Description
An oval gold sheen obsidian cabochon surrounded by scrolls and flowers, the two together. It is the only one of the fifteen settings in the series that mixes an abstract motif and a figurative one on the same ring.
The other fourteen pick one register and stay with it: scrolls on one side, flowers on another, geometry elsewhere. Mixing the two is a stance that comes from baroque goldsmithing, where plant interlace and abstract coiling answer each other with no hierarchy. It is the most loaded model in the series, and it is not after restraint.
What holds a mixed decoration together is the relative size of the motifs. Here the scrolls are large and occupy the shoulders, the flowers are small and nest in the hollows of the scrolls. If the two were at the same scale, the eye would no longer know what carries and what decorates, and the ring would become unreadable. It is a rule of composition, not an inspiration. The other rings are here.
The reservation is blunt: this ring does not go with everything. A baroque decoration next to a smooth wedding band or a contemporary watch creates a clash that nothing fixes. It is worn alone, or with pieces in the same register. If you want a stone ring that matches what you already own, take a plain setting from the series instead. The size guide saves a return.
Crystal lore ties obsidian to grounding, and gold sheen in particular to self-confidence. None of that is proven, and no piece of jewellery heals anything. I have gathered separately what tradition attributes to obsidian, in the conditional from start to finish.
- Genuine gold sheen obsidian, oval cabochon in a closed bezel, no glue.
- Sterling silver 925, large scrolls on the shoulders, small flowers nested in their hollows.
- The only setting in the series that mixes abstract and figurative.
- A loaded decoration sits badly beside contemporary pieces: it is worn alone.
What to know before you wear it
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The specifications
- Stone
- Gold sheen obsidian, volcanic glass, oval cabochon
- Metal
- Sterling silver 925, S925 hallmark
- Setting
- Closed bezel, no glue
- Decoration
- Scrolls and flowers mixed, blackened hollows
- Sizes
- 52 to 62 (inner circumference in mm)
- Gender
- Women
- Brand
- Bijoux Obsidienne
Mixing two vocabularies without making a muddle
On a mixed decoration the blackening of the hollows becomes a tool of composition and not only a finish. You do not blacken everything to the same degree: the hollows of the scrolls are pushed to a frank black to settle the structure, those of the flowers stay lighter so they look set on top and not sunk in. That is done in two successive baths, with a rinse in between, and it is what gives the depth. A uniform blackening flattens everything.
This setting exists because a series of fifteen always ends up with one piece that goes further than the others. This is that model: it will not please everyone and it will please a few people a great deal, which is exactly what is asked of it. The other rings are here.
Two blackening baths, not one. The scrolls at a frank black, the flowers lighter, otherwise everything flattens out.
Obsidian does not mind water, but it shatters on impact. Take the ring off before DIY and sport. The hollows hold hand cream: a soft toothbrush and lukewarm water two or three times a year. Never polish, the two-tone blackening is not easily redone. Cleaning an obsidian piece covers the rest.
