Titia – Jewelry from generation to generation.

A mother as muse
My parents have always been my biggest supporters. They have proudly followed my work for years. In March 2024, my father died suddenly and unexpectedly. That is precisely why this client day and the photo shoot for my mother took on an extra charge. It was a beautiful, but also a double moment. Because although she was portrayed with my children, her grandchildren, he was sadly missing from the photos.

Stories coming together
Titia wears several pieces, each telling its own story. On her hand is an Embla ring with a green tourmaline, a piece of jewelry she wears daily. She also has a ring that incorporates a gemstone from her own mother’s jewelry. This makes it a tangible reminder of those who came before her.

For her 70th birthday, I gave her a pair of gold earrings with blue topaz and pearls. She wears these often and they fit her perfectly. She also wore a necklace that once belonged to my grandmother. I was later allowed to make a new pendant for it so that it would have its own place in her collection.

A lasting connection
It remains special to see how jewellery connects generations. What began for me as a love of craftsmanship became a path of its own in part because of their support. The photos from this day show that jewellery is much more than a beautiful object. They preserve stories and memories – sometimes with a light tone, sometimes with an edge of loss, but always full of meaning.

Martin and his daughter Ellen – A ring with a promise for later

A ring to both wear and pass on
In 2022, Martin joined me in the studio. His wife had died. He talked about their wedding rings and how important it was for him to have something new made from them. His desire was to bring the two rings together into one piece of jewelry that he could wear daily. At the same time, he wanted the jewelry to later be divided among their three daughters so that each would get a share of the story.

The design with a future
Together we discussed what the design should look like. During our first conversation, I told him about the different options. For example, the idea of soldering the rings together. But since the rings were actually too wide together for that and the comfort of wearing them would then be less pleasant, that was not the most appropriate solution.

Also discussed was remelting. I explained that by doing so, the rings would permanently lose their original shape. That was an emotionally difficult decision, because that very form had a lot of meaning.

I advised him to calmly consider all options and not make a choice until he was sure what felt right. Some time later, he returned. He had decided he wanted to join the rings together by melting them down to build a new ring.

I ended up making a wider ring out of the fused gold, somewhat thicker in design. This kept the wearing comfort good, allowed the preservation of as much of the original gold as possible, and left the possibility of later dividing the ring into three parts.

Throughout the process, I took photos. That way Martin can always look back on how the rings took their new shape.

A memory for every daughter
In addition to this wide ring, I was later allowed to make three more narrow base rings for their daughters. These were made from the gold left over after forging, combined with other existing gold from the family. Thus, each received their own personal jewelry in which their parents’ story lives on.

It was extraordinary to see how much meaning there can be in reusing treasured materials. Sometimes it’s not about salient details. It is simplicity and memories that make a piece of jewelry valuable.

A personal lesson
When Martin signed up for the customer day, I was unsure if it matched the idea I had. I especially wanted to capture clients that day with jewellery involving granules and gemstones. Later, obviously in the middle of the night ;-), I realized that that thought was actually far too limited.

Just these kinds of assignments are as much a part of what I do. Perhaps even the most. Making something that really matters, no matter what it looks like. It was an important reminder for me to stay true to the core of my work and what I stand for as a goldsmith.

A photo with double the value
During the customer day, Martin came to my studio with his daughter Ellen. They wore their jewellery, each with its own story. The photo taken of them was given double value. It became a captured moment where loss and connection came close together.

The ring I made for Martin is not just a symbol of what has been. It is also a promise for later. A promise that their family’s story will be passed on in a form that suits each of them.

Jolanda – Jewellery that suits her.

It began with a message
Sometimes you just know. Jolanda saw on social media a Sirius ring I had just completed. She sent me a message, “When can I come over? Because I believe my name is on this ring.” Not much later, she stepped into my studio from the Zaan region. And indeed, that ring belonged to her.

A ring that kept calling
Some time after that, she had her eye on an Elevance ring with a special bi-colored sapphire. During Juwelen aan de Zaan, she came to try it on again. The ring was still great, but she still decided against it. At least … not right away. I believe I received an app less than 48 hours later, “Yes hello, that has my name on it too!”

