Way back in 2022, I was doing a trunk show at one of my favorite galleries, Juelerye in Mooresville, NC. The owners, Jacque and Nelson Bassett, were among the first people to believe in my work and support the Kristen Baird ® vision. At this particular trunk show, I had the pleasure of meeting one of her loyal clients and we formed an instant connection. At the time, the client bought a couple of pieces of jewelry, but I had a feeling we would be working together again.
A Touching Tribute
In May of 2023, this same client reached out to let me know that her mother had passed away. Although this was a difficult time, she knew she wanted to find a way to honor her mother’s memory. I was touched that she thought of me. It goes to show how much of this business is built on trust and the personal connections we form along the way.
The client had several pieces of jewelry belonging to her mom, including a white gold and diamond pendant and a yellow gold engagement ring with a beautiful 1 carat diamond. Our goal was to combine as many of these elements as possible to create something the client could wear on a daily basis.
Trial and Error
This client loved the To The Moon and Back commission, as well as the Ray of Sun Stack, which is a combination of three of my gold and diamond bands. To start, I sent a photo of the three bands layered together. Next, I sent the same picture but with a central stone to match her stone size. She liked the spaces between the rings in the stack but wanted it to be a single piece. From there, we went into a sketch.
The client was also starting to experiment with mixing metals, after wearing only silver and white gold for most of her life. Given that, we decided to switch the piece to a two-toned style. Finally, we added a few rubies to celebrate her birth month, July. As you can see, there was a lot of trial and error involved in designing this piece. In the end, it all came out beautifully.
The Design
This unique ring is composed of several elements from my existing designs. The base is a Dandelion Meadow band in platinum with an additional platinum bezel built for the central diamond. The central stone is accented with three bezel-set rubies on either side.
The top band is a variation on the Around the Cosmos ring in 18K yellow gold. I customized the bezel settings to fit seven of my client’s heirloom diamonds. The bottom band is a wavy, five-stone band, also in 18K yellow gold.
Crafting the Ring
To create this custom ring, I first crafted all three bands in silver then sent them off to be cast into 18K gold and platinum. The cast bands arrived back in my studio as three separate pieces, which I tacked together using the laser welder. Then I soldered them together into one smooth, flowing piece and added my signature hand-textured details.
Finally, I set the stones, cleaned, and polished the piece. Then, it was ready for delivery!
Trusting the Process
Given that working with a designer on a custom piece of jewelry is a completely new experience for most people, it’s understandable if a client is a little unsure at times. However, this client really trusted the process the whole way through, and the results were spectacular.
Rather than sending her the piece right away, I held onto it for a couple of weeks so I could hand-deliver it during my 2024 trunk show at Juelerye - bringing the process full circle. I’m so grateful to Jacque for being such a wonderful friend and connector, and to this client for trusting me the whole way through.
The absolute best part? The look on the client’s face when I finally delivered the ring. You can see this special moment yourself by checking out the video on Instagram. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it. Don’t forget to bring some tissues!
