The Story Behind The Engagement Object
At K2 Academy, our focus is on teaching contemporary jewellery in all its diverse forms. While engagement and wedding rings may not be our primary emphasis, we recognize the significance of the wedding market within the jewellery industry and its role in sustaining many jewellers' practices. Given that the wedding industry is valued at billions, it's inevitable that our students and graduates will eventually receive commissions to create these special rings. The experience of Michaela Barochova, who attended jewellery courses at K2 Academy between 2018 and 2019, was no exception. We asked Michaela to share the story of an extraordinary commission she received for an engagement ring that became an engagement object, along with the challenges she successfully overcame during its creation.
Images by Fabienne Bohm
The Engagement Object
Article by Michaela Barochova
Having graduated from BA Metal & Jewellery Design in the Czech Republic in 2018 and subsequently completing jewellery courses at K2 Academy, I have been privileged to craft wedding and engagement rings. Most of these commissions came from friends who were ready to embark on the journey of marriage and starting families. It always felt like a tremendous responsibility because these rings symbolize a lifetime commitment. It took me several commissions to learn how to remain calm and focused while creating such vital pieces, as even the slightest stress could derail my concentration. I am grateful and honored that my clients entrusted me with the task of crafting these meaningful pieces.
One particular commission came from Martin, who wanted to propose to my dear friend Fabienne. However, Fabienne was not a fan of wearing jewelry as she found it uncomfortable. Understanding Martin's desire to make the proposal special, I took it upon myself to design a unique piece.
Despite being unwearable, Fabbiene positioned the object on her hand to capture this amazing photograph
Starting with Fabienne's love for crystal clear quartz, I began exploring ideas. What size should it be? How should it be set? I considered crafting a brooch from silver to hold the quartz, but it didn't feel quite right. Martin and I had numerous discussions and consultations about the design. Finally, we both fell in love with a concept—a large quartz with smaller quartz crystals growing on it, suspended within a nest of sterling silver rods. However, this design was far too heavy for a brooch. And then it hit us—the idea for the engagement object was born. Although it may seem simple, the process was far from easy.
The real challenge began at this point. I had to solder the silver rods together using a torch, but the heat would damage the quartz, so it had to be inserted into the "nest" afterward. It had to fit perfectly, secure and immovable. The key was heating all the rods to the same temperature, ensuring the solder melted evenly and adhered to both rods properly. If one rod wasn't heated sufficiently, the solder wouldn't stick, and the entire structure would fall apart. After hours of careful soldering and repeatedly testing the fit of the quartz, I finally achieved the right construction—stable and solid. There was only one way to place the quartz in the "nest," much like a mechanical puzzle called Hedgehog in the Cage. The moment I delicately maneuvered the quartz into its proper position and beheld the completed engagement object was truly mesmerizing.
Fabienne said "yes," and I was later honored to create their wedding rings, which were more wearable yet still objects of art in their own right. Crafting such pieces brings me immense joy, and I hope to have the opportunity to work on more commissions like these in the future.
You can see more of Michaela’s bespoke commissions on her website here, as well as read about her RATIO project developed at K2 Academy in our Student Stories section.
Image by Radek Raduz Detinsky
Images by Karolina Brodnicka