Description
A wide band woven like basketwork, in gold-tone metal, carrying an oval gold sheen obsidian cabochon. It is the only one of the fifteen settings in the series that is not in silver, and that is no accident.
Gold sheen obsidian carries a copper veil, and that is precisely what makes gold-tone metal hard to use with it. The two colours are close, the stone loses its effect against a background of the same temperature, and the veil stops being noticed. The only way to make the pairing work is to give the metal a strong texture, which sets it apart by relief rather than by colour. Hence the weave.
The weave is therefore not an added decoration, it is the answer to a problem of colour. A woven surface sends light back as a multitude of small reflections pointing in different directions, where the stone sends it back as a single continuous sheet. The eye separates the two by the way they shine, not by their hue. The other fourteen settings in the series are in silver, where the contrast of temperature is enough. The other rings are here.
The reservation is the plating, and it is real. This is not solid gold but a few microns over a base metal, and a woven surface has a great many edges: those are what will wear first, in one to two years of daily wear, letting the grey metal show in the hollows of the weave. The silver settings in the series do not have this problem, they take on a patina instead of wearing through.
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.
- The only gold-tone setting in the series: the other fourteen are in sterling silver 925.
- The weave separates the metal from the stone by relief, not by colour.
- The plating wears on the edges of the weave in one to two years.
What to know before you wear it
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The specifications
- Stone
- Gold sheen obsidian, volcanic glass, oval cabochon
- Metal
- Gold-plated brass
- Setting
- Wide woven band, closed bezel, no glue
- Width of the band
- About 9 mm
- Sizes
- 52 to 62 (inner circumference in mm)
- Gender
- Women
- Brand
- Bijoux Obsidienne
Why only one gold-tone ring in the series
On a woven surface the stone is set before the plating and never after, contrary to habit. The reason is that the setting tool rubs on the metal around the stone, and it scratches fresh plating visibly: the scratch lays the grey metal bare from the first day. By setting first, you then put the whole ring in the bath and the layer of gold covers the tool marks. The counterpart is that the stone has to be masked during the bath, which takes time.
This setting is in the catalogue because people regularly asked me for a gold sheen obsidian ring in gold-tone metal, and I refused for a long time, for the reason explained above. The weave settled the problem. It is the only way I have found to do it without the stone going out. The other rings are here and the size guide saves a return.
You set the stone first and plate afterwards. Otherwise the tool scratches the gold and lays the grey metal bare from the first day.
Obsidian does not mind water, but gold plating wears faster with soap, perfume and perspiration. Take the ring off before the shower, sport and DIY. Never rub the weave with an abrasive cloth. Cleaning an obsidian piece covers the rest.
