This was a great commission to make and the bracelet now lives in New Zealand.
The symbolic piece was created using photographs of a tree that reminded him of a time that had special meaning. The manuka tree photographs were supplied by my customer and were of a specific tree. The brief was to create an reasonable rendition of that particular tree and not just a generic one. Of course, showing every branch and twig was going to be impossible so I set to work creating a version that was achievable.
Working from these photographs, I redrew the tree in a simplified form, getting in the main verticals and branches, and then worked out the style of the bracelet itself. The resulting Manuka tree bracelet is made from sterling silver and hand-engraved. The main sections are from sterling sheet, connected with soldered jump rings, and an a tube clasp which holds it safely in place. The curved sheet gives it shape, displays the engraving well and the jump rings give it a movement and comfort on the wrist.
I have often created one-off commissions for my customers using their own photos. In this case it was a tree that reminded him of a special time in his life and a very important person but it can also be a pet or an object or pattern.
If you have an place or friendship that you’d like to celebrate, a piece created in silver or gold to capture that is a great way to go.
