Transformation Ring and my 70th Birthday

If you’re in Ithaca, please visit!
Green Door Open Studio Sale 
Saturday, December 4 from 11AM-4PM
Elaina Designs is part of the Monthly First Saturdays
on the Greater Ithaca Art Trail.

The Greater Ithaca Art Trail is a program of the
Community Arts Partnership of Tompkins County.
To see a map to other Art Trail studios that are open, visit www.ArtTrail.com

  
As I turn 70, I feel like I’m changing from an individual droplet, to being a wave on a great ocean, at the same time leaving a current trail of my own.  When I picked up this eroded Knobbed Whelk shell core, I knew it held the possibility for transformation.  It was thick and awkward, just like I felt, yet the meticulous toil of the creature that had formed it, had made it strong enough to withstand decades of jarring chaos on the ocean floor. I figured it was at least as old as me, but with careful attention its ‘current’ core might merge with my own?

To me this ring is a symbol of the opportunities these strange times present; to transform ourselves into an improved form after being battered by forces so much greater than we can fathom. I believe if we can survive, with careful attentiveness, we can emerge clear, authentic, wiser, and full of awesome grace.

What you see here is a sterling casting of the original shell that I found. A silicone mold of the shell was made and once it cured the shell was removed. Wax was then injected into the cavity and once it cooled it was removed from the mold and deftly carved and enlarged into a ring. The rough wax model was then invested into a ceramic casing leaving its imprint when burned out. A centrifuge spun forcing molten silver into the ceramic cavity. The mold was plunged into water, breaking it apart, revealing the rough silver ring inside. The ring was then relentlessly filed, and filed some more to expose its bare bones beauty. I had imagined the final ring shape to be comfy, dramatic, sensuous to the touch, a “current trail of its former self”. And so it is. See this quick video of my filing process.

I invite you to visit the ring in person or online: I can mail it to you to try on, feel it’s power, select one of my gem offerings, or add your own stone(s) to its curvature.  It can be fitted to any finger size, cast in a precious metal of your own choosing. Call or email me for more information. (678) 662-6156 or lp@elainadesigns.com

Sterling ring without stones starting at $300
14K gold ring without stones starting at $2000 (estimate based on $1800/oz gold price)
Added gem cost & setting starting at $150

Caressed by the Currents,
Lainey