I *LOVE* MY JOB

I admit that I am one of those exceedingly annoying people who can hand on heart say "I love my job".  I mean love it.  Really love it.  Whilst I admit that getting out of a cosy warm bed is sometimes horrendous, I can honestly say that I am glad I do what I do, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to work in an industry as rewarding and as interesting as I find it.

I get to design and create the most beautiful pieces of fine jewellery.  I look at diamonds every day, and work with the most interesting of precious gemstones.  Being so passionate about jewellery, you can imagine what an absolute joy it is to see a design evolve on paper and ultimately become a wonderful creation for someone to treasure.

And it is not only this.  All the clients I talk to during my day, are happy.  The reason we are meeting is truly special - an engagement, marriage, anniversary, birth of a child, birthday, or just a well-deserved treat - and it is an honour to be involved in these precious moments and occasions. I have even been part of a heart-stoppingly wonderful proposal © (you know who you are) which was an amazing privilege and a memory I will treasure.

I admit I really do have to frequently stop myself from talking friends and family to death about all things fine jewellery related.  Imagine the excitement I have when I meet with my clients and we can chat about jewellery until my heart's content. It's is like a dream come true for me!  From discussing the technical aspects of the 4 C's to the fun bits of trying things on, I love nothing more than looking at diamonds and gemstones that make you go "oooooooh", and coming up with jewellery designs that make you go "aaaaaaah".

Pieces of jewellery are special. The reasons for which they are worn are special. And the people who wear them are special.  How could I not love what I do?

I hope this week is good to you all.

Much love

Cat ©

http://www.catherinebuddjewellery.co.uk/

Easter Eggs for the Rich and Famous...

If you ask me what comes to mind first when I think of Russia, I am a little ashamed to say that it isn't necessarily the architecture, the Kremlin, the ballet, the Matryoshka dolls, or even the vodka (..sorry!).  It is in fact the Eggs.  The iconic Fabergé eggs to be exact. 

I have a fascination with these beautiful jewel-encrusted Easter presents given between 1885 and 1916 to two Tsarinas, Marie and Alexandra, by their respective husbands, Tsar Alexander III and his son Tsar Nicholas II.

It is hard to say which, out of the 50 exquisite and extraordinary artefacts, designed by the legendary Carl Fabergé, is  my favourite.  But I think that I may have to say the 4 inch-high 1900 Trans-Siberian Railway egg, made of platinum, rose-cut diamonds, rubies and rock crystal.  It really is extraordinary and contains a perfect miniature clockwork replica of the train and its five carriages – one for mail, ladies only, smoking, non-smoking and chapel.  It even comes complete with ruby brake light on the rear fender. Just incredible!

It all started in the late 17th century when the Fabergé family fled persecution in France and settled in St Petersburg where they became official jewellers to the imperial family.  In 1885, Czar Alexander III commissioned Peter Carl Fabergé to craft an exquisite Easter egg for his wife, Empress Maria Fedorovna. The gift was a hit, and Fabergé went on to produce 50, what are now known as the Imperial Easter eggs, each of which contained a surprise inside.   

The fate of the clutch of the Imperial Easter Eggs is just as fascinating as the Russian history of that period.  The decline and fall of the Romanov Empire, the assassination of Tsar Alexander II, the Russian revolution of 1917 and the massacre a year later of the entire imperial family and their servants in a Yekaterinburg cellar all reads like an opera and is impossibly dramatic and intriguing.  Over the years the Imperial Eggs were variously lost, dispersed, hidden, smuggled, sold and faked and only 42 of the original 50 exist today. A story featured in The Guardian tells of the American oil billionaire Armand Hammer, who in the 1930's was paid by Stalin for his services as a Soviet agent in Fabergé eggs.  He later sold these on to collectors such as King Farouk and Malcolm Forbes.

Worth millions, most people love these exquisite eggs while a few I am sure see them as nothing more than a frivolous indulgence of a decadent monarchy.  Whatever your thoughts on them, there is no denying that each egg is not only a fragile memento of the doomed Russian dynasty but an extraordinary and absolutely amazing artistic masterpiece.

Happy Easter to you all!

Much love 

Cat x