You can feel the past in precious metal......

Jewelry has a history. It has a past. It has experienced love and hope. It has experienced heartbreak and painful endings.

I often have people asking me if I can make something old into something new. I get it. We have jewelry that once was and now is not. We have jewelry that just sits somewhere dusty.

I appreciate the desire to turn it into something we actually want to wear. But I also appreciate the history of a piece of jewelry. You can feel the past in precious metal, it has an energy. Even the pieces that ended in heartbreak once experienced the energy of great love. And heartbreak also has a painful honest pure energy that is beautiful.

So, I'm mixed about turning our history in jewels into new pieces.......

Here are two pieces of my history in jewels. These are my two earliest memories of jewelry. They were both given to me by my Nana and Grandpa, who lived in Australia. The brooch was the first piece of jewelry I ever got. It is hand engraved. It is not perfect, which makes me love it that much more. The bird necklace is enameled, some of the blue enamel in the middle of the bird has chipped off, but I would never try to fix it because that chip is part of my history.

Designing Amanda's Love Story Necklace

I design jewelry inspired by love, because that is what it's all about.......isn't it?

My Grandpa, wrote a book about his life story. He gave each of us grand kids a copy of it before he died. I have been reading it lately. In his dedication he wrote "I dedicate this, my life story, to my dear wife Alison, who gave me four lovely children and the happiest years of my life." My grandparents were married for 60 years.

I spent a sunny afternoon recently designing Amanda's Love Story Necklace. Amanda was one of the two winners of my Love Story Necklace contest. I had a photo of Amanda's beautiful dress and lovely wedding venue to inspire my design, but the design kept coming out not quite right. I kept thinking about Amanda and Matt's love story and about this one picture of the two of them that they sent me.
Amanda had wrote underneath this picture. "Here we are, Matt helping me up after I fell down, like he always does." You can tell that they are both laughing. I loved being in on this moment. It is this moment that inspired the design for their necklace. Because isn't this moment what makes a relationship beautiful? You help each other when one of you falls, and you laugh together through all of it. The horrible, the scary, the really fucking painful moments in life, you stick together and make it a little easier for each other.

Amanda's necklace is in the works, almost finished........here is the design.

Amanda's Love Story Necklace, has an elegant strength to it just like Amanda. This necklace symbolizes the ups and downs and twists and turns that Amanda and Matt have already endured in their relationship. But like their relationship it is also happy, beautiful, and forever.

Love Story Necklace Contest Closing

Friday was the closing date for my Love Story Necklace Contest, originally launched on Offbeat Bride.com - where I asked brides-to-be to tell me their love story to try to win a custom made one of a kind Love Story Necklace. I am excited to pick a winner. I am also a little sad that I won't have beautiful love stories in my inbox every day.
How amazing, how complex, how exciting, how confusing, how incredible love is. I feel so touched that so many women were open and honest and shared their love stories with me. There is such beauty in each of them. Through reading all of the loves stories I have learned that our ability to love surpasses any amount of pain and heartache that we go through. I feel so touched and honored to have read each of the love stories that I received. Now, for the hard part, picking the winner....I'll keep you posted. I will be consulting with my creative team this week, I will be announcing the winner next week.

Grassroots Wedding Fair - Video Clip

This is a short video from the Grassroots Wedding Fair, that took place in January. There is a neat little bit that shows me putting a She Said Yes necklace on a lovely bride. It is very sweet. I didn't even know I was being filmed!

The Grassroots Wedding Fair from Michael Rendulic on Vimeo.

The Wedding Collection

I have never been very traditional. I have always made bold moves in both my career choices and my personal life. I know that I have given my dear parents many sleepless nights worrying if I would ever become more normal. I don't see normal in my future. I see something a little bit different...........

I would like to introduce you to my new Wedding Collection. The Wedding Collection is a small collection of one of a kind necklaces and rings that are perfect for a bold bride who chooses something a little bit different.

"She Said Yes Necklace"

The She Said Yes Necklace is the perfect necklace for a bold bride who has no hesitation saying Yes to exactly what she desires.
"Take The Plunge Necklace"

The Take The Plunge Necklace is made for a plunging neckline or a plunging lifestyle. It is the perfect necklace for the bride who knows what she wants and jumps right in.


"Love Story Necklace"

The Love Story Necklace, like any great Love Story is complicated. It has twists and turns, highs and lows, and has been hammered and polished.
It is the perfect necklace for a bride who has been through a lot but who has always believed in finding her true love.


I will be showing my Wedding Collection at The Grassroots Wedding Fair this Saturday January 30th at Heritage Hall on Main Street in Vancouver.