Love Thyself

I first met Alex at Abraço, my favorite cafe off E 7th and 1st. It was spring and there was an air of newness everywhere, from the budding weeds in the sidewalk cracks to relationships starting and ending. Alex was already inside drinking his coffee by the time I arrived, his motorcycle parked on the curb.

He treated me to a Vichy Catalan and I gave him the Nasty Woman necklace he had bought. Our conversation was buoyant and full of energy. I quickly learned that Alex is quite possibly a force of nature, capable of hurtling intimate life details over coffee. He told me about his broken heart—which I suspect has healed a million times since—and inevitably we discussed politics. This got us talking about a custom Bad Hombre necklace, which he wanted on his own chain. It was a special, sentimental chain.

“You lose it, I’ll have to kill you,” he said.  

Well, hi, nice to meet you, too. I laughed.

Alex is a tall, well-mannered Frenchman, whose intensity and charm is immediately captivating. There’s something very direct about his intent. When Alex wants something, he gets it. And with a past in motorcycle racing, speed and focus are in his blood.

Alex is the perfect person to sport Bad Hombre—he embodies it in so many ways. From there, we kept in touch and voila! The Love Thyself ring was born.

Alex recently sat down with Ashley Turner, our Sales & Marketing Associate, to talk about his past custom orders.

Ashley Turner: So, what’s it been like living with the ring?

Alex B.: It's been great; it feels good to wear, both because of the metal and the message. It’s started a lot of conversations on the right basis and basically already paid for itself a couple times over.

AT: Why did you chose the text "love thy self"?

AB: I wanted a piece of jewelry with text that could be self-applied and also applicable to any random, serendipitous encounter. Some people will say, "everything happens for a reason," or, "it is what it is" as a mantra—I will just be reminded to love myself.

AT: There’s such a capital-R-romantic, lofty quality to it, using “thy” over “your,” that’s regal and timeless; and let’s hope self-love never goes out of style. What are your thoughts about self-love, confidence, and feeling pride in oneself?

AB: Self love is key—why are we on this planet if not to love ourselves and others (loving ourselves being a prerequisite.) Except for maybe a few hundred people alive today who might leave significant buildings, pieces of art, or actions of historical values, four generations from now, the only things that will be left of us is, at most, part of our genes. We might as well enjoy and value ourselves while we're alive. And having statistically only about 14,000 days left, I want to make sure to make the most out of every second and not delay or compromise it for some dubious, unlikely afterlife.

AT: What made you want to collaborate with KANAREK and create something custom?

AB: I saw a Nasty Woman Silver necklace on a friend. I fell in love with the piece—its execution, quality, and endless entertainment capability—and instantly tried to have my friend give it or sell it to me. I failed. Far from discouraged, I went and ordered one on the spot off KANAREK’s website. That got me in touch with Yael, who opened up the possibilities of having any text, in any metal, made into a necklace or ring customized for me. First step was a Bad Hombre necklace in 18k yellow gold, and then a Love Thyself ring in platinum/sapphire.

AT: I love the blue sapphire—it’s absolutely gorgeous. Any story behind the stone?

AB: Everybody knows blue is the best color...