Pressed Petals :: Ring A Week No. 40

Inspired by some lovely dried hydrangea blossoms, I've created this ring by overlapping five hydrangea petals and imprinting them into sterling silver using my rolling mill. I then hand cut the silver, following the organic contour of the petals. The oxidized finish highlights the intricate veins in each petal.

Below are individual petals that I imprinted in sterling silver and 14K gold and turned into pendants. Both necklaces are available in my Etsy shops.

The fall of a leaf :: Ring No. 39

I recently came across this Russian Proverb: "The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living." I love the sentiment and I immediately knew I had to somehow incorporate it into a new piece. I hand lettered the quote in calligraphy and then created smaller versions of my maple leaf design to dance above the words. I hand cut around the tops of the leaves for an interesting jagged edge. I had thought of separating the leaves from the text to make a set of two stacking rings that would fit together along a jagged edge at the bottom of the leaves, but it was turning out so nicely as one piece that I didn't want to risk messing it up. I may experiment with the idea though. I did try a mock up, cutting the two stacking rings out of paper which actually turned out well so I may give it a try in metal sometime soon. In the meantime, I'm pretty happy with how this ring turned out. Below of are some progress shots so you can see a couple stages of the process.

Ring A Week No. 38

For my latest ring, I imprinted both sides of the sterling silver with the soft, subtle texture of 100% cotton paper. I wanted to give the edge the appearance of torn paper so I hand cut an organic, rough edge around the entire piece and then formed it into a wrap ring with overlapping ends. To finish it, I gave a subtle, polished shine to the rough edge, all the way around the ring. I like the substantial feel of the ring but for a more papery effect, I'd consider using a thinner gauge of silver the next time.

Ring A Week No. 37

This latest Ring A Week ring features a purple, teardrop-shaped, druzy agate cabochon. It is set in a hand cut, scalloped bezel. I've oxidized the silver and I think the grey patina looks quite nice with the purple druzy. I received this stone free with another purchase and I really like the sugary purple crystals in its center.