This is the story of a cuff I thought had been lost forever

I love surprises. Especially when they’re as awesome as this one!

Back in 2011, I submitted a design to a US jewellery publication titled 30-Minute Bracelets. It was a brass and acrylic cuff that could be made in just half an hour by anyone with basic jewellery skills.

I was a second year jewellery design student and it was my very first submission, so I was incredibly excited to see it published!

On my submission form, I even ticked the little box that allowed it to be used as a prize for a blog giveaway. Then I waited patiently to hear when the promotion would go live.

Nothing.

I sent an email asking when the giveaway might happen.

Nothing.

By this time it had been over a year since the cuff was delivered. I later learned that the editor had moved on from the role which is why I wasn’t receiving a response. However, oblivious to the fact, I sent a follow up email and a Facebook message to see if there was someone else I could be directed to.

I was excited to receive a lovely (and very friendly) response saying the giveaway would happen in about a month. Progress!

Then crickets.

I had pretty much given up at this point, so for the next one and a half years, the cuff was out of sight, out of mind.

Then on 1 April 2014 – and no, it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke – a message popped into my inbox:

“I LOVE the plastic/brass bracelet you made,” it said. “I wonder if you would be willing to sell it to me?”

It was from Nathalie, Content Editor at Lark Crafts. Apparently the cuff had been sitting on a table in their office for more than a year!

Having never thought I’d see it again, I was ecstatic and of course said yes!

So there it went. Almost three years after saying bye to the cuff at the post office, I knew its fate. And it was a pretty good one!

All the way over in Asheville, North Carolina, this is the lovely Nathalie, new owner of the 30-minute cuff!