Deanne came to me with a classic six strand graduated necklace of creamy faux pearls that was broken in several places. It held sentimental value, and she wished for it to be transformed into a wedding piece for her upcoming nuptials in August. We discussed the option of re-stringing the piece back to its original design with stronger cord, but once I saw photos of Deanne's wedding dress, I knew that a necklace wouldn't work. The dress featured a sparkling waistband which meant a necklace would be too much. She also mentioned that she would be wearing a bespoke fascinator created by acclaimed Toronto milliner
David Dunkley, and that if possible, she would like a smaller version of the new piece to be created for her 10-year-old daughter who was to be her maid of honor at the wedding. Deanne was open to design suggestions, but mentioned that she was fond of the rhinestone connector that held the strands of the original necklace together. Based on using this connector, I sketched out a thumbnail of a multi-strand bracelet with matching "waterfall" style drop earrings. Deanne approved this design and put her trust in me completely. The only request was to create a vintage look with the metal. With her sensitivity to base metals (nickle etc.) this was no easy feat. Luckily I had planned a
trip to New York, and with some persistant searching around the
garment district, I was able to find nickle-free oxidized brass. Here are the before and after shots of Deanne's custom bridal jewelry.
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| Before: Six strand vintage pearl necklace (broken) |
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| After: Custom twelve strand graduated bracelet with oxidized brass, faux pearls and vintage mirrored crystals |
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| After: Cascading "waterfall" earrings with oxidized brass and sterling silver stud backings |
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| After: half-size version of wedding bracelet created for maid of honor |
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| After: Half-size version of waterfall earrings created for maid of honor |
