Ivy & Gold Handcraft

Ivy & Gold Handcraft

Aaron & Holly

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I met Aaron and Holly the night before Thanksgiving in 2012.  It was the first time my then boyfriend, now husband brought me home to meet his entire family (no pressure!) and some of his friends from home.  I remember sitting in this cool little bar area with comfy couches getting to know Aaron and Holly.  When meeting new people I have a tendency to be super shy and nervous.  There was something about both of them that made me feel instantly comfortable, almost like I had known them forever.  I found them so easy to talk to. It’s really special to be able to connect with people so easily. The more I’ve gotten to know them over the years, the more I find that they feel like friends I’ve known since childhood.  We pick up right where we left off and never miss a beat.

Aaron contacted me about making an engagement ring for Holly while he was fighting wild fires in September 2014. Yes that’s right, Aaron is a Wildland Firefighter.  Originally from Central New York, Aaron travels across America and lives in the wilderness 5 to 6 months out of the year to fight fires. Pretty amazing right? While he was in the back country of Yellowstone National Park, Aaron saw an Instagram post of some sketches I had drawn for possible engagement rings.  He told me he knew that Holly had really liked the designs and gave me some more info about what she might like.  So I came up with a handful of designs for him to look over:

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Aaron told me he was drawn to #6 on the sketches.  He asked me if I could make it look more like Willow tree branches and leaves because he had once taken some photos of Holly under a willow tree and that they were her favorite tress.  Let me just share with you that I love little stories like that.  It’s these little details that help me create wedding and engagement jewelry so unique and deeply personal for the couple.

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I always warn people that the sketches are not nearly as nice as the finished product.  I’m not as handy with a pencil as I am with my jewelry tools.  Luckily, Aaron put his trust in me and production began:

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I hand cut the design in sterling silver and made a model that would be silicone molded and then cast solid in 14k yellow gold.

Holly Engagement Ring

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Aaron proposed to Holly in November 2014 right before she left for a month long yoga retreat/training in California.  Holly was so excited and told me that she loved the ring and that it reminded her of the Elvish style jewelry from the Lord of the Rings.  That is probably one of the most awesome compliments EVER for someone, such as myself, who loves Lord of the Rings.  Aaron frequently teases Holly for constantly staring at “The Precious” like Gollum.  Seriously, can these two be any cooler?

After the New Year, I started working on Holly’s wedding band. She gave me some great ideas for starting points and we worked together to design something to go well with, but not overshadow the highly detailed engagement ring.

Luckily, I still had the model for Holly’s engagement ring so I was able to show her how the wedding band model would look with her ring.

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I created a sterling silver band with the shapes I needed for the ring.  Once it was cast in 14k yellow gold, I engraved some details and flush set little diamonds in each of the circles in the ring.

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Holly and Aaron had a beautiful winter wedding on Feb 28th, 2015 in Skaneateles at the Sherwood Inn.  The setting was intimate and beautiful with a pine branch lined aisle, dotted with lanterns.  The groom played “Beth/Rest” by Bon Iver on his guitar as his bride to be was ushered barefoot down the aisle. I could go on and on about how beautiful the bride, the groom, and the entire evening was. Instead, I’ll let the photos of the wedding day illustrate just how magical and perfect it truly was.

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A huge thank you to Holly and Aaron for putting their faith in me to create two of the most important pieces of jewelry a couple could ever ask me to make.  There is truly no higher compliment. You both are amazing and I’m so glad to know you. Thank you to Tahni Calendria-Holm of Joyeuse Photography for being an all around awesome human being and for taking the most beautiful photos.