A pendant with a plan
Jolanda is a cheerful, honest and direct woman. Full of stories, energy and color. Although for the photo shoot she actually chose a black look – a nice contrast to the jewellery that is so much her own.

For the pendant I made for her, she already had sketches at home. She had seen another assignment on social media that appealed to her, in terms of look and feel. The idea was that the pendant would fit nicely between her other pendants on a necklace. We therefore carefully considered the length so that it would not become an accumulated collection, but rather a peaceful whole.

The pendant is made of existing gold and a diamond that already had its own history. For the finish, she chose a dark blue spinel and a Tahiti pearl – a combination that perfectly suits her style.

A meeting with character
During the client day, Jolanda had her picture taken by Rik Balder. The images are exactly as I have come to know her: powerful, sparkling and totally herself. For me, it was special to see how step by step her jewelry story grew. And how she keeps choosing what really suits her.

Hannah, Bart and Philou – Jewellery marking new beginnings

A meeting at Jewelry Art Fair
During Jewelry Art Fair in 2023, I met Hannah and Bart. Hannah then bought a silver Embla ring and that’s where our contact began. Not much later, Bart started the goldsmithing course in my studio. Step by step, he learned to make his own jewellery. In the final classes, he worked on a special project: his own wedding ring. The ring was inspired by my design Viridior from the Aurargent collection. This ring has a distinctive blackened finish that will slowly wear off with wear, something Bart actually likes.

A special choice for the wedding day
A new chapter was added in 2024. While I was working on the gold rings for my Elevance collection, Hannah spotted a ring via Instagram with a pear cut bi-colored tourmaline in shades of blue and green. She immediately fell in love with it. During the Neighbors edition of Jewelry Art Fair, she bought the ring. This ring will soon become her wedding band. What is special to me is that she is saving it for their big day in August. Still, she occasionally opens the box to take a look – and to put the ring on for just a moment.

The customer day in the studio
On customer day, they came to my studio with their daughter Philou. Philou is 11 and already loves jewellery. At first, she preferred not to be photographed. That changed when she noticed she was allowed to choose jewellery from the collection to wear. She chose a pair of gold Hoops earrings with London blue topaz pendants and a necklace of tourmaline. She would have preferred to keep them quietly, but after the event, the earrings and necklace really had to be returned by her parents – they are still available.

Jewellery full of stories
Hannah wore her wedding ring to be and the Hooks earrings she got from Bart. These earrings have a base that you can combine with different pendants. For the occasion, she wore the labradorite pendants, in which, in the right light, you can see the blue-green play beautifully.

She also chose for the photo shoot a necklace of black spinel with a pendant from my Inside Out collection, which centers on a Tahitian pearl. This necklace and pendant are still available in my collection.

Rik Balder’s photos show well how this jewelry is more than just materials. They tell of a shared path, of making choices that suit you, and of memories in the making.

Francis – A pendant full of memories

From student to special request
Francis I got to know when she started her goldsmithing course with me. During classes, she made a variety of jewellery. She later came to ask if I would make a pendant for her in memory of her parents, because she felt a familiarity with the idea of taking this on together. She wanted to bring their jewellery together into one new design that she could wear daily.

The design in heart shape
I melted down the gold from her parents’ jewellery and made new wire from it. With this thread, I formed the lines of a heart, symbolizing connection and remembrance. For the cabochon cut green tourmaline, I made a custom setting case. In some traditions, tourmaline is seen as a heart stone, representing love, healing and faithfulness – something that has great meaning for Francis.

Details with personal value
In addition to the tourmaline, I incorporated a diamond into the design and small granules, which are characteristic of my work. The necklace to which the pendant is attached belonged to her mother. This preserved not only the materials, but also a tangible memory of the jewellery her parents wore.

A piece of jewelry that continues to connect
The result is a unique pendant combining existing precious gold and new elements. A jewellery that represents both mourning and love, and in which Francis can always carry her parents close to her in her own way.