Amanda's ring . . .

Amanda loves Lapis Lazuli - her grandmother used to own and wear a lot of it and after her passing, the jewelry got distributed and Amanda has none of it. So she's asked me to make a few pieces for her to remind her of her granny.

I've had the stone for a while and just hadn't been inspired by a nice design. I could always set it simply and plain but I wanted to make something special and 'granny-like'. The last piece I made for her was a Lapis necklace with scalloped bezel and scalloped edges and a heart cut out on the back.

This needed to be sweet but not saccarine, granny but modern and I think I hit the right balance. The doubled ring shank gives this a curly, girly feel offsetting the cupped flowers on the other side and, of course, all metal. I really need to do more bezel-setting as this was challenging, took some planning and thought and was all day engrossing and enjoyable at once.

Love this. Hearts to Amanda.