Ease

A sweet signet for a name, a place or even a feeling.
Sometimes, for a moment, too.

About a month or two ago I goofed and remade a ring for Noelle of @budandthistle with the word “ease” inscribed on it (hers had already been delivered, she was coming back to order a new one for her sister with a different inscription). Amidst the chaos of the season, without telling anyone, I decided to keep it.
She and I now share this token between us.
Now, even more than my own engagement ring, its the ring that I never take off.

Full disclosure I used to work many long hours, for years, at a makeshift jewellery bench gathering what self taught skills I had to make pieces that didn't really give me much of a return on my time investment. I slapped them together with a few hail marys and made every single piece by hand to earn my keep in the jewellery business. I took a few weekend afternoon courses at a local college to develop my skills, sure, but the result was a half decent product I sold cheaply, built by broken hands that, in turn, didn’t last very long. Most of the long hours of work I did were surpassed only by the hours remaking pieces and processing returns instead.
I lost wholesale accounts and refunded projects because as one self-taught person I just couldn’t make deadlines trying to gain those Gladwell-ian 10,000 hours. I held steadfast to my decision to keep at it because what I was doing was honest. I was learning from the inside out. I stayed curious and asked questions. I gained hours of (very expensive) practice that felt like I was earning something. When it came to this hoop dream, I was willing to sacrifice a lot to get ahead - I missed a lot of important moments in my personal life. I put my heart on hold and  lost days to my work and put personal dreams aside to opt in to the business of my dreams instead. Anyone who tells me that a person can do both is either getting a lot of help, or lying. Not buying it.

On the outside I used to glorify being able to tell people I was busy.
It meant that I could convey that the sacrifice was working. That choosing to do it differently was paying off. I'd run at the chance to share my goings-on without batting an eye to 4AM finish times and sleeping in my studio. Truth was, I was working harder, not smarter. Nowadays, when I see a full schedule, I send my gratitude upstairs, cringe and keep it moving. I contemplate the costs. I like gaps in my days now.
Boredom breeds new ways to build.

The truth is the decision was made a year ago to let people into the process, hire master setters and make moulds of the pieces and consider digital fabrication where necessary to broaden BxC’s abilities and be able to say yes to different things. While staying true to staying local, I've offloaded so much of the labour. Firstly, it was an exploration in wholesale but decided, after the minor investment in mechanization, that there are enough delicate jewellery companies in the world. That consumption can be so vapid, and sending an echo into the void to take a small slice of an already gluttonous pie is not a method I was to subscribe to. So instead, a few considered pieces, and longer, deeper conversations instead. My job these days feels more managerial, but more focused. Taking on a role that spends very little time at a bench and more time consulting, writing, telling your love stories and most importantly, making up for lost time.

So while some of the pieces and processes have changed, it's also allowed me to figure out who and what BREADxCircus is, to challenge myself with next steps, broaden the scope of my capabilities, but mostly, to savour the ease that can come along with it. 

Find our 10K Gold Tiny Signet here