Right from when she was born she seemed to have a mind of her own. It also appeared she knew how beautiful, and how warm, she was, for in the nursery she was the most animated of babies, wiggling t...

Right from when she was born she seemed to have a mind of her own. It also appeared she knew how beautiful, and how warm, she was, for in the nursery she was the most animated of babies, wiggling through her straddle cloth as if to escape the close confines of cotton into the cold air of this room of births and beginnings.

Later, when she was an energetic young girl, excellent in many things, she would be loved by many as well, for all the time her senses worked doubly, seeking . . . searching for that elusive path which would lead her to peace. As innocent as her heart was, it sought answers when there were none from the darkness of the Earth in which she lived, a darkness which so enveloped her that one day, not very many years later, it pulled her into its embrace, never to be seen again.

She was like a 'little river', meandering through life with abandon, answering to no one but willing to let those be answered who sought from her her wisdom. When she planted the rose sapling, she meant for it to grow into a reasonable bush ---- one that she could take care of and be remembered for. It is now a rambling, climbing New Dawn vine overhung with pale pink blossoms twice a year that are simply divine. And why shouldn't it be. It's more her than the river.

When the good depart early, we remember them by their goodness and look for reasons to explain their exit. Not so here. She's there in spirit within the rose vine, her wild and magnificent soul captured in the wayward, chiselled stems and flowers, each made using delicate twisted wire with a few that use fine springs to realise the blooms. The leaves are cut out individually and shaped and fitted and engraved before fixing to the stems. The whole vine rests on a fine mesh trellis and has two polished pipe borders that give the choor definition and discipline. The hinges are for ease of use. Yet, you'll note the climbing rose is free: the flowers, leaves and stems are natural ---- all different from each other ---- and the mesh is such that it lends itself to further growth of the vine. Pink tints on the roses and traces of green on the leaves are a kind of vernacular polish that allows simple conversion to a plain gold finish.

Made painstakingly by hand in 22K natural yellow gold, this isn't just an ornament but a precious memorial to a beautiful soul whose spontaneous smile and carefree demeanour endeared her to all. It makes her immortal and reminds us unfailingly of the enduring presence of her absence. As has been famously said, "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." Just so, the name of this splendid rose shall be Sharoni.