A Wylde Love Story 30 years in the making and worth telling.
To mark a very special 30th wedding anniversary, one of our long-standing clients set out to create something deeply personal and completely unique — a bespoke pendant inspired by love, travel and a lifetime of shared memories. Having trusted Wylde Jewellers for over three decades, he worked closely with Nicholas to bring his idea to life, from sourcing materials directly from India to refining every meaningful detail. In his own words, he shares the story behind the piece, the journey that inspired it, and the experience of creating something truly one of a kind.
My wife and I have been clients for over 30 years. It started when Anne’s engagement ring (bought elsewhere) needed remodelling and we’ve not considered buying from any other jeweller since that time. Over the years, from our wedding rings to the latest commission celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, there have been many special moments when the perfect gift to demonstrate our love has been a piece of Wylde jewellery. I should add it hasn’t all been one way traffic and I am the proud owner of two amazing sets of cufflinks from Anne.
Many of the pieces have been bespoke with the standard Wylde attention to detail, ensuring our thoughts and the occasion being celebrated are transformed into a uniquely personal design. Most importantly their on-site workshop has always delivered in the transition of that design from an initial sketch to a stunning statement piece incorporating gemstones of the highest quality.
The difference for our Pearl Wedding anniversary, was that this time the bespoke piece I was buying for Anne was a surprise, and so although I wanted her to love it enough to wear every day, she wasn’t going to be involved in the design or choice of materials. Some might say a high-risk plan, but Nicholas Wylde worked with me over a 5-month period last year to make my idea a reality, and so with the pleasure that it has brought Anne, I thought it was about time I wrote a well-deserved “client story” to sing the praises of both Nic and his team.
“Most importantly their on-site workshop has always delivered in the transition of that design from an initial sketch to a stunning statement piece incorporating gemstones of the highest quality.”
To celebrate our Pearl anniversary, we were looking for a romantic adventure. Our life together started in 1992 when Anne booked a surprise birthday weekend for me in Venice, and I surprised her on the first evening by proposing on bended knee in a restaurant by the Grand Canal. Three years later we were married (in formal attire) on a beach in the Seychelles with only a couple of locals as witnesses, followed by our honeymoon staying on a few different islands in the area.
For our 30th we booked an escorted tour of north-west India, covering the Golden Triangle of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur followed by a stay at Shimla in the Himalayan Mountains. Over a 2-week period we covered hundreds of miles in different types of transport, staying in eight hotels and with many new experiences every day including a Tiger safari and travelling up to the 19th century British summer capital of Shimla by ‘Toy Train’. However, the sunrise visit to the Taj Mahal was always going to be the main event for us in the way that the iconic mausoleum symbolises eternal love.
As for our presents, Anne had bought me a new top of the range Nikon camera body, in readiness for the 2,500 photos that I ended up taking, and we agreed that for sentimental reasons my present to Anne would be something from India. We booked the trip over a year in advance and for some months before we went Anne often researched the internet for the best items to buy whilst in India.
“Where else could you go to get this level of expertise and service all tailored to the client’s exacting requirements?”
Secretly I harboured serious doubts how, on a busy escorted tour with long days governed by a managed timetable for 14 people, we would have the opportunity to see something that Anne would like as a present, combined with enough time to make the decision and whether in constantly changing unfamiliar territory we could be confident about the quality and fair pricing. Anne talked about having a genuine pashmina wool scarf as the goat providing that wool is native to the Himalayas, and for months Anne thought that would be the solution. To me that wasn’t special enough to mark the occasion of our 30 years of happy marriage, and it was also Anne’s birthday whilst we were away. Admittedly at that time I had no idea how much one could pay for a hand embroidered pashmina that can take nine months to create. I did learn the answer in an upmarket ‘Knightsbridge’ type shop in Jaipur, and Anne was thrilled with her birthday present!
It seemed to me a better plan for the anniversary present was for me to think about a design for a pendant that was symbolic of our celebratory trip and that I should ask Nic Wylde if he could source the key materials from India. At least I would know then that it would be exactly what I wanted to give as a special present and that I could be confident about the integrity of the materials, reflected in fair pricing for the quality and workmanship. In principle it would still be as agreed …….. “Something from India”.
