Custom Made Wedding Anniversary Bracelet

50th Wedding Anniversary Story

A design idea that I’ve never encountered before! Romantic and amusing, this is a story of how the memories of 50 years were captured in a unique Golden Wedding Anniversary Bracelet. I was approached with a bracelet idea that I’ve never encountered before – nor since!

Gems for the Anniversary Bracelet

Jim and Betty’s 50th wedding anniversary was celebrated in style including a sumptuous stay in a hotel and a trip to High Force Waterfall with family. Walking boots were donned, fresh air breathed and all were enchanted by the area of outstanding natural beauty. They had a great time – luxury, family and fun.

Jim also wanted to give Betty a Golden Wedding Anniversary gift and thought of custom made jewellery – something that would be of extra special significance with their personal design ideas. The seed of an idea was sown for a bracelet and soon began to germinate.

A few days after the High Force Waterfall trip, Betty was finishing her unpacking at home and cleaning her walking boots. The tread in a walking boot is a great place for mud and stones to accumulate and so she went to work cleaning them off in the sink. The mud fell out, dissolved and was washed away. However, three stones remained that had been stuck in the tread.

These three little stones were saved – saved from that day when they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. She carefully rinsed each one and put them on the windowsill to dry.

Betty’s idea was that she’d like a custom made bracelet and that, if possible, she’d like it to incorporate the 3 stones that were in her boot. She said she thought I might say it was a daft idea – but, of course, it wasn’t ~ the things we cherish most in life are those with meaning, and these three stones had a very special story to tell.

  Special gemstones wit a story to tell!

Wedding Memories

As we developed the bracelet ideas together, Betty told me more about herself and her wedding day memories.

“Celebrating 50 years of marriage is quite an occasion really isn’t it. We truly don’t know where the years have gone as it just seems only yesterday that we were being waved off at the local railway station on our journey to London for our honeymoon. One of my special memories is Jim buying me a beautiful corsage from a “posh” florist to wear that evening when we went to see the original stage production of My Fair Lady at Drury Lane and the other extreme of seeing Anthony Perkins in Psycho at Leicester Square!”

Since the 50th Wedding Anniversary is a Golden Wedding Anniversary I suggested weaving exactly 50 droplets of gold into the bracelet and showed Betty some sketches of what I was talking about. She loved it!

The Bracelet Arrives

“My bracelet is beautiful and I’m almost in tears looking at it. I’m amazed at what you have created from the 3 stones I found in the tread of my boot! You have created the most beautiful piece of jewellery that I could ever have imagined. I’m so very thrilled about it and was reluctant to take it off to go to bed!

It is unique to me and will be so very precious because of the sentiment behind it and the way in which you have incorporated all the important elements of our special day. I can’t thank you enough for making it so special for me.

I shall treasure it always as it means such a great deal to me. So many memories and my bracelet encompasses all our years together. Thank you so much Gee for creating such a precious piece of jewellery for me.”

It was a real pleasure to work with Betty on the design for this Golden Wedding Anniversary Bracelet and an honour to have been invited to create it.

  Personally Engraved Anniversary Bracelet

  A Travel Journal with a Secret in the Pages

The Travel Journal

Here’s how one thoughtful, inventive and romantic man presented a compass pendant gift to his wife.

He began with a nicely wrapped parcel to reveal a small and unassuming Moleskine Travel Journal – in keeping with a travel theme.

He organised the journal to open at this page, which she read out loud to the family, but then she closed the book and started to put it down, clearly thinking it was just a journal. Their daughter, who didn’t know what it was, saved the day by saying “I think there’s a bit of clue there Mum – secrets in the pages.”

The Compass

So she turned on through the book until she found the pendant. Secretly embedded in the cutaway pages of the travel journal she discovered her unique compass pendant which she loves.

  The Travel Journal Compass Revealed!

It’s experiences such as these that are remembered … and treasured.

  A Treasured Compass from Father ~ to daughter ~ to niece

A Story

This is an enchanting story about a compass pendant.

A Compass from the Past

Last year I made a custom made compass pendant for a lady in Australia. It was especially made for her to replace the one that her late father used to wear, but which had been lost for over 15 years.

