Where Land Meets Water...

This design played water against land...liquid against solid, by contrasting brightly polished 18k gold against florentined platinum-sterling, carved black jade against white opal—a green island floating in a dark basin. Also important was the idea of separation, a meeting place...reflected in the split shank dividing the design, and a synthesis of masculine and feminine influences.  

Ethiopian Opal

This was a spectacular 15x13mm, white Ethiopian opal. The body of the stone was deep, almost leaden in color, which lent the gem a brooding, dramatic feeling and staged the green and red patch-fire to brilliant effect. Opal was the perfect choice for this ring, since the mineral is literally land meeting water! 

CAD Modeling the Design

The model for this ring was a complex assembly of three castings in a sandwich formation. The Jade was clamped between the bezel assembly and the body of the ring using cold-connection screws. A nod to my jeweler—master-craftsman Mark Willardson—for his unmistakable contribution to this piece.

The Florentine finish on these CAD images was only a render texture. I had something much more random and vigorous, almost a streaked surface, in mind for the finished piece. 

I tried several accent details for the front elevation of this ring; here it was a gull form. In the end, I decided a simple unembellished front elevation was best.

I normally sign my pieces with an initialed custom floating grille. The depth of the jade plate left too little space, so I engraved my initials instead—reflecting into each other to remain in tune with the overall design statement.

This was a men's ring, which wasn't readily apparent in the other images. Here the strand ring sits alongside the model for the Cumorah ring; both are large statement-rings.

Final Strand Ring

Here the interplay of the surface treatments and materials is evident. Technically speaking, the ring was peg-assembled to avoid long solder seams, and the jade was taken to a satin finish to highlight the color and luster of the opal. Platinum-sterling was used to avoid tarnish on the sabe Florentine finish.

Addendum

Sadly, this ring was stolen from a gallery space in Manhattan on February 28, 2018. I have posted the details involved in making, and then remaking, the Strand Ring on my Blog Page. If you come across this piece, please contact either myself or the 10th precinct of the NYPD. —Thanks!

…And the post-insurance remake!

While the Strand Ring has not been recovered, insurance covered the loss, and my old friends at Carvin French did a beautiful job bringing it back to life.

Contact