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Stories of a Country Jeweler: Custom Morganite Ring

A woman brought in a beautiful morganite gem to Lynda wanting to make her inherited stone something she could wear forever. Her father had bought the jewel for her Grandmother overseas. Always admiring its sparkle, she was thrilled when she inherited it. Setting out for Harvest Gold Gallery, she brought it into Lynda and Bill to brainstorm a perfect way to wear this stone for her grandmother and make it unique in her own way. They came up with a beautiful morganite rose gold ring! One of the employees favorite custom rings!  The woman was so happy when she came in and saw her new ring, it was definitely a moment to remember here at Harvest Gold. Keep in mind, if you ever have any old gems, gold or silver bring it into Harvest Gold. Bill and Lynda will work with you to make sure you have  the custom piece of your dreams!

Stories of a Country Jeweler: My Son Made That!

You never know who is going to come through the bright purple door of the gallery, and today we had someone special walk in!

Lynda and I were sitting at the front desk, stringing necklaces and chatting when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. We looked at each other in surprise, because usually from our vantage point at the desk we can see customers as they walk through the gardens up to the front door.

We stood up, and were just catching the lights when an older fellow burst through the front door.

“Hello! My goodness,” he said, “I just can’t believe this is happening.” With a big smile he started to twist his head side to side clearly searching for something.

“Aha! Oh gosh, right there! I want to see that vase right there!” A bit flustered, we headed over to the white gold case and pulled out the blue and green vase the man was so excited for.

“My apologies,” the man said, “I was so excited to see this that I completely forgot my manners! My name is Tony Egan, and my son made this vase nearly 20 years ago! Ya know, I am staying just down the road at Quisisana. This is my first year staying here, but I had cousins who came up every summer so this year I decided to join them. And look,” he pulled out one of our rack cards, “look! Imagine my surprise to see one of my son’s blown vases pinned up on the board at the resort! Can you believe it? I had no clue that he was showing any work anywhere up here!”

We love hearing this type of story at the gallery, it is always interesting to hear what our artists have been up to since we saw them last. Tony’s son, Michael Egan, is a glassblower out of Vermont. His work was some of the first to be shown here at the Gallery, and we had that particular vase Tony was now holding for at least 18 years! The vase is a favorite of the staff here at the Gallery, and is often on prominent display in one of the front rooms.

“I knew it was Michael’s,” Tony said, “I just knew it! I recognized the blues and greens of the rods, and of course the unique bubble shape! Heck,” Tony rubbed his neck sheepishly,  “I think even twenty years on we still have some scraps from this project lying around the workshop back home. Gosh, you can just never imagine where you work will end up!”

Tony Egan

Tony Egan, posing with his son Michael's handblown vase

And that is so true! We love hearing tales of where our jewelry and art goes with you: to new jobs, to new homes, to new families. So we encourage you to share your stories with us by emailing us at harvestgoldjewelry@gmail.com, or by chatting with us when you next stop in! Hope to see you soon!

Stories of a Country Jeweler: Grandma's Stories, Remembered Always

A young man came into the Gallery the other month, with some family rings in one hand and his sweetheart holding on to the other. His family was from Maine, but he had moved away seeking work and new opportunities. He and his fiance were always fond of and nostalgic for their childhoods here in New England, and so decided to return here to create their wedding rings. These rings would forevermore, no matter where across the world they travelled, remind them of their homes and families in the trees and mountains.

The couple brought in a few old family rings, that they wanted to reuse to create their own bands. While we sat and chatted about size, design, and the like, the man cheerfully recounted to me the stories of each ring that he had brought.

“This one,” pointing to the first, “was my great-grandmother’s. And this, my great aunt’s.” He smiled and seemed nostalgic as he turned the rings in his hands. The girl grinned too, happy that the man could relive the memories of his youth when looking at his beloved family heirlooms.

“This one though, this one is extra-special. This ring belonged to my grandmother, and she and her beau bought it in Switzerland on a whim when they went on vacation. Isn’t it stunning?”  And the ring was gorgeous. Comprised of eight sapphires and ten diamonds, the ring was a beauty, forged in the old style.

The couple wanted to reuse these rings to create new, modern rings that would suit them and their style and lifestyle, all while holding close a keepsake that contained joyous memories. And my oh my, did they turn out to be stunners!

Out of the family rings we were able to reuse the gold to create new bands for the couple, and out of the collection of old stones we were able to create three stunning rings. For the woman, two yellow gold bands with five diamonds each. And for the fellow, one bulkier yellow gold band set with the stunning cabochon sapphires.

When they returned to the shop, this time with the young man’s mother as well, we couldn’t help but feel excited and a little bit nervous about whether or not they would like the new rings. Their reaction was so much better than expected! Smiles all around, and even some tears from mom, and we knew that we had done well.

These rings that are so dear to such a young couple, and symbolize their eternal love and commitment for each other, are made even more special knowing the history behind the gold and stones. Cradled in the gold and comfortingly circling their fingers are memories both old and new, that will be passed down from generation to generation: as are the stories of how the rings came to be.

Grandma’s diamonds reimagined: beloved stories remembered.