Silver and Nephrite Jade ring

Handmade silver ring with a 14x10mm beautiful dark nephrite jade. This ring is inspired by my love and ancient and Roman jewellery and I wanted to make a ring that reminds me of those styles of ring and has 2 tiny leaves on each side of the leaf and a sun/moon motif underneath the stone setting.

Towards the end of last year, I found the 2 boxes of gemstones in the most atrocious jumbled mess still waiting to be unpacked since we moved to Dorset nearly three years ago. Some of them I’m very sure I can date to sitting in my collection for fifteen years. A meticulous evening was spent sorting each stone into a binder organised into colour, variety and size. This may sound boring to most but for a gem nerd like me, sorting lots of tiny sparkly things into stone type, size and colour with a bottle of red on the side and a supply of snacks and I’m as happy as a pig in mud.

Now what to do with them? I can’t continue to let them gather dust so an idea formulated. I would pick a stone from each page in the binder in turn and make a ring for it. A new ring for each week of the year, 52 rings in total. Why? Because I know me and if I don’t set myself a task they will linger again and they are too beautiful to remain hidden any longer. They need to be worn and loved.

This jade is a very dark nephrite which can come in a variety of colours and most notably comes from China, Russia, New Zealand and Canada although it can be found in smaller deposits elsewhere. This ring is a size Q and you can talk to me about a different size or gemstone at clare@clarehawley.com