Tattoos to Jewelry
The History: The art of tattooing as well as the art of jewelry making have been in practice for much longer than most of us realize. The earliest known tattoo dates back to around 5200 BC, while what is thought to be the oldest piece of crafted jewelry only dates back to 4300 BC. History aside, both tattoos and jewelry offer unique and beautiful forms of self-expression and stylization, and often reflect a personal story.
The Crossover: Tattoos are personal and carry different meanings for everyone. They are a way of self-expression, a visual display of a personal story or narrative. Jewelry has a similar purpose, often expressing a personal sentiment or memory as well. Both tattoos and jewelry are a type of accessory and are often conversation starters, and both can be inspired by meaningful life stories or act as a way to connect to a loved one or remember a special moment in your life. When created by skilled hands and rooted in personal history, tattoos and jewelry can lovingly and gently tell your own rich and unique story.
Yet, crafting a piece of custom jewelry inspired by a tattoo adds a whole new level of depth to the storytelling.
Cynthia’s Story: Cynthia was searching for a unique and deeply special way to honor and memorialize her son and came to us with a vision of a piece of jewelry inspired by her late son’s tattoo. Looked at from afar, the tattoo looks like a heart; but up close its details become more apparent. The heart is formed by a curved fishing hook and antlers, symbolizing the love Cynthia’s son had for the outdoors, for hunting, and for fishing.
Cynthia also wanted an opal stone included with the jewelry piece, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted it in the eye of the hook or at the top. She asked us if we could create a sketch of each version so she could see the options and then decide. We were happy to oblige. After seeing how both options would look, Cynthia chose to have the opal placed in the eye of the hook. The finishing touch of the design was to engrave her son’s name on the back of the pendant. Cynthia wanted and envisioned a jewelry piece that would both honor her son’s memory and help keep him close to her heart at all times.
The Finished Piece: Cynthia’s custom-made, tattoo-inspired jewelry offers permanence and constancy crafted from precious metal, rather than the permanence offered by a tattoo that is inked into the skin, but it is a permanence that is equally as meaningful, special, and heartfelt. The beauty of custom-made jewelry, in contrast to mass-produced jewelry, is that you can create a jewelry piece that is imbued with emotion, honors a memory, celebrates an occasion, or follows a tradition, and more. Almost anything is possible. If you’re interested, our blog on the difference between custom and mass-produced jewelry can give you a more complete rundown on their differences.
Cynthia asked for her pendant to be about the size of a dime, to hang close to the heart, and made from sterling silver. Below you see the results of Cynthia’s beautiful and loving memory expressed in a stunning pendant. Like Cynthia you too can turn your tattoo to jewelry.
Tattoo to Jewelry
We were honored to be a part of this touching jewelry memorial to Cynthia’s son and delighted with the message we received from her after she received pendant: Cynthia wrote “I received my pendant. I am in love. Thank you so much. It is exactly how I pictured it would be. You all are amazing.”
