North Vancouver artist Raymond Penner has been making jewelry for the last 30 years and cheering on the Seattle Seahawks for the last 15. Finally, his two passions have collided.
Penner has designed a line of Seahawks fan jewelry including a men's ring, a women's ring and a unisex pendant, available through the company We the Fans. All the pieces are made from sterling silver and prominently display the number 12, set with 12 diamonds, in reference to "the 12th man" - a term for the team's fans. The rings and pendant also feature the words "World Champion Fans" on the face. On the side of the rings, and on the reverse side of the pendant, the word "Noise" is enclosed in a football shape in honour of the Seahawks' famously loud stadium crowd.
Both the men's and women's styles have the familiar look of a championship ring, though the women's version is a bit smaller with slightly rounded edges compared to the men's more angular design.
Penner says the jewelry was inspired by the "oneness" of the fans, a quality he saw displayed after Seattle - the defending Super Bowl champs - pulled off an improbable victory against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC championship game to secure a spot in Super Bowl XLIX on Feb. 1. "They played probably one of the worst first halves of football ever," Penner says of the 'hawks. But the fans and players maintained an optimistic "can do" attitude, he says, and things turned around. "With several minutes to go they were way down, and they just kept believing."
Penner witnessed this united front firsthand when he travelled across the border last year to watch the season opener. CenturyLink was full and there must have been an additional 50,000 people outside the stadium for the entire game, he estimates. "It's so palpable that there's this united oneness in fans supporting the Seahawks."
Penner, who typically creates one-off custom jewelry pieces, threw himself into this design project with as much passion as he would any other.
"For me, this comes from deep inside. This isn't just a graphic piece, this is something that I dream about. I often will wake up in the middle of the night with some ideas that have come to me."
When the Seahawks face the New England Patriots in Sunday's big game, Penner will be watching from home.
"It should be a good game, but I really believe in the Seahawks," he says. In fact, he's so optimistic about the outcome he's already dreaming up new jewelry ideas. "We have an updated design that we're preparing right now that will celebrate the back-to-back," he says.
The "12s" rings and pendants are available to order for $212 each at wethefans.biz. Part proceeds will be donated to youth charities in the Pacific Northwest.