Delighted to receive it, she admitted to shedding a tear of joy when she opened the velvet bag. The compass was inextricably bound with stories of her past and memories of her father.

A Compass for the Future

A while later, the lady’s niece saw the compass and instantly fell in love with it. So, the kind and big-hearted lady gave her precious compass to her niece in the knowledge that she’d treasure it.

Do you know what happened next?

Well, I’ve just learned that the niece gave the compass pendant back to her aunt for her Birthday in April! Then, next May, the lady will give it back to her niece for her Birthday! It has become a shared treasure ~ two compasses in one.

The story of this Ship’s Wheel Compass starts in the past. With each passing year, tales are recounted and new chapters added.

A shared treasure that will be cherished into the future.

  Pat Benincasa ~ Award Winning Sculptor

Meeting an Artist

I am extremely lucky to ‘meet’ so many people all over the world through my creations.
Pat Benincasa is an award-winning sculptor I ‘met’ when she asked me to make a
Custom Made Compass for her.

Pat’s creations are based on the potent language of geometry expressed in multifaceted ways with dimensional glass, painting and sculpture ~ using materials in non-traditional ways. She describes her art making philosophy as being inspired by Martin Heidegger who speaks of a ‘thing’ as follows:

“You know what a thing is by the way it gathers the world unto itself”.

I certainly feel inspired by this, too. Don’t you?

Connections

It’s been a pleasure meeting and working with Pat, and here’s what she had to say!

As an artist I am extremely picky about quality and creative inventiveness. As soon as I saw Gee’s compass pieces I was smitten! In addition to ordering an exquisite compass pendant with a twist, I found Gee to be delightful to work with. She was open to a stylistic request and graciously showed me an example of what it would look like. If you are looking for an unusual, beautifully crafted piece of jewelry-look no further than Gee Backhouse! From one artist to another-her work is amazing!

Turns out we both delight in walks, too!

  Happy Birthday Jasper!

Jasper is One Today!

Please join me in wishing my gorgeous dog, Jasper, a Happy First Birthday! He’s named after the Jasper gemstone, one often associated with protection and good luck. I’m not superstitious, but I rather like the idea of the association.

I met Jasper’s mother so knew half the story and had a few clues as to what he might look like as an adult. We’d made the decision that smaller dogs would mean we could all travel easily together, but guessing at how big he would become was all we could do. His large paws were a sign that he wouldn’t be tiny!

Life is definitely a journey with discoveries along the way. Jasper has grown to almost 9kg and has a double coat of beautiful hair. I’ve never had a dog with that much hair before! He also has an adorable nature and an abundant character. I didn’t know how he’d turn out but have relished watching him grow up and blossom ~ he’s a wonderful companion.

Wishing you all a great day, too.

  Custom Made Brass & Silver Compass Locket

Compass Locket

If you know anything about me at all, you will know I create compass jewellery that you won’t find anywhere else.

Whether it’s a gold compass pendant or a top quality compass bracelet for an elegant explorer, each and every piece is handmade, unique and of unmatched quality.

This Compass Locket is much larger than any compass I’ve made before and was quite a challenge! I’ve included a short video to show it to you ~ it seemed to need moving pictures to tell its story!

Magnetic Compass?

This compass locket was hand made especially for Nils Sorensen, the creator of Mila’s Fountain.

Nils wanted a compass to fit the ideas and imagery for his production; a custom made compass to incorporate the essence of the story. Instead of a north seeking magnetic compass, this one is intended to point towards immortal deities…

A custom made compass depicting mystical watery swirls, stars and a crescent moon hinting at another world entirely.

Oh, and the lid closes with a truly exquisite snap, too

  The Peridot - an Evening Emerald

Peridot from the Past

The peridot originates from­ Zabargad Island, a small volcanic island in the Red Sea. From the early 2nd millennium B.C. this ancient stone was found to have been used in Egyptian jewellery.

