One of the big perks in being Walker Goldsmiths is being able to serve the folks that come to us with their jewelry desires. This Custom Classic Menorah Coat Pin made from Recycled Family Gold was a big treat. Dave wanted it to be a surprise for his sweetheart wife, Jennifer, as a Hanukkah Gift so we had to be sneaky!
Hanukkiyah for Jennifer 2014, 3 inches wide x 2.5 inches tall
We ordered the 9 marquise Sapphires and crowns to fit them and I proceeded to make a mold of a pot metal costume piece that he had found. We made a wax in the mold and then altered the wax to look “better”. Owen then invested the wax and lost wax cast it with Recycled family 14kt Yellow Gold. Followed by finishing the Menorah by sandblasting and polishing then soldering on the crowns and setting the 9 marquise Sapphires.
I was showing this wax to my Jewish girlfriend, Barb, and calling it a Menorah and she kindly told me that because of the 9 candleholders it is a Hanukkiyah. So I googled it, of course, and found a great website to explain to me what this was all about;
“A hanukkiyah is a candelabrum with eight candleholders in a row and a ninth candleholder set a little above the others. It’s different from a menorah, which has seven branches and was used in the Temple before it was destroyed in 70 CE. A hanukkiyah is nevertheless a kind of menorah.
The hanukkiyah is used during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and commemorates the miracle of the oil. According to the Hanukkah story, once Jewish revolutionaries had retaken the Temple from the Syrians they wanted to rededicate it to God and restore its ritual purity. Eight days worth of oil were needed to complete the ritual purification, but they were only able to find one day’s worth of oil. They lit the menorah anyway and miraculously the oil lasted for eight full days.
In commemoration of this event Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days and a candle is lit on the hanukkiyah on each of those days. One candle is lit the first night, two the second, and so on, until the final night when all the candles are lit. Each of the eight candles is lit with a “helper” candle known as the shamash. The shamash is lit first, is used to light the other candles, and then is returned to the ninth candle spot, which is set apart from the others.”
Jewelry IS such an emotional issue at every time of year with family gatherings and celebrations, marking important events, showing love and promises, memories and traditions. It’s probably the biggest part of why “We love our job!” here at Walker Goldsmiths.
Hanukkiyah Gift 2014
