Bev's heirloom bangle
When Bev first walked into our design studio to meet Sarah, neither of them could have imagined the journey they were about to begin together.
As two creative souls, they connected instantly. Sarah loved exploring the inspirational images Bev had carefully gathered and was fascinated by the beautiful jewellery she already owned. It quickly became clear that, with Bev's love of Art Deco design and eye for detail, this would be a truly special commission.
But this project was about far more than creating a beautiful new piece of jewellery. Bev had entrusted Sarah with treasured family heirlooms, inherited after the heartbreaking loss of her parents.
Together, they needed to honour the memories held within those pieces while creating something that felt unmistakably Bev: something she could wear every day, carrying a little reminder of her parents wherever life took her.
As they explored the collection of inherited jewellery, three antique engagement rings immediately captured Sarah's attention. Their craftsmanship and settings were far too beautiful to take apart. Instead, they became the inspiration for the entire design, with the goal of restoring and showcasing these much-loved family treasures.
With her starting point agreed, Sarah designed a true showstopping hinged bangle. A beautifully engraved sunburst motif, inspired by Bev's love of Art Deco, radiates around the entire circumference of the piece. The three antique ring heads would each be painstakingly restored and nestled within their own bespoke bezel settings, allowing their original beauty to take centre stage. Tiny flush set diamonds, an alternating satin and polished finish and a milgrain edging would complete the design.
This was one of the most technically ambitious commissions we had undertaken at Petra Jewellery. Bringing Sarah and Bev’s vision to life would require the combined expertise of our talented in-house goldsmith, Behzad, together with our specialist engraving and stone-setting workshops. Working closely as a team, they carefully refined the design, developed a practical manufacturing plan and produced a quotation that met Bev's budget without compromising on quality.
Much of Bev's inherited jewellery was crafted in 18ct gold or higher, and preserving both its rich yellow hue and sentimental value was incredibly important to her. To achieve this, we arranged for her inherited gold to be professionally refined back to 18ct before being incorporated into the new bangle. The result was a piece hallmarked in exactly the precious metal Bev had hoped for, allowing her family's gold to continue its story in a beautiful new form.
Once Behzad had worked his magic, handcrafting the bangle itself, including its beautifully engineered hinge and bespoke collet settings, it was ready for the final stages. It was then sent off to our specialist setter and engraver who were tasked with bringing Bev's Art Deco vision to life.
Every stage of the commission was carefully coordinated by the Petra team, with each person playing a key role in ensuring it would be perfect for Bev. When the finished bangle finally returned to the studio, there was a collective gasp. It was everything Sarah had imagined and more.
After Behzad had applied the final finishing touches, the bangle was ready for its most important moment: Bev's collection appointment. The team waited with quiet anticipation, hoping she would love it as much as they had loved creating it.
Thankfully, they needn't have worried. The moment Bev saw her finished bangle, she was absolutely delighted. It was everything she had hoped for.
From the initial design consultation to the finished masterpiece, this bespoke bangle has been a joy to create and capture every step of the way.
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Or, if you still need a bit more inspiration, you can see this piece and many other gorgeous designs in our bespoke collection here:
