The 2026 Commemorative Grove Ornament
A few months ago, a photo of a Grove Christmas Ornament was posted on our Facebook page. There were a lot of comments about it and guesses regarding where it could be purchased. With the help of Jim Jimerson and Gary Odom, we were able to locate the creator of the original ornament.
I have been in touch with Ben Corsden at Corsden Design, who has provided me with an overview of what could be done today should we have enough demand. From Ben:
"I have refined my art style since then and can effectively make a good ornament presentation with less weight and better design elements. I don't know if you have one of the original ornaments, but as you can see ... the art is much better and more refined...that's what time and practice does for the process. When I do school ornaments, I like to use the actual school colors (up to two)...
The metal I use is fine silver bearing lead-free pewter, and each ornament is spin cast for the best detail. My target weight is around 2 to 2-1/2 ounces. Each comes individually ribboned in a bubble bag.
He created the sample at the top of the page for me, and it is indeed very nice. He nailed the weight, as it is 2.4oz, and the artwork is much more detailed than the original. The size of the ornament is about 3" x 2.75." I am fortunate to have what is currently the only copy of the new version and will cherish it regardless of what happens, but at 120 years from the founding of our school, I can't think of a better keepsake for the rest of us.
Ben provided me with costs for producing 25, 50 or 100 ornaments. When the idea was first presented on Facebook, a number of you indicated that you are interested. I will have to order and pay for a minimum of 25 to make this happen, so I need to have a pretty good idea of how many would be purchased. If there is enough interest, I will assume the cost of producing, stocking and shipping the ornaments using an Etsy shop for ordering. The cost per unit will be $25 plus $4.95 shipping. (Sales tax will be added as appropriate.) I will just about break even at this price, but I am happy to do this for those who are interested.
Pre-orders
If you are interested and would like to pre-order an ornament, please click the button below to contact me. I just need to know the quantity desired and your contact details. (NOTE: The formula on the contact page is to keep out spam - it has nothing to do with the quantity!) If at least 25 can be counted upon, the orders will be processed using an Etsy shop. DO NOT send any credit card or address information at this time. Etsy will collect the appropriate information when your order is placed. Once again, if we cannot meet the 25 minimum, this will not work. Please let me know soon, as I will have a lot of work ahead!
