This ring, unlike many of the pieces I make, was made specifically for me. I wear this ring every single day; I sleep in it, I ignore all jewelry rules I tell you guys to follow, and I am almost positive I will eventually break it and have to remake it. The Lenna Mini Gem is named after my Grandma Shelia; her first name was Lenna and as a kid I remember asking "Who is Lenna grandma?" when I saw it on her mail one day. It was her, she always told me she went by her middle name because hated the name Lenna. I, on the other hand, love it and imagine she is shaking her head and laughing at the fact I named a ring that. I chose an opal because that was her birthstone, and most of her heirloom jewelry featured opals. Whenever I work with opals I think of her.
My mom worked a lot when I was little and was on call for her job most of the time so I spent a lot of my time with my Grandma Shelia. Grief sneaks up on us in funny ways; sometimes it’s there and in your face, and sometimes it’s hiding behind the scenes, letting you live like it isn’t there, but it always is. It’s funny, I am crying as I write this, reflecting on memories with her, trying to figure out which ones to share with you, there’s just way too many! She made the best desserts and cookies. There was always something she baked ready to eat. I loved her apple pie and all of the different crisps she made. From canning and crafts, to adventures on my Uncle Roy’s farm, we were always up to something. She taught me to play a good game of Rummy by the time I was 7, and she was always there. Let me say thought, finding pictures for this was so hard! She hated her photo being taken!
When she was diagnosed with cancer, it was hard for all of us. She was the glue that kept all of the uncles, aunties, brothers, sister and cousins in contact. She was so strong. You could tell how scared she was of leaving her home and going out for chemo when she made the decision to go. She was amazed when they gave her a handmade quilt to take home when she started her chemotherapy treatments. They had a little jewelry beading class for them to take at the place she stayed during treatment, so when she can home she was pretty excited to be able to share it with me. She always reminded me how proud she was that I had my own business, and when I opened the store front she would always make a point to come down and visit. Especially after she was done playing the slot machines!
Then she found out the cancer was back. It was different this time; she had told me during one of our visits that she didn’t want to go through treatment again and was worried that people would try to convince her otherwise. I remember telling her that no matter what she chose, I would be there and support her choice. Though I think we all feel this way after losing someone, I sure wish I had been there more. I tried my best when she was stuck in the hospital to make it up with books and yarn as much as I could. She enjoyed playing pranks on people, especially when she was in the hospital, going as far as to make a video of her cursing my aunt out and creating a story that she had gotten mad and punched her. They even made a video of it to send people! When she was able to come home, it was nice. It was the closest to normal we had gotten in a while, we would always go for a game of cards, which is one of my last memories with her. My boyfriend Blayne really sucks at cards… like he is really awful. So, of course, my grandma and I would take full advantage of that when we played, and after two days of Grandma Shelia winning rounds, Blayne finally won one and she laughed so hard she couldn’t breathe. I am so happy that I have that as my last memory of her.
A week later, on December 25th, she passed away. It was 6 days after we had moved to Edmonton; I think that fact made it a lot harder for me to deal with. This was my first real experience with the loss of someone very close to me and, for that, I am so very lucky. To have her until I was 21 was such a blessing. It took me a while to be able to create a piece that was good enough to name after her; It had to be something comfy that you could wear everyday. I thought about a bracelet, but it needed to be something that with a little polish, could easily turn into something you could wear for a formal event. As soon as I started making the mini gems, I knew it was going to be something in that style. Then I was left with picking and finding the right stone. Well I love a good opal, and so did she. Her mothers engagement ring was a gorgeous 4mm opal in a hand carved gold setting. It probably sounds kind of weird, but I memorized that ring the first time I saw it, I thought it was so gorgeous and it is actually one of the reasons I made the leap to order silversmithing tools. I couldn’t source any natural 4mm opals that I liked, but I did find 5mm welo opals that I totally fell in love with. After that it was locked in! I knew the style, setting and stone, I just had to make it. I flip flopped between naming it Lenna and Shelia for a bit, but Lenna stuck. It is a name just as unique as she was and until now, was a little connection most people wouldn’t have even put together!
I certainly am biased, but it is by far my favourite piece of jewelry I have, and by far holds the most personal meaning for me out of any piece I’ve ever made. This is a ring that will always be a staple in the Autumn Jade Studio collection.