A Special Anniversary

I've just finished carving a very special 'bouquet of roses' for a wonderful couple celebrating their 10th anniversary.  They are repeat customers whom I feel exceptionally proud to be able to carve for!  Their love story is inspiring, uplifting and tremendously romantic; I feel great pride and no small sense of responsibility every time I pick up a carving tool on their behalf!

I can't go into their personal details too much, suffice to say I had lots of wonderful material to work with when designing this particular piece.  The husband is Welsh and of course, nothing says Welshness quite like a robust dragon!  As a symbol of strength and security the dragon is unrivalled, but we wanted it to possess a sense of tenderness as well.  With its gently bowed head and demeanour of non-aggression, this dragon is strong and solid, without being ferocious.  He stands guard for the couple and is always there as a reminder of history.  

The beautiful, swirling grain of the figured broadleaf maple chosen for this piece further accentuates the drama and feeling of movement in the coiled dragon's body.  An abalone eye flashes mischievously in the sun and adds character to the dragon's expressive face.

Although the 10 roses were a nightmare to carve, they are the focal point of the spoon and symbolically represent the 10 years of happiness, colour and growth experienced by our anniversary couple.  Hidden amongst the flowers are 10 little hearts to celebrate their love and a tiny diamond personalized with their initials.  The stems of the roses thankfully co-operated with me throughout the carving process and didn't exercise their 'woody stubbornness' by breaking!!  It's always a huge relief to negotiate a tricky carving process without the dread breakage.

The back of the spoon is nearly as detailed as the front.  The backs of the roses, leaves, stems and Celtic knotwork are all shaped as are the hearts and the diamond.  But the back of the dragon holds a short quotation which has great relevance to the couple and which acts as a little 'surprise' when the spoon is flipped over.  All of the Celtic knots are 'closed' knots which symbolize eternity as they have no beginning or end.

This spoon was not without its (many) challenges, but I am thrilled to bits to have been part of its creation and I hope it brings our couple many, many years of pleasure!!