Alfie: Celebrating 15 Years With This Maltese Terrier

When Annie contacted me, she wanted to make something really special for her mum.

She told me that her mum had lost her little Maltese Terrier, Alfie, after 15 years together the previous year. She wanted to give her a necklace of him, something she could keep close and have as a reminder of her much-loved little dog.

I was sent photos of Alfie and, as soon as I saw his little face, I knew that was going to be the most important part of the piece.

There was so much character in his face.

With a little dog like Alfie, all those tiny details matter. His eyes, his little black nose and the shape of his face all had to be just right. I wanted the finished necklace to look unmistakably like him, rather than simply being a little silver Maltese.

When she received him, her message made me smile.

“Alfie is beyond what I expected, brought tears to my mom's eyes. Thank you so much. You perfectly captured him.”

And then Annie left this beautiful review:

“Avril went beyond expectations and perfectly captured our darling, Alfie. You can see how much love and care goes into her work. My mum is delighted to have such a beautiful keepsake forever. Misty eyes all round when we first saw the beautiful necklace. Thankyou, Avril, for loving Alfie during the process and honouring our love of him too.”

That last part really touched me.

“Thank you for loving Alfie during the process.”

I think that's exactly what happens when I make these pieces. I get to know these dogs through their photographs and the stories their families tell me about them. Even though I never met Alfie, I spent time looking at his little face, studying his expression and trying to understand what made him unmistakably Alfie.

And then there was another lovely part to this commission. Annie lives here in Northern Ireland, so it was particularly nice to be making something for someone a little closer to home. I send most of my jewellery all around the world, so occasionally getting to make a very personal piece for someone local feels rather special.

Alfie may have been a little dog, but after 15 years, he clearly left a huge space in his family's hearts. Now his little face has been captured in silver, ready to be worn and treasured for many years to come. And hopefully, every time his mum looks down at her necklace, she'll see her darling Alfie looking back at her.

If you would like to have your own dog recreated in silver, even from older photographs, I would love to see them. You can read more about my process here: Custom Pet Jewellery.

Who knows? Your precious friend might just be the next one I’m smiling about at my workbench.