Naomi first approached me to ask about Malawian gems. Her idea was a lovely - to create a new ring that would incorporate a gem from Malawi to remind her of her childhood. Later she also decided to remodel her wedding band which no longer fitted and to start a fantastic stack with the two rings. This was such a gorgeous project!
I contacted my trusted gem supplier and asked for a whole range of stones for Naomi to consider. I feel very fortunate that ethically, this supplier is as good as it gets and could supply me with Fair Trade level 1 gems*.
The gems I gathered for Naomi were a mix of blues, greens, pinks and purples. Naomi’s favourite turned out to be a padparadscha, a natural coloured sapphire - pinky peach in colour, and very zingy. Exactly as it was when it came out of the ground in fact. Padparadschas are a rare treat and very sought after, you don’t see them often! I was delighted she opted for that one!
Naomi tells her story:
‘I first came across Jo’s work by accident, I’d heard about Malawian sapphires and was looking for someone who used them in their jewellery in the UK. I spent a large part of my childhood in Malawi and I really wanted a memento of the time I spent there.
When I found Jo, I fell in love with her work - in particular the variety of textures, stones and metals that she uses. I knew that I wanted to commission a ring that would work on its own, but also in a stack if I wanted to add to it in the future.
Jo was kind enough to order in a selection of Malawian sapphires for me and we chose the padparadscha sapphire. After I had picked it as my favourite, she told me that she had secretly been rooting for that stone all along! It is such a beautiful and unusual colour, which really jumps out against the cool white gold metal. I love how it looks almost neon pink in one light, and orange or brown in another.
The only issue is that I’ve started an obsession with Jo’s jewellery and I’m already thinking about what ring I want to add to my stack next…’
I’m so pleased that you love your new rings, Naomi! I love how they’ve turned out.
