David Lloyd Stewart artist's blog: 12/30/07

Weddings 505 TV Show Guest Appearance

WOW, so much news to catch up on! Look for more posts in the very near future. Let's start with this:

My good friend, Marcy Sargeant, is the host of a new TV show to make its debut in February 2008 called Weddings 505 ..." A Bride's TV & Internet Connection to the 505 Area"! It's a show about all the accoutrements and accessories of weddings here in New Mexico - the gowns, the cakes, and of course, the JEWELRY! I show a few of the wedding ring designs I've done in the past, and answer a few questions about wedding ring design.

Please click the image above, or this link HERE, to be taken to the website for the show, where you can watch the first episode online! When you've watched it, and looked around the site, click the "back" button on your browser to come back here, where I'll have new posts to detail each of the wedding rings shown on the show. ENJOY!
DESIGNS AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Wedding Set: the Claddagh

The Claddagh (pronounced "claw-daw") design has been popular for 400 years, since its origins in a small fishing community near Galway Bay in Ireland. It traditionally depicts a heart, cradled by two hands, and topped with a crown. The two hands represent friendship, the crown signifies their loyalty and lasting fidelity, and the Heart, of course, symbolizes their eternal love for each other.

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Worn on the right hand, crown turned inwards, your heart is yet unoccupied.
Worn on the right hand, crown turned outwards, shows a special commitment to someone.
Worn on the left hand, crown outwards, let our love and friendship reign forever - never to be separated.

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In this case, the bride wanted to have the engagement and wedding rings to be separate - so I designed the claddagh as a set: The two hands cradling the heart is the engagement ring, and consists of an amethyst stone set in white gold. The wedding band provides the crown element, which nests neatly against the top of the heart, which I crafted in white gold with an accent of three diamonds.

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The groom didn't want the frilly diamond and amethyst combo in his ring, so I designed his version as a solid white gold ring with a dramatic black background behind the elements - a traditional Claddagh, surrounded on both sides with a celtic knot pattern.

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This is a design I can reproduce - a version of it can be made for you in either white or yellow gold, and with a variety of stones. Contact me directly for prices - gold prices are in such a state of flux, that I'll have to figure the price at the time of your order.

Be sure to give me 6 to 8 weeks to build them before your wedding!
Call me at the studio to discuss the particulars - (505) 296-1400.
DESIGN, PHOTO AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Wedding Set with Turquoise and Diamonds

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Laurie Fernandez was the director of Weems Artfest for many, many years... in fact, she just retired. But a few years ago, on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary, Laurie commissioned me to make new matching wedding rings for herself and her husband, Bernie. She wanted to use 2 large diamonds she had, plus a number of smaller ones to accent, and she wanted to incorporate turquoise in the designs, as well. I came up with a page of sketches for her to choose from. After a couple of alterations to zero in on the design, these are the ones I came up with.

I can use your stones, perhaps some that you inherited in other jewelry, or provide brand-new diamonds in whatever quality and size is required. These designs are one-of-a-kind, but they illustrate what I can do to accommodate your desires - there's almost no limit on what we can come up with together! Call me at the studio at (505) 296-1400 to discuss your

preferences, or Email me at David (at) StewartArt (dot) com. Be sure to give me at least a couple of months to complete your design before the wedding! Custom designs take a little more time.

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DESIGN, PHOTO AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Windswept Wedding Ring Set

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These rings were actually designed specifically for my sister, Gogi, and her husband Rick. They are characterized by a sweeping contemporary look, utilizing diamonds as the focal point and 2 interesting design elements: 1) reverse concave curves in the polished gold rails, form "light traps" that catch and play with light in an unusual way... and 2) Contrasting areas of texture & smooth gold. The sparkley, crusty texture is achieved by meticulously stippling the entire area by hand, with special tools I make myself. The result is and eye-catching contrast of light & color.

These rings were done exclusively for them, and are one-of-a-kind.... But I can apply the same design principles to rings for you, creating rings that have a similar flavor and flair. Call me direct at the studio at (505) 296-1400, to discuss your ideas for the perfect wedding ring... or drop me an Email at David@StewartArt.com to get the ball rolling. Remember - especially on one-of-a-kind designs - I need at least six to eight weeks to complete your design in time for the wedding!

Straw Flowers Wedding Ring

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This design was a custom remake for the customer, meaning an old ring made into a new design. She was very fond of vines and leaves as a theme. I had to keep in mind the wearability of the design, as well as the look - with wedding rings, comfort is just as important as the look - after all, these rings will be worn every day! In fact, they may never be removed except for cleaning. So this design was kept fairly low to the finger, and open in the background to allow air to circulate under the ring - this makes sure that soap and hand lotions don't get trapped under the ring where they might irritate skin.

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This is a design I can reproduce - it can be made in either 14K yellow or white gold for you, as well as in silver if desired. It was created to set a 4 mm stone of your choice, so there's lots of flexibility to make it just what you want. Contact me directly for prices - gold prices are in such a state of flux, that I'll have to figure the price at the time of your order.

Be sure to give me 6 to 8 weeks to build them before your wedding! Call me at the studio to discuss the particulars -
(505) 296-1400.

Shooting Star Wedding Ring

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This is a One-of-a-kind 2-piece engagement/ wedding ring set with a 1/2 carat oval diamond. This is one of my most bold designs. The engagement ring can be worn alone before the marriage, and the wedding band nests into place behind it after the ceremony.

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The small depression in the front of the engagement ring is a sparkley, textured area that contrasts nicely with the polished convex surface of the ring, but I could also mount some smaller diamonds in an area like that. As I said, this one is one-of-a-kind, but something similar can be done for you.

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Call me at the studio at (505) 296-1400 to discuss your preferrences, or Email me at David (at) StewartArt (dot) com. Be sure to give me at least a couple of months to complete your design before the wedding! Custom designs take a little more time.

DESIGN, PHOTO AND TEXT © DAVID LLOYD STEWART - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED