Man, I’ve been itching to design my own jewelry forever, and guess what? Finally dragged myself down to Longs in Nashua to get it done. Seriously cool experience, way easier than I thought it’d be. Here’s how my day went down.
First Steps Inside
Walked into Longs – place smells like polish and possibilities, honestly. Told the lady at the counter, “Hey, wanna make something from scratch.” She nodded like she hears that daily and hooked me up with this designer named Lisa. Lisa? Absolute gem (pun intended).
She plopped us down at this little workstation cluttered with tools and sketches. First question hit me: “What vibe you chasing?” Dude, hadn’t really thought that hard. Mumbled something like “minimalist but… personal?” Lisa just smiled and slid over a binder thicker than my ego.
- Option A: Rings (signet, stacking bands, chunky stuff)
- Option B: Pendants (geometric shapes, nature junk, initials)
- Option C: Earrings (studs, dangly things, hoops)
Skimmed through, felt kinda overwhelmed. Saw a simple bar pendant – clean lines, could engrave it. Ding ding! Idea clicked.
Getting My Hands Dirty (Sort Of)
Lisa grabbed this funky blue wax brick. “Draw what you want right here,” she said, tapping it. Nervous scribbling commenced. Wanted the bar shape, but with one end rounded. Lisa watched my sad attempt, then whipped out these tiny carving tools. “Let’s refine that,” she chuckled. Scraped away my wobbly lines like a sculptor. Seeing it take shape in the wax? Wild.
Next up: the engraving. Told her I wanted my cat’s name, “Binx,” inside a tiny heart. Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Small area… gonna be super delicate.” Pulled out a magnifying glass and this needle-thin engraver. Watched her poke at the wax with surgeon hands. Took forever, but man, seeing “Binx” appear? Worth it.
Turning Wax Into Metal Magic
Alright, final stretch. Lisa took my sad little wax bar now looking semi-professional and dropped it into this weird plaster mold thingy. Explained they’d cook it somehow to melt the wax out, leaving a hollow space. Then? Pour in the silver! They use lost-wax casting, apparently. Fancy words for “melt wax, fill hole with metal.”
Hardest part? Waiting. They mailed it to their casting workshop. Took, like, a week and a half. Agony.
Seeing The Real Deal
Got the call – “Your piece is back!” Sprint-walked to Longs. Lisa presented it in this little velvet box. Opened it…
Whoa. Shiny silver bar pendant, my round edge looking slick. Held it under the light. There it was: teeny-tiny perfect “Binx” inside a microscopic heart. Honestly choked up a bit. Feels heavy, solid. Threw it on a chain Lisa helped pick. Wearing it now. Feels… mine.
Honestly? Way less scary than I imagined. Thought you needed mad skills. Nah. You need an idea and someone who knows how to handle tiny knives. Longs made it stupid simple. If you’re sitting there thinking “I wanna make something,” just walk in. Seriously. Go get your thing made.
