off,

Hsiang-Ting

Happy 2019!

Happy 2019! I hope y’all had a wonderful holiday with your friends and family! Thanks to your support 2018 has been a great year. I’m looking forward to what 2019 will bring me. There are lots of exciting things already brewing in my Raleigh studio since January 1st and I can’t wait to tell you more about them in the next couple of months!

To kick off 2019, I want to share my last two custom jewelry projects from 2018.

---

#1. Custom Montana Sapphire Wedding Set

This whole set is definitely one of my top 5 favorites of 2018. I met this lovely couple back in July at a bridal show and they are both in the gaming industry. She is a game programer and he is a game designer. They were looking for a jewelry designer who could create a custom wedding set to meet their special requirements. Their concept was very clear: she wanted a lot of colors and sparkles with moon motifs embedded in the two-toned metal design; he wanted his ring to have a sense of medieval castle/stone wall texture in the design yet still match her rings. Most importantly, they wanted to engrave “PLAYER 1” and “PLAYER 2” inside of their rings because of their love for video games. How cute is that?! So, I took on this challenge and this is what I created for them:

Her engagement ring features 14kt white gold, Montana Sapphire, rainbow moonstone, and accent diamonds. Her wedding ring features 14kt rose gold, rainbow moonstone, and diamonds.  Can you see the little half moons in both rings?

His ring features 14kt white gold with black rhodium on the faceted texture, and set with a square Montana sapphire.

And, of course they loved it! I can’t wait to see their epic wedding pictures in May! Congrats to L & M!

---

#2. Custom Heart-Shaped Ruby Pendant

This one was also quite a challenge. My client asked me to repurpose the heart-shaped ruby and diamonds stones from his wife’s old, broken engagement ring into an elegant pendant for their 30th wedding anniversary. I was able to give this project a complete makeover by turning those stones into an Art Deco-inspired rose gold pendant. The combination of 14kt rose gold, ruby, and sparkly accent diamonds is simply perfect! A couple of days after the pendant was delivered, he told me she absolutely loved it! To me that’s really the biggest compliment: to know my jewelry is making her so happy every time she wears it.  

---

Do you have a piece of outdated or broken  jewelry sitting in your jewelry box that has sentimental value and just not wearable anymore? Why not contact me today? We can start with a 45 minute complimentary consultation via phone or in-person. I can help you to turn this jewelry into something you can cherish everyday! It can be one of your 2019 resolutions (and the easiest one too since I’ll be doing the job for you :P)  

Cheers to a bright and exciting 2019!

XOXO

Hsiang-Ting

Rustic Wedding, Custom Jewelry

Who doesn’t love a beautiful fall wedding in the mountains? As fearless millennials, last month my hubby and I went to a family friend’s wedding in Black Mountain, North Carolina, despite the fast-approaching Hurricane Florence. The wedding was held at a charming family farm. The reception was in a rustic barn located near Lake Eden, surrounded by the gorgeous North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains. With the cooperation of the weather, we had a wonderful time with our friends and the other guests. It was a truly authentic North Carolinian-styled wedding with cheerful bluegrass music and delicious, mouthwatering BBQ.  

The best part is, I was so honored to custom-design this lovely couple’s engagement ring, matching wedding bands, and even a bridal pendant. It’s not very often that I get to go to my clients’ weddings, you know? But on this night I saw my designs come to life as the bride and groom as they enjoyed their first day as husband and wife.

---

The Engagement Ring:

Originally, the bride wanted to use the center diamond from her grandmother’s engagement ring for her engagement ring, but the diamond was severely damaged. I did not recommend repurposing it for the ring. Therefore, I helped her select a one-of-a-kind teal blue (her favorite color) Montana sapphire as the center stone. The neat part about this sapphire is that it changes color from blue to teal to green depending on the movement and lighting. Since the bride is a natural lover, the design is inspired by nature with leaves and flower petals motifs.

---

The Matching Wedding Bands:

The couple loves nature and the outdoors and the groom is a carpenter. So, they wanted wood grain textures on their wedding bands.  It was a lot of fun figuring out how to scale down and create a realistic wood grain texture on a ring. I ended up spending so much time staring at my hardwood floor when I was carving the ring just so I can get inspired! Then, I repurposed the bride’s heirloom accent diamonds for her band and heirloom sapphire for his band.

