Jewel Narratives: Double Eternity Ring

Double Eternity Ring. Jo McAllister, 2020. Fine silver, 22ct gold leaf, heirloom stones, rock crystal quartz

Photograph: Alexander Brattell

I think of this as a Right-Hand ring. It has a square shaped shank, after all, our fingers aren’t round. It contains the stones (they may be diamonds, or they may be glass) that were contained in two heirloom eternity rings that I inherited, one from each of my grandmothers. I wanted to magnify the stones slightly, so I have set them under a large, beautifully included rock crystal cabochon. The stones are contained by a ring within a ring where they are left loose to move around as the ring is worn.

This playful aspect of the ring reminds me of the maze games we had where steel balls had to be moved from one area to another. The inner ring and its surroundings are covered in 22ct gold leaf, the underlying texture is magnified by the rock crystal. Inside the inner ring, I applied platinum leaf to provide an icy background for the stones.

I enjoy wearing this ring as it not only suits my. style and the scale of my hand but I feel I have my grandmothers with me. I have one more of these large rock crystal cabochons, so I’m currently working on another Jewel Narratives ring using garnets and pearls.