The Magic of Cuba Keeps Beckoning....
Ernest Hemingway heard and surrendered to Cuba’s siren song. Onshore and off the Caribbean island he would write, drink daiquiris and mojitos, and fish for marlin—the ‘old man’ at home with the sea.
Many other adventurers were there before ‘Papa’ Hemingway, and tens of thousands have followed. Today, Fidel Castro’s Cuba continues to beckon with her exotic, tropical beauty, and the Cuban people’s unbridled, indomitable passion for love and life.
Who knows what of these elements kindled fires for a Vancouver high-tech couple who decided that the destination for their wedding—complete with a guest list of forty friends and family—would be remarkable Cuba? And that their memories would be reaffirmed forever with two totally spectacular Vancouver-designed and crafted rings?
Yes, more and more destination weddings have become events of choice in recent times. And as David and Jennifer at Jewellery Artists 3D in Vancouver’s Point Grey have discovered, exquisite, one-of-a-kind rings are invariably part of the package.
The ‘Story Ring’
Rings were certainly inclusions for the Vancouver couple bound for Cuba. They would be important, highly personal symbols of the couple’s bond in marriage.
The bride’s platinum ring, with 28 diamonds and 12 sapphires, reflected their travels in India, and was inspired by the shape of the lotus blossom. At JA3D it became the ‘Story Ring’—its design, a reflection of love in the couple’s journey through life.
Hints of the lotus blossom were used in the base design, alluding to the life of the lotus and human parallels—from swampy, physical beginnings, through sensory desire, into a world of thoughts and ideas, toward spiritual illumination and the light of the sun. A collective of the virtues of nirvana.
'Eternal’ platinum was the perfect metal for a ring that represents enduring love, and a long-lasting commitment. A metal within its design securely holds the sapphires and diamonds.
Sapphires have a storied history. It is told that the tablets containing the Ten Commandments were composed of sapphire, so strong that a hammer swung against them would be smashed to pieces. The Persians believed that the earth rested on a giant sapphire, and its reflection colored the sky. Princess Diana received a sapphire engagement ring and the British Crown Jewels are full of large blue sapphires, the symbol of pure and wise rulers. Since the sapphire symbolizes sincerity and faithfulness, the jewel was an excellent choice for this ‘Story Ring’.
The diamonds? They have been described as windows into ancient times; sparkling time capsules that we revere as the treasures they really are.
A Reflection of the Unexpected
The groom’s ring was designed with themes of uniqueness and the unexpected. Square rather than round. Made of palladium, another pure precious metal, and finished with a hammered and sandblasted texture to contrast with the highly polished centre, which holds three diamonds. In elegant design and structure, a match for the groom’s personality.
Cuba, with family and friends as witnesses, brought it all together—the historic surroundings of Havana a delicious contrast to ‘new’ Vancouver. The event was captured in unique images by renowned photographer (name), who flew in his full crew to document the special day in magazine-like snaps.
David, Jennifer and JA3D were honored to have been invited to participate in this exciting nuptial adventure. Along with the ghosts of Hemingway, and all who discovered magic in Cuba, we join in a collective salute to legacies and love.
