Introducing the Floating Diamond Collection: Where Nature Lifts Light

Introducing the Floating Diamond Collection: Where Nature Lifts Light

 

Introducing the Floating Diamond Collection

Where Nature Lifts Light

For years, I have created nature-inspired jewelry featuring twigs, leaves, vines, and gemstones sculpted entirely by hand in wax.

Many of my designs begin the same way—with a simple question.

This collection began with one:

How can a diamond appear to float between two leaves?

As the jewelry world evolves, more people are discovering the beauty of lab-grown diamonds and gemstones. I wanted to create a design that embraced this new chapter while remaining true to the artistic style that has defined my work for years.

The result is the Floating Diamond Collection.

This ring features a diamond gently lifted and supported by two sculpted leaves emerging from a natural twig band. Rather than relying on traditional prongs as the visual focus, the leaves become part of the story—offering and protecting the gemstone while creating the illusion that it is suspended between them.

Every detail began as a hand-carved wax model. The bark texture, the shape of the leaves, and the flowing lines of the band were sculpted one cut at a time, allowing the design to grow naturally rather than forcing it into perfect symmetry.

Nature rarely grows in straight lines.

A branch twists.
A leaf bends.
A vine follows its own path.

I believe jewelry should do the same.

The Floating Diamond Collection combines the beauty of nature-inspired design with the brilliance of modern gemstones, creating pieces that feel as though they have grown around the stone rather than simply holding it in place.

This photograph shows the ring resting on a jeweler's mandrel—a fitting reminder that every finished piece begins at the workbench, where an idea slowly takes shape in wax before becoming jewelry.

This is the beginning of a new collection.

And like every collection before it, it begins with a sketch, a carving tool, and a love of nature.

Welcome to the Floating Diamond Collection.  — Dawn

The Explorer, The Watcher & The Newcomer: A Mushroom Ring in Wax

This piece marks the beginning of something growing.

Not just a design, but a collection shaped by quiet moments in nature — where mushrooms rise, unseen, weaving life beneath the surface.

The Explorer, The Watcher, and The Newcomer are not just forms… they are stages of presence. Each one created in wax, guided by instinct, and brought to life in metal to be felt, not just worn.

These are not finished pieces.

They are thoughts.
Moments.
Decisions still being made.

Every curve is still alive… still changing.

The Newcomer begins to take shape in wax,
rising alongside the Explorer and the Watcher.

The Explorer, the Watcher, and the Newcomer rise together
—three forms growing from the same root in wax.

There are three.

Not placed. Not planned.

They found their way there… the way things in nature always do.

They grew between the twigs.

The first is the Explorer.

It reaches outward, leaning just a little further than the others.

Curious. Unafraid.

It doesn’t follow the line of the band—it follows something unseen.

The Explorer is movement.

The part of us that steps forward without knowing what comes next.

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The second is the Watcher.

It stays close, slightly tucked into the protection of the twigs.

Not hidden—just aware.

It sees everything.

The Watcher is stillness.

The quiet understanding that not everything needs to be rushed.

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And then… there is the Newcomer.

Smaller. Softer.

Just beginning to take its place among the others.

It hasn’t decided what it will become yet.

The Newcomer is possibility.

The beginning of something not yet defined.

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They do not compete.

They grow together.

Each one shaped by the same roots…

but each one becoming something entirely its own.

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The twigs are not just structure.

They are the forest.

The path.

The support.

They twist, split, and open—

creating the space where life emerges.

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This ring is not about perfection.

It is about growth.

About where you’ve been…

where you stand…

and what is just beginning.

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Three mushrooms.

Three personalities.

One story.

“Roots & Origins” Collection: When a Tree Helped Me Finish a Ring

The first vision of the design — branches lifting the diamond as if offering it to the light.

In my previous post I shared the beginning of this ring design and the early stages of the wax sculpture.

But like many handmade pieces, there comes a moment when the design pauses. The diamond and the branches that would lift it were already forming, but when I reached the base of the ring, I couldn’t clearly see how it wanted to grow.

So I stepped away from the bench and went outside.

In the yard is a small Japanese maple tree. As I looked closely at the trunk and the way the branches move and divide, the answer suddenly appeared.

The twisting trunk showed me the movement for the base of the ring.
The branches showed me how the structure could naturally rise and support the stone.

Nature had already solved the problem.

Years ago when I lived in Florida, banyan trees first inspired my Leaf & Twig designs. Their roots and branches showed me how nature supports life and weight without forcing it.

This time, a Japanese maple helped finish the idea.

Sometimes the best design teacher is simply looking at the world around us.

The ring begins to take shape in wax, where twisting limbs grow upward to cradle the stone.

 

The Japanese maple that revealed the movement and structure for the base of the ring.

Nature’s Blueprint: Sculpting the Larimar Ring Through the Storm

Original hand-drawn blueprint for the custom
Larimar ring, featuring the signature "DV" initials and climbing vine motif.

The Journey of a Custom Design

Every piece I create begins long before I touch the wax. It starts with a conversation. I believe that jewelry should be as unique as the person wearing it, so we begin by discussing your vision—the flow, the textures, and the story you want the piece to tell.

Phase 1: The Design

Once we have the design figured out through our collaboration, the "blueprint" is set. Because I work as an artist rather than a traditional jeweler, I’m looking for a design that feels alive and organic, moving away from mass-produced looks and rigid prongs.

Phase 2: Selecting the Soul

With the design finalized, we move on to finding the right gemstone. This is one of my favorite parts to share with a client. For a recent custom Larimar ring, I presented these three options:

• Stone A, B, and C 

By seeing the stones side-by-side on a clean palette, you can see the different "landscapes" within the Larimar. Whether you prefer a soft, misty blue or a deep, tidal pattern, this choice ensures the heart of the ring is exactly what you  envisioned.

Establishing the "Riverbend" texture on the purple wax base using a constant-heat tool set at 450°.

The Foundation of the Bezel

The Vision Takes Shape

Every project begins with a conversation and a choice. For this particular adventure, my client chose "Option B": a stunning 6.2mm Larimar cabochon. 

With the stone selected, I moved into the most critical phase—creating the base ring and the bezel that will eventually secure this treasure.

A look at the scale of the first hand-carved signature leaf against the
6.2mm Larimar setting.

Sculpting with Heat

Using my constant-heat tool set to 450°, I began the meticulous process of shaping the purple wax on the mandrel. This isn't just a standard setting; it’s a hand-sculpted bezel to hold the Larimar gemstone. 

You can see in the latest studio shots how the heat tool allows for pinpoint accuracy as I build up the "Riverbend" texture around the stone's seat. This high-temperature stability is what allows me to create such delicate, bark-like ridges that remain structurally sound for the final casting.

The Blueprint of Nature 

As I work, I keep my original sketch close by. It serves as my map, reminding me where the signature leaves will sprout and how the vines will eventually climb to meet the bezel. Even at this early stage, the ring is no longer just wax—it's the beginning of a wearable forest.

Refining the winding vines as they climb from the textured band toward the Larimar bezel.

Final Phase: Prepping for the Caster

Now that the base, the bezel, and the intricate vine-work are nearing completion, the final step of the carving process is the official "DV" signature. Once that is carved into the wax, I will begin the prep work to send the model to my master jeweler for casting.

This preparation is vital to ensure that every organic detail—from the 450° heat-textured bark to the veins in the leaves—is captured perfectly when the purple wax is transformed into solid gold.

To be continued...