Contradicting Practicality - The Pendula Ring
For Ian Douglas, inspiration for new, innovative pieces often arises when incredible stones pass through into our Wellington studio. In this particular case, the design was devised completely as a form rather than surrounding a specific gem.
The Pendula Ring with its high-profile design and swinging green sapphire contradicts practicality. It is delightfully unique in every sense. The green sapphire is presented horizontally to the finger in such a way to maximise the turn of light, colour, and appearance back to the wearer.
Pendula is an exceedingly whimsical ring. You must have a sense of humour to appreciate it, for this ring has a vertically hanging gem. People who may be looking at the ring on hand will catch incredible glimpses of this beautiful swaying green sapphire.
The Ring
Working off the original sketch drawn by Ian, our jeweller Luke knew he had an interesting task ahead. To hand-craft this spirited ring, Luke first drew down a long strip of 18ct yellow gold wire. He then filed it to an even taper to get the perfect curving, circular shape. With his pliers, Luke then bent the rising shape into place.
And that was simply step one. Step two was adding the round brilliant diamond to the ring with a chenier setting or in layman’s terms: a cylindrical piece of metal. In this case, white gold. The result of a chenier set is a clean, seamless look.
Step three was fastening the 18ct yellow gold chain links. From this point, the pendula effect was beginning to take form.
The reins were passed to our master setter Adrian, who was responsible for setting the sapphire into a fine rub over setting.
The ring was passed back to Luke in order to carefully attach the separate sapphire onto the links. And just like that, to the delight of all the team at The Village Goldsmith, Pendula was brought to life.
Why We Craft the Whimsical and Captivating
“The world is wanting jewellery gloriously unique and different from anyone else’s” - Ian Douglas.
There are a lot of pieces Ian has drawn at different times that are simply experiments of line and form. So much of what The Village Goldsmith does in these experiments and pieces like Pendula are just that: experiments. Fun, whimsical, but still wearable. The idea of these pieces, is not about making what we have sold in the past, but creating beautiful, original, pieces that are exceptionally well-crafted.
In a world where mass production and obsolescence dominate, the desire for innovation and individuality is increasing. People are craving the new and unique. Pieces that are built to last and that hold incredibly powerful stories and memories.
All we hope, is that the future wearer of this ring, will revere it for many years to come.