It's nearly April and, although I'm not quite ready to discard my winter coat, glimmers of Spring are appearing. Catkin flowers adorn bare branches and new life emerges.
Charles Rennie Mackintosh: Alder Catkins, Walberswick
I was approached over two years ago by poet Lesley Jackson who was interested in writing a series of poems about my practise. Over this time we have sent many long emails back and forth as she gradually condensed my ramble into concise prose. Today I'm excited to share her first piece which is about the Catkin Wedding Ring.
Photo by Caro Weiss
I initially conceived this design as my own wedding ring and since then have developed the idea into my main jewellery collection.
Photo by Caro Weiss
Lesley has beautifully captured the thought and meaning behind this one tiny ring whilst enriching the piece with her own findings.
Catkin by Lesley Jackson
At first it is just a memory
of a jewellery store
an antique ring on a woman’s hand
more than a decade before
and a desire to create something
significant, eternal:
A wedding ring.
Then the long hours it takes
to heat, solder, shape and wait
until the metal cools
and a soft sheen and pattern
is revealed. A delicate row of scales
I call Catkin.
To me it speaks of Spring,
the days the catkin throws
his future to the wind. His lambs tail
unfurled, he spurns all passing bees
to find his flower, modest as a bud
among Hazel, Oak, Hornbeam, Beech.
The pattern whispers ‘life’, ‘a new
beginning’. Yet not just this.
The catkin’s age-old power to protect
is inextricably woven in, its wish
to welcome love and luck.
All this. Rooted in the ring.
This year I have added the Gents Catkin Wedding Ring to my collection. Like the ladies version it is available in 9 & 18ct yellow, white or rose gold, platinum and palladium.
Photo by Caro Weiss
Also I will soon be launching two more delicate ladies versions of the Catkin design so keep an eye on my website.
