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.

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

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

Help Me Make Wishes Come True | In the Studio | It’s Show Time

I am participating in the Make-A-Wish® (MAW) Foundation Trailblaze Challenge this Spring. On Saturday, June 2nd, I will hike 26.5 miles of the Sauratown Trail in Winston-Salem, NC along with my teammate, and many others. The fundraising goal for each Trailblazer is $2,500. Will you help me reach my goal and help MAW grant more wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions?

#1. Let’s Make-A-Wish® Come True Raffle Winner

Thank you so, so, so much to those who participated in my Make-A-Wish® Trailblaze Challenge online raffle fundraiser from March 18 - April 4!  Your help means a lot to me personally and thank you for your support.

And the drum roll please... our lucky winner of the one-of-a-kind Reveal Lapis Earrings is: Amy L Barnard!!!

Besides creating new jewelry and filling orders in my studio, managing my fundraising campaign  and weekly training hikes have become part of my daily routine since early March. Just a quick recap: as of today (April 9th), I’ve hiked over 50 miles for my training hikes and our team has raised over $1,300!  Will you help me reach my $2,500 personal goal? Remember, your donation is 100% tax deductible! (OK, I promise I’ll talk about something else in the next paragraph of this blog post : P )

Click here to: Hsiang-Ting’s Make-A-Wish® Fundraising Page

Meet 8 year old Hudson! Hudson was diagnosed with a seizure disorder before he was one year old. Hudson's one true wish was to meet Paw Patrol and at the end of March he was able to do just that! 

My most recent 17 mile training hike with other Trailblazers, in the 45 degree rain.

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#2. In the studio:

This week I just finished this pair of custom floral inspired dangle post earrings to match a custom ring that I made a year ago for my client. Made in sterling silver, 14k white gold posts, and set with Chalcedony and blue topaz.  I’m just so in love with this color combination: soft translucent green from Chalcedony and the light icy blue from blue topaz, it’s perfect to wear for any occasion in Spring and Summer! Enough said, my client said she “LOVES IT” when I sent her these pictures!

Floral inspired post earrings

Features Chalcedony and Blue Topaz

Alright, I need to get back to work on new designs for coming up American Craft Council show in St. Paul, if you are in the area or if you have friends and family live in the area, please do come visit me! This is my first time exhibiting at St. Paul, will be nice to see some familiar faces there : )

Till next time,

Hsiang-Ting Yen

Our Wedding Bands 2.0

Finally, finally...!!! It took me over a year to eventually make up my mind and finalized the designs then remade our wedding bands, and the results are amazing! I'm totally in love with our new rings (says from a narcissistic jeweler lol)

Custom made wedding bands:  Hers - 18k white gold, rainbow moonstone, diamond, paraiba tourmaline; His - Platinum

She Said YES!

She said YES! (To the ring and of course to the man!!!)

Knowing this great news just made my day today! Congrats to M & S!!!

Custom made engagement: 18k yellow gold, Passion Topaz, White Sapphire.

Happy Mother's Day!

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This ring is designed for my mom, the two rubies represent my sister and me, and the center aquamarine is my brother, as to those diamonds, well, according to my mom, she just wants something sparkles and fancy (you got it mom lol)

Truth to be told, my mom really lucked out on this one, fortunately the color combination of our birthstones aligned beautifully, and the design resonate my mom's personality just perfect.   Can't wait to see my mom's expression when she receives the ring!

Hand-carved wax, 18K white gold, natural ruby, natural aquamarine, diamonds.