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

Adapting to the New Normal

As we are rolling into the third quarter with Covid this year, I’m still learning to adapt just like everyone else one day at a time, and today I have two exciting news I would love to share with you!

1. CenterFest 2020 is going “Virtual“ this year!

Have you heard of “Virtual Art Show”? This is a new alternative way that many show organizations are offering this year, instead of going to the craft shows in-person, now you can still support the artists by attending the virtual shows in the comfort of your own home! (p.s. It’s never too late to get ready for the holidays!)

September 19, 2020
Virtual Broadcast starting at 6:00pm
Visit CenterFest2020.org for all virtual event programming

CenterFest 2020: The heart of Durham in the comfort of your own home

For 45 years, the Durham Arts Council has proudly presented the CenterFest Arts Festival on the third weekend in September, attracting up to 35,000 attendees to downtown Durham for a lively weekend of visual arts, performing arts, a showcase of community organizations, plus food and fun for all ages. CenterFest is nationally ranked in the Top 100 Fine Arts Festivals in the United States and is North Carolina’s longest running juried outdoor arts festival. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the in-person downtown festival cannot take place in 2020. Instead, the Durham Arts Council is creating a lively online virtual CenterFest that will feature visual and performing arts, memories and highlights of CenterFest over the years, plus sponsor highlights and special interactive features.

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Stop by my studio 201 to say hi : )

2. Artspace is reopening on Sep 18!

Artspace has been closed to the general public since March due to the pandemic, but with state of NC is moving into phase 2.5, Artspace is finally easing some of the restrictions and starting to offer shorter hours of open hours to the general public next week!

Starting Friday, September 18, Artspace will reopen to the public on Fridays and Saturdays from 11am-5pm. Artspace is open to visitors by appointment Tuesday-Thursday from 11am-3pm. Appointments must be made at least one week prior to visiting. We will continue to monitor recommendations and guidelines issued by the CDC and the State to determine when it is safe to expand our operating hours. Face covering is required for everyone and Artspace is providing access to hand sanitizers throughout the entire building.

I’m so excited about this progress, that’s one of the main reasons why I decided to move my studio to downtown Raleigh and I’m really hoping it will work out for everyone, we all need this!

I’m still accepting private appointment for all my custom jewelry orders, and it can also be done virtually, you can schedule your consultation today!

Signing off & stay well,

Hsiang-Ting

Role Play

One thing I love about designing custom jewelry is the challenge each client brings to me with all kinds of personal stories. Sometimes this means I have to play many different roles rather than just the jeweler.  I’m truly amazed and grateful to all my clients for helping me realize my undiscovered potential through their interesting jobs.

For this particular project, I was not only a jeweler but also an archaeologist and detective. A few months prior my client lost an heirloom carnelian ring and I was asked to recreate it with very limited information to begin with. All I had was an enhanced and enlarged image that only showed half of the ring. The rest was based on my clients’ memory, which can be tricky since memory can be subjective and abstract sometimes. And that is really the most challenging part of this task, I have to think like my client.

The only clue I had for this ring project.

This project reminds me of a recent discovery of a tail of a feathered dinosaur found perfectly preserved in amber from Myanmar.  This is the first time scientists have found dinosaur material preserved in amber. Based on the fossil tail in the amber, with the help of paleontologists and the imagination of illustrators, they recreated a sketch of this feathered dinosaur that was about the size of a sparrow and lived 99 million years ago.

Now, back to my story, with the clue I had in hand that I rebuilt the ring from the scratch including sourcing the perfect color carnelian, custom cutting the carnelians, and, of course, creating the ring itself.  Fortunately, my clients were very understanding and patient, they guided me through every little step of the whole process  to help me to create the ring as close to the original. They were so pleased with my services, that they decided to add one pair of custom earrings and a pendant with the same design aesthetics to make a set.

The day before the delivery, I woke up from an anxiety dream. I was quite nervous, worrying about all the things that could go wrong when they receive the jewelry. What if she just absolutely hates it? What if this is nothing close to her original ring? What if the color of the stone doesn’t look right to her in person? What if? What if?? What if !???  My worries immediately dissolved as soon as I saw my client’s big smile. And this is always the most rewarding part of my job: seeing my client’s happy, glowing face. It just means everything to me. Did I mention I slept like a baby that night? LOL.

Does this story resonate with you? Let me help you to cherish your memories by restoring or redesigning an heirloom piece today!

XOXO,

Hsiang-Ting