What did you give your significant other?

I ask this every few years because I think it’s interesting to see
the responses.

So what did you give your significant others this year for
Christmas?

I gave my wife an 18k yellow gold forged bangle with.03 ct. ideal
cut diamonds flush set and scattered around it. But I also just gave
her as a late part of a Christmas present (for no reason, just
because she’s the love of my life) a 1.77 ct. E color, VS2 clarity
ideal cut (AGS 0 cut grade) diamond (I haven’t set it yet but it
will be in some type of ring).

We are in the business of romance and if we don’t romance our
spouses a little bit more than anyone else what good is it?

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
@Daniel_R_Spirer

Daniel -

My husband got me a 3cm X 8mm aquamarine crystal to “do something
with.”

What fun!
Debby

Wow what a great hubby You are! My husband got off easy- I made my
own engagement ring & matching wedding bands & he never spent a dime!
(That’s OK I’m still crazy about him!) : )

Mary R

Easy for you guys to do… but what do I give my dh, who only wears
his wedding ring?? And he won’t use a money clip either… :wink:

Beth in SC where we are once again expecting winter weather… what
is that again??

We are in the business of romance and if we don't romance our
spouses a little bit more than anyone else what good is it? 

I love your attitude, but my spouse doesn’t wear any jewelry, not
even a watch. The ring I made him (some years back) is somewhere in
his desk. And I was so proud of it! An 18k band with an apparently
abstract design all over it which is actually our private nickname
for each other in a very hard-to-read font I invented.

I did make belt buckles for my four (young adult) children, each
designed to commemorate the key events of their year, in marriage of
metals, applique and/or engraving.

Noel

I gave my wife of 20 years yet another (few) piece(s) of jewelry!
Can you imagine? She once complained about getting jewelry for every
holiday and birthday so one year I bought her a set of cookware,
some sponges with that scrubbing stuff on one side and some
dishtowels… She happily accepts jewelry now. :slight_smile: This year she got
(among others) a nice hand-wrought 18k green ring with a seventy-five
(75) carat sapphire in it. (Too big to wear every day, but really fun
to show off to her friends.)

Doc

I made my husband a sterling keyring from 2mm square wire in the
shape of his initials, a pair of sterling cufflinks and a chunky
sterling ringer ring.

Maybe this year I’ll be able to make him something in gold (finances
permitting!) - maybe even with a square diamond or two :wink: I am
naughty!

Helen
UK

There are other things one can give: how about a poem?

mokume-gane (20kt antique yellow,.999 Ag,18kt.blue-green gold, and
18kt.olive green in the billet) concave forged bracelet with a hinge
at the inside wrist triggered to open ( the trigger pin set with a
blue-green princess cut sapphire in a blue-green 18kt.bezel )
channeled on the outer edges and filled with 2mm purple gold inlay
imitating the cardinal points with each direction flush set with 5mm
x1.5mm baguette like deep gold bytownites ( the hinge serving as the
eastern point)… having the purple green and gold colours of New
Orleans’ Mardi Gras traditions was the goal in the design… Never
again !- I should have left the inlay/flush setting out as it took a
cumulative 34 hours of labor alone to execute ( assisted by the
Allset master system) from alloying the purple gold to grinding the
sides of the piece flush with the bracelet and polishing it to a
high shine.and it took it from a very wearable for any occasion piece
directly to over- the- top and more appropriate for dressy evening
wear. Next year I’m buying a piece of J Collier,Elizabeth Gaultieri,
or Carolyn Tyler’s work (provided money isn’t an issue) !..

RER

I gave my wife a pendant with 11 3.5mm color change garnets set in a
circle made of 18 kt gold. These gems resemble alexandrite, they are
different hues and have incredible dispersion. Greenish to maroon
strong color change. I did not make the piece. I was very fortunate
to have made a very good buy, as I am a collector of rare or unusual
gems. These gems would have cost more than the whole piece cost if I
had bought them from Stuller. If anyone wants to see a picture, I can
post it. I had sent my wife on an errand to another jeweler, that
resulted in her seeing a pendant that had a natural rhodacrosite
crystal from the now closed Alma mine. That she mentioned it to me
resulted in an immediate phone call to have that piece put on hold
for me. That errand set me back $360. I now have matching earrings in
my possession that I am debating as whether to purchase or not
considering we are down about 40% from last year at this same time.
Things are not looking good. Just have to tough it out, again.

