International Ring Size Conversion Chart
Mount Everest Pendant
I was contacted by B to see if I could somehow cut a stone from Base Camp Everest, and set it in a piece of jewellery for his beloved.
I'm always up for a challenge and I love a good back story, so I was hooked!
Stonecutting was something that I knew nothing about, so I experimented on some stones from my backyard. This worked out well and relatively easily.
Testing stone-cutting techniques
Experimenting on backyard stones before working on the Everest Base Stone.
Of course I had no idea if the Everest stone would go so smoothly. I was petrified of ruining it, but it was a decent size, and B reassured me that any shape I could manage would be perfect.
Working with the real Everest stone
Testing different sizes and shapes with the actual Everest Base Camp stone.
I pushed on, hoping for a tumbled stone look, but after trying different grinder heads, I shaped it into a lovely trillion-cut cabochon stone.
Trillion-cut cabochon
The Everest stone, shaped and polished, ready to be set into a pendant.
Once we had the stone shape finalized, I began sketching pendant design ideas to complement it and shared them with B.
Initial concept sketches
Design ideas for setting the trillion-cut Everest stone.
It was hard to fit this unusual shape into a final design that B loved. With Christmas approaching, I looked through my collection of unfinished one-off pieces for inspiration.
One-of-a-kind jewellery pieces
Exploring options from previously handcrafted, unfinished pieces.
Finding the perfect fit
Seeing how the stone looked in various handmade pendant designs.
Eventually, I created a flowing design that felt like a river or a life journey, with the stone at the base. I added a tiny gold heart and four gold balls to represent their four children—each element placed with love.
B would climb mountains for his darling wife. Their love for each other knows no bounds.
The finished Mount Everest Pendant
Stone set in a design full of meaning and love.
B was thrilled and couldn't wait to gift it to her on Christmas morning. Their children were in on the surprise and excited to see her reaction.
She was stunned—by the beauty of the piece, and by B's dedication to turning a stone from 4,500 km away into a token of their love and her strength.
Side view of the Everest Pendant
Made from a stone from the base of the world’s highest mountain.
She loved it. There were tears—on both sides. She had just come through a difficult illness, and this pendant reminded her of how deeply she is loved.
If you'd like to commission your own special piece to mark a meaningful occasion, get in touch. I'd be honoured to bring your story to life in jewellery.
Thanks for reading…
Le Grá, Elena xx
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