Submitted by L. Jeanette Strole Parks for Kluh Jewelers
If you have ever been pleased to reach a major milestone in life, you know that it is customary to have celebrations for friends and family. What better excuse is there for loved ones to gather and eat a festive dinner, indulge in a decadent cake or perhaps drink a glass of champagne? A special commemorative keepsake also allows the joy to continue long after the cake is gone and the balloons are deflated. For most people, gifts of such a magnitude will reflect on something personal, meaningful or perhaps be found in a creatively made custom piece of art or jewelry.
For Olympia-area resident, Mark Norby, the milestone was a big one: “I wanted to do something extra special for my wife, Clarissa, for our 50th wedding anniversary.” After some consideration, he decided that gold-jewelery would be an appropriate way to honor their long and happy marriage. Deciding where to go was not a difficult decision. For Norby, the Kluh name was synonymous in Olympia with high quality, and great customer service. He explains that he had significant familiarity with the local jewelery store, not just as a customer of theirs, but also vice-versa. “I did a lot of printing for Kluh’s in my 22 years at ABC Printing, and I know them as a leader in promoting quality among jewelers. Clarissa, and I bought a couple of other pieces in the past, and have had ring cleaning and repair done there.”
Knowing that his satisfaction would be of utmost importance to the staff at Kluh’s, he brought in his ideas so they could brainstorm together. “Kluh’s is a local business with a long-standing reputation and investment in our community. I felt I could trust Kluh’s to do a quality piece of jewelry for a fair price.” The idea of a pendant had been rolling around in his head, and with a few sketches in hand, he was eagerly greeted at the store by friendly staff.
Initially, the basic concept consisted of a heart shape with a ‘50’ suspended in the middle. But as he continues, “While sketching out the idea, it occurred to me that the left side of the heart could be the letter ‘C’ and the right side could be a stylized letter ‘M’ with the ends of the letters intertwined. I did several sketches and came up with one I liked best.”
Kluh’s long-time employee, Helen Wilkins, was happy to help Norby come up with the final design. “She researched some catalogs with a heart pendant that would resemble the basic intertwining heart design of my sketch. Then the right side of the heart could be reworked by Kluh’s goldsmith to make the stylized ‘M’ and he could also put a ’50’ in the middle.” After a bit of looking in a variety of resources, Norby recounts that they had a successful hunt. “Helen found a nearly perfect match to my heart sketch and ordered the heart and the ‘50’ numerals for my approval. She discussed it with the goldsmith, who said he could make it all work and made a suggestion for a hidden chain loop. The result couldn’t have been more perfect. The work is beautiful, and it totally matches the vision I had.”
Norby picked up the finished piece in plenty of time, well over a week before their wedding-vow renewal ceremony at their church. In front of their loved ones, Mark and Clarissa rededicated their wedding vows, and he gave her the unique gold pendant. “I presented it to Clarissa during the ceremony. The look of happy amazement on her face was precious! It was an unforgettable moment.”
