12. How we gave a halo a lot more meaning. The engagement of Luke and Beth.
I met Luke when a girlfriend and I accidentally crashed a birthday party at a bar in our neighborhood. Our intent had been to go upstairs to look at the small art gallery there. When we decided to take a breather outside on the balcony, we met Luke and Beth. We started talking about engagement rings and, fast forward a month or so. Luke and I had been meeting to try to come up with a concept for an engagement ring to surprise her. We reached out to some friends to get their thoughts when we got wind that she actually had a secret Pinterest board full of wedding ideas. She was more of a traditional girl than we had expected and liked the idea of a halo. So.... How to give a piece like a halo more of a story that spoke of her? We tried to look at some of the moments in her life where there were earth shattering epiphanies. A connection to something bigger and a 12 step program were the events that came to mind. We chose white and black diamonds to be tangible expressions of this.
According to numerology 12 is a number which represents the completed cycle of experience. This person has opened to the possibility of an evolution toward a higher consciousness and has acquired an unusual inner strength. They may have old habits which need to be viewed and addressed and may work hard to reverse negative thought patterns in order to transform them into a positive. 12 represents the educational process on all levels. A halo of 12 diamonds surrounds the center stone and sits a top the band to serve as a reminder to chose to live in the light.
There's also this idea of balance which winds through many different schools of thought. The overarching notion that two opposites can co-exist in harmony and transmute into one another. Balance takes the form of many subject matters. Light and dark, active and passive, male or female to name a few. It is the belief that contrast is needed in order to create a distinguishable reality. You cannot know one without the other. These opposite forces don't have to drive one another apart, they can be complimentary. Acknowledging that both exist can, in fact, give rise to a more level way of being. Not the denial of the dark (represented by a hidden black diamond on the inside of the band) but instead, choosing to acknowledge all facets, and still find the joy, laughter, and light in everyday. An acceptance of the entire experience and as such, choosing to live 'whole'.
Engraving on the inside serves as a suggestion to live "One day at a time."
Congratulations Luke and Beth! Cheers to a wonderful life together!