Rings -- Back at it!

Rings -- they've been a calling. It's been a while since I wrote and I've been mostly processing and struggling through the days in the studio. While I've been working and creating through it all, finally I feel I have broken through the void and back toward inspiration.

I started with a visit to one of my local wholesale accounts to check in and see if there was anything in particular she might want for the upcoming season. We chatted and caught up and I saw what was left for my stock (only a few things--yeah!) and got feedback for what people reacted to. I felt awakened and alive again and ready to jump in creating--starting with rings. Rings of all sizes and shapes, but with a focus on interesting stone centerpieces.

Here's where I started:

This is a square mahogany obsidian stone set in fine silver. The rest of the ring is sterling silver and the face is oxidized. I love it!

Next up:

a soft triangle dalmatian jasper stone also set in fine silver. The ring is sterling silver with shiny balled dots of silver around the face. I thought about oxidizing it like the first, but have kept it polished so far.

Saturday I picked out a large oval fossilized dinosaur bone stone and a Norwegian emerald pearl stone to work with. Both are unique and offer completely different looks.

The dinosaur bone (pictured in the left ring) is a substantially sized stone, so I added larger, flattened balls to help balance the scale. The shiny finish offsets the reddish brown textured surface--very cool.

The Norwegian emerald pearl ring on the right has balls and circle embellishments. I've cut through the circles and I like the way the negative space shows through. It's an idea worth exploring further. I chose to partially oxidize the face, but have cleaned away a lot of it to offset the accents.

Four new rings--all different, but work as a nice grouping. Not bad for a weekend's work! Hope to keep the momentum going!