Richard Hart

I made my wife a very nice petersite pendant set in silver with a
14k yellow gold accent.

I always say when I find a stone that is special I better find two
because my wife is going to want one.

Rick Copeland
President Colorado Springs Mineralogical Society
www.csms.us

Clothes from the Hugo Boss factory store and a professional
photographic lighting system for macro (lights, dome, camera
stand.)? He’s the one who takes photos of all my work.

Easy for you guys to do.... but what do I give my dh, who only
wears his wedding ring?? And he won't use a money clip either....

I say don’t even try and just let the men buy what they really want,
tools from Lee Valley.

But for those who want to try, one could make bookmarks, dresser top
dishes to hold keys, etc., someone on the metal clay list made golf
ball markers, cuff links…

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

Beth,

Why not a really nice 22k gold chain he could wear all the time?

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140

RER

Well, I don’t know about everyone else on this. But I would really
love to see a picture of this labor of love.

Rodney

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Hey Daniel,

You are a wise man. Your spouse undoubtedly reciprocates… in some
enjoyable fashion! :wink:

My husband wanted a faster laptop, so he asked for donations toward
that cause. I made up the difference… and may I say that laptop
has taken care of all the gift-giving occasions for 2008!!

Judy in Kansas, where the snow continues to gleam in the sunlight.
Just too cold to melt!

Judy M. Willingham, R.S.

Okay, here goes what the Donivan’s do after 21 years wedded
bliss…Depending on the finances, we’ve had gifts worth $$$$$
to gifts of handmade cards & special homemade meals…This year (yes
business is off in NorCal)., despite what Arnold may say, so we
delayed our gifts til after Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanuka etc. For John,
he got a promise for new shoes-his choice/ at or under $100.00. Plus
for his birthday (Dec.18Th) a new robe. For our anniversary
(Jan.10Th) new jeans, special ordered…For me, I got a special
Sunday afternoon in Santa Fe, NM, ate at Cafe Pasqual (Yum oh) and a
new T-Shirt from there, a special pot from Maisal’s (we collect Amer.
Indian pottery) and a great, giant hot chocolate on Canyon Rd. for
$3.00. John also got a friendship pot from the Jemez Pueblo that we
bought on the plaza in Santa Fe, bought from the artist’s
husband…It was a high of 22 degrees that afternoon but the sun was
out, the tourists were there and we had the best time talking with
dealers & shop owners.And we didn’t fall down on the icy streets…I
highly recommend a trip there & the surrounding area, if you are not
as fortunate to live there, as some Orchidians do. You can’t help but
have your spirits lifted & your soul given a good healthy dose of
culture. The big sky & wide open air & majestic mountains are to seek
out Plus the food & people!!! Yes, I am in love with New
Mexico…

Ciao & have a great weekend, Jo-Ann Maggiora Donivan
http://www.donivanandmaggiora.com

I gave my wife a gardening encyclopedia, a nice Taschen book on Marc
Chagall and a bunch of copper switch-plate and outlet covers for her
to enamel… She took an enameling course from Deb Lozier when I was
teaching at MAKER last summer and loved it. The covers that she did
are great.

Andy

Daniel

Rocks, Madeira Citrine, Color Change Garnet, and Diaspore from
Turkey for her collection. Then, practical stuff, treadmill, and a
Garmin Nuvi.

Terry

Not having a SO I gave some pieces to various members of my family,
my brother in law got a pair of sterling silver cuff-links set with
highly polished fossil ivory, my youngest sister got a Viking knit
pendant and my father got a tie clip mainly because he is forever
getting his ties into his food/coffee so I though this might be a
good idea. All these were sterling too.

I really do believe it’s not what you give but what you put into
what you give, be it resources or emotional content.

Cheers, Thomas.
Janstrom Designs.