Inspiration: Nature and Memories

For this custom project, I chose to create a sterling silver ring featuring a bezel set stone, surrounded by granulation and flush set stones—smoky quartz, blue tourmaline and topaz. The ring also features a cast urchin band, created by a casting artist.

I chose these techniques because they best represent the design objective. A large, freeform stone with the colors of waves breaking in the ocean, creates a focal point. It needs to be bold, substantial, and securely set, so I chose a bezel setting for this stone. The granulation represents the texture of the shoreline along the edge of the ocean, and the flush set stones are like the glittering water, stones, and shells you might find while wandering along the waters edge.

I really enjoy all of these techniques. I’ve been doing some bezel setting for a while now, and just love a very bold, unique stone in a sturdy, sleek setting, and this is readily achieved with bezel setting. Granulation lends a more organic look and feel, but still appeals to my love for the meticulous placement of teeny, tiny components! Finally, flush setting for me is a just a really beautiful way to show off the color and flash of a stone, but with the flexibility to place the stones in a creative, graphic style.

This ring represents the beaches and tide pools I’ve loved exploring since childhood. I’ve never outgrown that fascination and that is what inspired this piece. After selecting the various components, most of the design work at this stage was then done by drawing directly onto sheet metal, and experimenting with the placement of the layered sheet, granulation, and flush settings.