The New Spin on an Old Favourite- Alexa's Washi Ring

Those who have been following my work for a long time will remember the Washi Rings. One of my earliest designs from when I started up my own business in 2008. This design was born from a desire to incorporate some beautiful Japanese papers with gorgeous natural gemstones and precious metals. After plenty of hours spent prototyping, I devised a way to encase the Japanese washi paper in acrylic. My technique is unique in that I do not use resin which oxidises silver and tends to yellow as it ages, and I do not use glass which can shatter when dropped. The acrylic has a mirror edge which creates beautiful reflections of the paper, and as it is not applied in a liquid form, it does not change the properties of the paper in any way. If the acrylic gets scratched it can easily be re-polished. And so the Washi Rings were born!

Three of my earliest rings in this style (pictured below) were selected for Contemporary Wearables; a biannual jewellery award and exhibition. Beginning in Toowoomba Queensland, the exhibition toured Australia in 2008/2009 with my three rings proudly on display.

Recently, I have been imagining a reinvention of the Washi Rings, creating interesting clusters of gemstones around the encased piece of paper. Then, along came the perfect client Alexa, who wanted a special Washi Ring made for her 30th birthday. I suggested that she come and take a look at my gem box for inspiration, and after some time spent playing with different combinations of gems we settled on two stones. A small round red garnet and a gorgeous pear-shaped green tourmaline.

I love this eclectic little combination and hope to launch a whole range of rings in a similar style soon. Maybe a spring collection? Oh, and happy 30th Alexa, I hope you are loving your new ring.

Love from The Jeweller. xx