Description
A corolla of beaded petals surrounds the round gold sheen obsidian cabochon, which plays the part of the heart of the flower. It is the only one of the fifteen settings where the stone is no longer the subject but the central element of a larger motif.
The difference from the other flowered rings in the series is one of composition. Elsewhere the flowers sit on the shoulders and frame a stone that remains the subject; here the flower is the ring, and the cabochon is its heart. You are no longer looking at a decorated stone, you are looking at a daisy whose centre is black. The inversion is complete and it changes who the ring is for.
The choice of a round cabochon is not incidental: the heart of a flower is round, and an oval in the middle of a regular corolla would look permanently crooked. That is also why this setting is one of only two in the series to carry a round, along with the beaded crown model. The shape of the stone follows the motif. The other rings are here.
The reservation is the bulk of the corolla. The petals reach several millimetres beyond the cabochon on every side, which makes a wide head that catches gloves, pockets and knitted stitches. It is not a ring you slip on without thinking in the morning. The fine-band settings in the series are far easier to live with. 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, round cabochon in a closed bezel at the heart of the corolla.
- Sterling silver 925, beaded petals, hollows blackened by hand.
- The only setting where the stone is the centre of a motif and not the subject.
- The corolla overhangs and catches: it is not an everyday ring.
What to know before you wear it
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The specifications
- Stone
- Gold sheen obsidian, volcanic glass, round cabochon
- Metal
- Sterling silver 925, S925 hallmark
- Setting
- Closed bezel at the centre of a corolla, no glue
- Decoration
- Twelve beaded petals, blackened hollows
- Sizes
- 52 to 62 (inner circumference in mm)
- Gender
- Women
- Brand
- Bijoux Obsidienne
Twelve petals, and not eleven
A corolla calls for an even number of petals, and preferably one divisible by four. The reason is optical: with an odd number there is no petal exactly opposite each other one, and the eye, which always looks for a symmetry, reads the flower as slightly crooked without being able to say why. Twelve works, eleven does not, and it has nothing to do with botany. A real daisy has any number of petals, a piece of jewellery cannot afford that.
This setting is in the catalogue because it is the furthest from the idea people have of obsidian jewellery. The stone is associated with protection, with the severe, with the dark; putting it at the heart of a flower is a deliberate counter, and it is the model that most surprises people who already know the shop. The other rings are here.
Twelve petals, never eleven. A real daisy does not care, a piece of jewellery does.
Obsidian does not mind water, but it shatters on impact. Take the ring off before DIY and sport. The hollows between the petals hold hand cream: a soft toothbrush and lukewarm water two or three times a year. Never polish. Cleaning an obsidian piece covers the rest.