---

The Bridal Pendant:

Since it’s a no-no to repurpose the damaged center diamond for her engagement ring, I suggested that we use it for a pendant instead. Pendants experience  minimum wear and tear for daily wear. Thanks to the groom ‘s background in industrial design, he suggested that we combine the damaged diamond from her grandmother’s ring and the remaining three sapphires from her grandfather’s ring and turn them into a very modern and chic pendant. It’s great for everyday wear and it fits her lifestyle perfectly.

And voila! It’s like solving a puzzle, everything just fell into right place once we started the process. It’s all about deconstruction and reconstruction. Thankfully, everyone is happy with the results!

Many congrats to B & C!!!

P.S. We made it home safely right before the storm hit Black Mountain (almost got hit by a falling tree limb in Black Mountain, but we dodged it right in time), and our home in Raleigh was spared from any storm damage!  

Till next time,

Hsiang-Ting

The Royal Fever

Did you wake up way earlier than usual on May 19 for the wedding of the year - the royal wedding? I was at a black tie wedding myself so I couldn’t get up at 5am to watch live on TV with the rest of 29.2 million American viewers.  I missed the live ceremony, but trust me, I had my share of royal wedding highlights over the weekend : P

As a jeweler, I can’t help myself, the thing I care about the most is not her dress or the glamorous guest list, but Meghan Markle’s engagement ring! So, here is a little backstory on her engagement ring.  As a touching tribute to Prince Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, the two smaller diamonds are from her personal collection. And that’s not the only way Prince Harry is keeping his mother’s memory alive: the large stone in the center has a hidden meaning, too. The diamond is originally from Botswana, which Harry often refers to as his “second home.” The couple recently vacationed in the African country for Meghan’s birthday.  This heartwarming story just totally melted my heart, no wonder Prince Harry is one of the most popular royal and lucky Meghan!

Do you like the idea how Prince Harry honors his mother by repurposing her jewelry for Meghan Markle’s engagement ring? Just in case  you wondering, I provide custom jewelry service to help my clients honor the memories of their passed loved ones by giving their heirloom jewelry a new life such. A redesign or restoration allows my clients to  wear the jewelry and cherish the legacy in their everyday life.

---

For example, the beautiful yellow topaz center stone of this ring is from my client’s great-grandmother’s necklace circi the 1920’s. She couldn’t wear the necklace before because the necklace mounting is not balanced. I removed one of the yellow topaz gems that is still in good condition, and created this Art Nouveau-inspired gingko leaf cocktail ring for her.  It features 18k rose gold, yellow topaz, pink sapphire, and pearls.

---

Here is another example, for this wedding set, I repurposed the small marquise diamonds from my client’s great-grand aunt’s engagement ring as accent stones for the new wedding set, and I reset the heirloom center diamond to a pendant so she can wear it on her wedding day. (I couldn’t repurpose the diamond for her engagement ring  because it was seriously damaged when she received it from her grandmother.)

I can help you whether you are local or located outside of North Carolina! And, you can learn more about the custom process here: Learn more about custom jewelry service

Congratulations to B & J : )

“I had SUCH an awesome time working with Hsiang-Ting on my wedding band. I really wanted something non-traditional and custom-made to compliment my engagement ring. We met one-on-one so she could get a feel for my style and what I was looking for and she took it from there. The whole process was so much fun, she’s an incredible artist who is really good at listening to you and running with your ideas. In the end I have a GORGEOUS wedding band (white gold/sapphire) that is completely one-of-a-kind. I am in love with my ring and it is so special knowing that I am the only one with a ring like this, I can’t thank her enough! I would highly recommend Hsiang-Ting if you’re looking for a custom piece of jewelry!!!!!!”

— Brooke S

Congratulations to B & J! I had such an amazing experience working with her, very easy to communicate and she has a clear picture about the perfect contour ring to match her gorgeous engagement ring, so that made the design process flow smoothly.  I appreciate she fully trusted my artistic instinct, so I can be as 100% creative as I could, the fabricating process is totally effortless yet rewarding!