An Event To Remember: Olympian Kayla Imrie’s Celebratory Bangle

Wellington born and bred, Kayla Imrie made her official Olympic debut at the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics, where she was one of the four members on the women’s kayak team. The quartet qualified for the finals in the K4 (four people kayak) 500m sprint. 

To commemorate her first Olympic experience Kayla asked us to remodel a solid yellow gold bangle she had, in a way that would showcase the Olympic rings. Kayla had envisaged a design for the Olympic rings in her gold bangle; where a section of the bangle itself is crafted in the outline of the well-known Olympic rings. One of our talented designers met with Kayla and discussed these design ideas, drawing up sketches to bring exactly what Kayla had imagined to life. 

We leapt at the opportunity to help bring such an intricate and meaningful piece of jewellery to life – after all our slogan isn’t 'Capturing Stories, Crafting Memories’ for nothing! As our store was founded and is based in Wellington, it was extra special that we were given the chance to create something with so much significance to Kayla and to help contribute to her ongoing sporting success.  

After determining all the necessary design details, we were able to remodel Kayla’s bangle into a new design in our Wellington workshop. Her original bangle was engraved with the events she’d competed in, so we ensured that this sentiment stayed intact during the remodel. Kayla hopes to again add to the engraving after participating in next year’s Olympic games in Tokyo! It was also very important to Kayla that the bangle is an everlasting piece that can be passed down through the generations of her family for years to come. 

@KaylaImrie on Instagram:  

 
“In the hope for it to become a family heirloom and inspire a future generation to chase their dreams✨ 
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@thevillagegoldsmith helped me bring this timeless piece to life showing the Olympic Rings to represent my time at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games. Engraved on the inside is my NZ Olympic number, date and event I competed in. Wearing it is a daily reminder of all the hard work and effort endured to be amongst the best in the world. A reminder that keeps me striving today 
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As a Wellingtonian myself, having the @thevillagegoldsmith remodel and create this piece makes me feel that little bit closer to home .”