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.