My design thoughts concluded with an exact replica of a map of India made in solid 22 carat gold, that is always associated with India, but faced with a dramatic slice of mother of pearl to signify the specific anniversary. Hopefully the mother of pearl supplied would also have the characteristic iridescence refracting the light and colours as the angle of view changed, which I thought would represent the vibrancy of colours that come to mind when one thinks of India.
At the first appointment Nic confirmed he did have contacts within the industry that would enable him to import both the gold and mother of pearl from India. He also fine-tuned the design to have the mother of pearl ‘inlaid’ on the front face and to have a tiny freshwater pearl drilled and pinned in exactly the spot where the Taj Mahal is located, and finally the outline was to be almost serrated to denote all the coastal bays and inlets. On the second appointment Nic had photos of a selection of mother of pearl samples that could be supplied from his contact in India, and we agreed on the most iridescent samples in the most versatile colours that would work for Anne to wear daily. Once imported I was then able to handle a shortlist of samples and agree how the shape could be cut to show off the chosen mother of pearl’s character. I was also shown the actual piece of gold that had been received, which ultimately would go to the assay office for certification as 22 carats before hallmarking. After the piece of gold had been turned into the map of India and the mother of pearl inlaid, we even had an appointment to agree with a geographic map alongside where in scale we should position the Taj Mahal pearl.
Where else could you go to get this level of expertise and service all tailored to the client’s exacting requirements. Nicholas Wylde’s business has now been around for nearly 40 years, and he has clearly embraced the digital world in terms of his marketing and having someone use computer aided design (CAD) to reproduce the exact outline of a map in gold. However, he must be very well connected to be able to respond to a client’s unexpected request to import specific materials from a specific country the other side of the world. It was also much appreciated to be able to have several appointments to stay in touch with the materials and evolving design as described above. Having dealt with Nic Wylde for so long I’ve come to expect this level of service, but it’s not typical of a business in any industry and I think demonstrates how amazing a client journey can be with the right independent shop where the owner is so passionate and invested in every aspect of his business. I guess it’s why he’s still around after 40 years and has a 2nd shop in Clifton, Bristol. I know I set the bar high in everything I do and what I expect of others, but this time I told Nic he had really excelled himself and hence after 30 years, I’ve finally taken the time to write this testimonial.
So back to my surprise for Anne. Our actual anniversary is mid-September, and the tour of India was the first 2 weeks of October. I took Anne away for a few days around our anniversary and we had a suite with a glorious view of the Dorset coast from our bay window. After breakfast on the special day, we planned to relax indoors as the weather was very wet outside and I suggested a coffee enjoying our sea view. I prompted a conversation about the potential to come home from India empty handed in terms of Anne’s present due to our busy itinerary etc. I then ‘spilled the beans’ about how I had already bought her, as we agreed, “something from India” and the back story leading up to the final piece of jewellery.
Anne opened her little blue Wylde box and gasped and giggled – she immediately loved it. She’s had a number of surprises from me over the years but was really taken aback by Nic’s effort and capability to source the materials from India, and the little pearl marking the Taj Mahal was an extra special touch. I was confident that she would love it and that it would be a conversation piece over the years. There are certainly plenty of memories and stories to talk about having now returned from our incredible adventure. Ironically, knowing that we would be immersed in some very crowded places on a very hectic tour, Anne chose not to take the risk of having any of her valuable jewellery (all Nicholas Wylde) with her for this trip so there aren’t any photos of her wearing the pendant whilst in India.
The sunrise trip to the Taj Mahal was truly stunning, almost ethereal at first glance as daylight broke, and definitely mesmerizing. The closer you get the more unbelievable is the masterpiece of architecture with its symmetry and quality of detail and it is a heart stopping moment to touch the marble together with the hand of your loved one. At that time of day, the crowds weren’t too bad, and a professional photographer managed to capture our happiness embraced on Diana’s bench.
A massive thank you to Nic Wylde, everyone in his workshop, and the guaranteed welcoming experience from all the staff whenever you visit his shop in Bath.
Les P.
