Design inspiration can come from anywhere. Nature, works of art, travel, architecture, delicious pastry, TV shows, people — it's all part of the landscape that creates a chain reaction of mental sparks that ignite into a creative fire. Melanie here: Like our Celebracelet charm bracelet, our newest creation was inspired by a person: Our muse, Stacy's mom, Mariann.
A force of nature, Mariann followed her passions — whether that was her career, celebration, travel or romance, this is a woman who went for it. (Case-in-point on that last note, within weeks of moving into her senior living facility, Mariann had a boyfriend!) Stacy and I knew in the early days of starting the company that we wanted to create a ring inspired by one Mariann wore every day. So, we did. Introducing The Mariann.
"The diamond in the ring pictured [here] started out as Mom's engagement ring from my dad," Stacy says. "They split up when I was just a baby, and instead of tucking that diamond away, Mom had it reset into a ring with a yellow gold band that swoops around the stone like it's giving it a hug. She always swore she designed it herself. I have my doubts. But either way, it was 100% her."
For this new iteration of Mariann's ring, I used the original as a starting point, then stripped it back to a more minimalist modern vibe. But I kept that signature swirl, which gives it a hit of that vibrant Mariann energy. The ring went live on the site yesterday, Oct. 5, which is Mariann's birthday. But it has been in the making for about a year.
Technically The Mariann resembles what most of us think of as a solitaire engagement ring, but as always, we encourage you to do whatcha wanna. As mentioned, Mariann wore it as an everyday ring after her divorce using the diamond from her former engagement ring. You might do something similar. Or you might want it set with an emerald, sapphire or some other gemstone. Maybe you want pave set diamonds on the swirl or down the sides. Wouldn't that be fabulous? However you decide to have it set or wear it, we're here for it and here for you to make it happen.
Designing The Mariann was my first project after completing a summer training to learn orthographic view drafting and gouache (pronounced "gwash") painting, inspired by the traditions of the great high jewelry (haute joaillerie) houses of Paris. Without telling Stacy, I worked on it the weekend after my training and surprised her with the completed gouache. Stacy said seeing my sketches next to the original made her cry. I'm not usually a fan of making my best friend weep, but in this instance it was wonderful.
You see, emotion is what jewelry is all about. Yes, sparkly, valuable and precious metals and jewels are great, but without an emotional connection — it's just more stuff. Our jewelry is designed with intention: To evoke something within you — a memory, achievement or, as is the case with The Mariann, a special person.
Happy birthday, Mariann. We miss you and we're celebrating you and everything. 🥂
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