  Zabargad Island in the Red Sea

The Other Side of Peridot

Peridot has been thought to emit a warm and friendly energy; to inspire happiness in the self, and delight in the nature of one’s life. I continue to be interested in stories that have travelled with gemstones, stories that have survived history. Whilst there’s no scientific evidence to support the notes, the associated folklore still intrigues me.

Peridot as Emerald

Peridot is often referred to as the evening emerald as it holds its colour in twilight more tenderly than true emeralds. With its gentle glow, early lapidaries pronounced peridot a good talisman against terrors of the night.

To me, the Peridot Compass Necklace in the picture has something of an ancient feel to it, as if it belonged to a protector with a strong character and a kind heart.

  Why is this a Compass Rose?

A Compass Rose?

I was given this beautiful yellow rose by a group of folk we met on a walk at the weekend. They’re staying here in France and have flown over from the United States to enjoy various parts of the country.

A compass rose is a figure or motif used to display cardinal directions on maps and charts. It’s also the part of a magnetic compass that shows the graduated markings. However, this yellow rose is a kind of compass rose, too.

These lovely people came over for apéros yesterday evening. They’re only here for a short time visiting the area and we talked about life and shared some of our stories – tales of our individual journeys.

We all agreed on how, for so many people, a compass is a truly significant symbol.

They’re an inspiring group of people. A big thank you to them for their company … and for the roses. I hope we meet up again soon.

  Hand Made Gold Wedding Rings for the Bride & Groom

Unique Wedding Rings

Designed to mark the beginning of their married life together, the design of these wedding rings evolved into something unique and personal to the bride and groom.

When I’m asked to create hand made gold jewellery, it’s often for a special occasion – and this was no exception.

These matching wedding rings are significant to each individual and to the couple; the story of their life together and their wedding day are inextricably bound into the creation.

Hand Made Gold Jewellery – Design

It was a pleasure working with this lovely couple on their custom made jewellery and seeing how the ideas evolved.

With a fondness of Celtic design ideas in keeping with their medieval style wedding, they soon came up with other elements to add in to their wedding rings. When I invited them to think about a design for their rings and jewellery being truly personal to them and hinting at a Celtic style, the ideas really started to flow. They even threw caution to the wind and had a go at sketching!

Together we created wedding rings with dragons and the OM symbol woven into the design around the band; the theme for all of their wedding jewellery.

Custom Jewellery: Your Design, Hand Made

Custom jewellery is a fusion of your design ideas and my workmanship. Coming up with a design is all part of the journey and even if you don’t consider yourself to be much of an artist, it’s amazing how a few seeds of an idea can be turned into a treasure.

Find out how we can work together to create your custom jewellery.

  Small and perfectly formed Compass.

Small Compass

One of the reasons I started making compasses was because I wanted one for myself that was a proper working compass, beautiful and small enough to wear comfortably.

But just how small is the small compass?

When my compass creations are photographed, one image often includes a one pound coin so that you can make a visual comparison. However, my compasses journey all over the world to their new owners and seeing them next to a one pound coin may not be much help at all! So, I thought another way to show the size would be to give you an image of me holding one ~ and here it is!

My compass creations are made using a small compass – often referred to as a button compass. The button compass inside is always the same size. However, with each individual design size of the finished jewellery item may change.

Small but Perfectly Formed Compass

I’m often asked if the compass is a working compass ~ and the answer is a resounding yes!

As I’ve said, part of the drive to make them in the first place was that I wanted a compass that worked. As well as that, the compass is very symbolic to me because I look at life as a journey on which we choose our direction. The practical side of me insisted that the compass truly pointed north, too!

Each of my compass creations has a top quality compass inside with a quartz face which means it’s scratch resistant and ready for adventure! You can wear it freely and enjoy having it with you as a companion on your journeys.

The Design of the Small Compass

The original design of the compass was kept small so that it could be hidden, often sewn into the lining of a coat, during war time. A secret saviour to help you find your way if you managed to escape.

Another design consideration was that it was small enough to be swallowed so you wouldn’t have to hand it over, say, if you were captured. The idea was that, er, after a bit of a wait the compass would ‘reappear’. You get my meaning…

Can I just say that I’ve never tried this and that I don’t suggest that you do either!