The stories behind many of the pieces of horsehair jewellery that I make - or at least, their endings - are often quite sobering and sad.  Here's the story of one of the most romantic commissions I've ever had the pleasure of working on.

A little while ago, I had an email from a man looking to commission a horsehair bracelet with a special twist - the bracelet was to be a gift to his wife for their 30th wedding anniversary.  As the traditional gifts for the 30th anniversary are pearls, the bracelet was to have a pearl incorporated in the design, as well as, of course, some mane hair from his wife's beloved horse.

Pearls are said to represent the love, purity and wisdom of a marriage that has lasted for 3 decades, and also symbolise the special bond between a couple in a successful and long lasting relationship.  And I have to say, the love, purity and wisdom of a man who not only recognises that there is a third, four-legged person in their marriage, but embraces the fact by including them in the most wonderful, special anniversary gift, is absolutely beyond doubt!  And therein lies the secret to a successful and long lasting relationship with a horsey woman! Anyway, I digress.....

We exchanged a few more details with regard to design features, budget, and deadline, and then I set to work designing 3 different options, all variations of my best selling luxury horsehair bracelet.

My horsehair bracelets are usually understated and sophisticated and let the braided horsehair do the talking, but on this occasion a touch of decadence was required!  So the final design included two of the most gorgeous, lustrous genuine Grade A cultured pearls, set in yellow gold for added luxury.  The creamy white pearls paired beautifully with the black and white horsehair, which I braided in my signature pattern.

And for a final, truly personal touch, the inside of the bracelet was engraved with a message - his own personal version of "I love you", no doubt uttered many, many times during those 30 years, and now immortalised in sterling silver.

Now you may be thinking "what a romantic chap, but I'm not good with that stuff", but honestly, there were no flowery words, no gushing declarations of adoration, no love sonnets.  Just an ordinary, down to earth man doing something extraordinarily lovely for his wife.

And I'm very happy to tell you, the lady loved her bracelet.