Many Dragonlings have flown from my hands to be given away as gifts: wedding gifts, christening gifts or confirmation gifts, for example. In general, occasions where the giver wishes the recipient to wear his or her love and thus feel protected by it – just as strongly as any dragon would protect its treasure. This thought actually inspired a short story about a young woman who suddenly needs protection. This is a story for adults!
This wildly popular winged lizard, like so many of my other designs, started its existence as a lump of wax. Carving wax is a deeply satisfying process because the possibilities are nigh on unlimited – unlike when working directly with gold plate or wire, where it requires much more (and is often not practically possible) to create truly three-dimensional shapes. I carved the very first Dragonling so that it coiled around an oval setting for a gemstone, unaware that in the future it would become most beloved in many other versions without the large centre stone.
But wax is a bit fragile, meaning there are limits to how delicately and detailed you can shape it – particularly when it comes to more slender and airy designs (such as Adorabella My Dragonling was therefore rather clumsy when he was sent to the foundry to be recast in silver. After an extensive refinement process, he was ready to return to the foundry where he was multiplied and thus ready to begin his life as a companion for many of my lovely customers.
The little dragonling in a necklace is our most popular design and is a particularly popular gift for christenings or confirmations.
As mentioned, the first story was for adults. But we have another one, written by Stine Bahrt for children, and it can be read here. If you buy a dragon pendant, you will receive one of these two stories with it in a small booklet, regardless of who is to receive the pendant, of course!
Our customers have proven to be unusually creative and inventive. I've made quite a few of the simple silver pendants, but my customers over the years have asked me to create many other versions, which are entirely individual:
Silver Dragonling pendant with gold treasure and London Blue Topaz
Dragonling ring with blue topaz set in the original oval setting
Gold Dragonling ring with flower and diamonds
My daughter's dragonling of silver, which coils around her birthstone – an oval and very dark ruby (yes, of course, I also gifted my own daughter with the little protector)
Dragonling necklace with moonstone drop. Moonstones are absolutely wonderful with their blue glow that wanders around inside the stone. But it's almost impossible to capture on a photo, so here's a little snippet of video.
“Can you build me a bracelet with a Dragonling as a gift for my wife?” a customer asked me. Well, of course! Here you go:
Bracelet made of silver with gold bubbles and a passionate red sapphire
It would also be beautifully crafted from gold, wouldn't it?
At one point, a customer asked if I could create a Dragonling ring where the little dragon’s tail wrapped round the finger rather than resting on top of it. A really good idea, and the result was actually very charming as well as versatile. Thanks to the ring’s open design, it can be adjusted to fit a range of different sizes. And just like the pendant or the flat version, it could still protect a variety of treasures, if desired.
Dragonling of oxidised silver with gold treasure and black diamond
Silver dragonling with a gold heart, which was given to the customer as a christening gift when she was a child. Now she wears it again – well protected by the little dragon
Some of my customers have asked to have the tip of the tail soldered to the body, making the ring a bit more stable. This also has another advantage: Like so many other teenagers, he’s a bit of a rascal. His tail has a tendency to get caught on things, like knitted jumpers.
But it's now easy to forgive him, especially when he looks up at you with jewel-like eyes (such as rubies, diamonds or dark blue sapphires). The eyes can be set in both the ring and the pendants – like these two yin yang pendants with green and purple eyes respectively, which I created for a couple.
The little dragonling has even inspired engagement rings. For example, here's a gold ring with a blue diamond and just a hint of a tail, indicating her more nerdy character.
Or what about this set of wedding rings, which are completely simple, but still have a dragon's tail?
Another couple asked me to create a set consisting of two entwined snakes. A really nice idea, so I went back to the wax and carved some brand new rings, which were cast in white gold and adorned with black diamonds. Even his ring got a small black diamond. It's a pleasure to create jewellery for customers who are a little out of the ordinary!
Smaug
And then, of course, it had to happen: At one point, a customer asked me to create my most magnificent dragon piece to date: a considerably larger gold dragon, resting smugly on his finger and winding itself around a cabochon-cut moonstone, surrounded by other treasures of gold and diamonds. A true ‘Smaug and his kingdom’ ring, crafted for the beautiful and the brave.
This ring has also given rise to a number of variations:
Silver Smaug with peridot and gold treasure
Silver Smaug with opal and gold treasure
The dragons in my workshop keep on developing and growing – as dragons do – and I'm currently considering creating a set of earrings based on the original Dragonling design. Many have asked for them, and it isn't fair to deny dragon-dreamers their wish. So, I'll probably have to get back to the workbench again soon and do a bit of carving in wax… But here's a small set of dragon tails to start with!
Would you also like to have your very own dragon pendant?
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