La Muse Inspiratrice - Le Heartbeat
Inspiration. Just like true love, it can be hard to find. It's a mysterious beast, sometimes hiding in plain sight, as in my French bestie's clever brain. Cue in the Heartbeat design.
Rewind to 5 years ago, when I offered to design her anything she'd want for a milestone birthday, as a small token of appreciation for our 20+ years of friendship, and a celebration of our being lucky enough to have found each other, a recognition of sort of our sister-like bond, in jewel form.
Sappy? Definitely. I am a firm believer that jewels, at their best, are celebratory, sparkly reminders and cherished mementoes of a life lived fully, be it ours or that of our ancestors and lovers, and few things beat the emotional satisfaction of getting a bespoke jewel made just for you. But maybe that's just me?
Still, when she suggested a heart-shaped pendant, I immediately blurted out "{Blip} non!", fill in the cursing blank and pardon my French. When she was done laughing her head off and reminding me I'd said "ANYTHING SHE WANTED" (note to self: next time say "anything but a heart shaped anything", as I am really #notaheartperson), she just said: what about a heartbeat?
That sentence, right there, right then, was like a stroke of lightning in my mind. Hence the actual shape of the heartbeat I've designed, a hastily sketched symbol atop a napkin at our favorite neighborhood restaurant, a cross between an actual heartbeat and a lightning bolt. No one's actual heartbeat, just my rendition of a token of love and friendship, a bit of artistic poetry in 18k rose gold for my bestie. She approved it on the spot. I promptly carved and cast it for her. And she got asked about it so much that, with her blessing, I developed Amour, a collection based on the original piece I designed for her.
For that stroke of genius, and her friendship thru thick and thin, I am eternally grateful. We no longer wear pearls, but we sure still enjoy each other's company, as evidenced by these shots taken some 20+ years apart. And we both wear a gold heartbeat, rose for her, yellow for me, around our necks every day!
Show your love with a Heartbeat!
