A holiday in the country is a great opportunity to appreciate nature. The intense greenery glistening in the sunshine and the rustle of the forest swaying freely in the wind are a balm for nerves battered by the hustle and bustle of the city. Such imagery reminds me of the words of a colleague: "the glade draws together scattered thoughts."
For centuries, the tree has been a symbol of peace and eternal happiness.
For example, in the biblical book of Genesis, written about 3,500 years ago, one can read: “God made to grow out of the ground every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food and also the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and bad." If Adam had remained obedient to the Creator, he would have been permitted to eat from this tree as a sign that he was considered worthy of eternal life, perfect happiness and harmony. The existence of this tree of life in Eden, in addition to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, alluded to this possibility.
I decided to design a ring with a tree motif in order to transfer this powerful symbolism to a unique piece of jewellery. The design included several variations. My client, Mr David, decided on the design in which the tree crown is an emerald cut into a spherical shape. However, a problem immediately arose: You cannot buy, or even find, a stone like that anywhere. When I started researching, no one had even heard of such a thing. The only solution was to find a raw crystal which could then be cut into the shape of a sphere.
At a broker in Hong Kong, I found a 17-carat stone from Zambia. Buying this kind of stone comes with a great risk. You never know what is inside an emerald, the structure of which usually involves inclusions. Such fractures can progress into the core when exposed to high temperatures during cutting. As a result of this, more than one stone may be damaged in the process. Upon my request, this task was undertaken by my cutter from Italy. I breathed a sigh of relief when he sent me a photo of the finished, polished gem.
The stone is framed with four paws and edged with a diamond-set halo. The ring's design of gold branches connects at the bottom of the rim to form a trunk with a base, allowing the ring to be placed in a display cabinet or on a dressing table. The entire piece has been crafted in yellow 14k gold.
