Olympia Ring

I studied art history as part of my undergraduate degree. There’s a lot of men in art history. Male artists, male patrons, male stories and male arbitrators of taste. The ladies voices be it as artists or subjects are few and far between. When subjects, usually the female is cast as an archetype of some kind symbolizing either nobility or decadence. What I loved about Manet’s Olympia, and what inspired me to create this piece, is her gaze. This gaze says “I couldn’t care less what you think about me, I am who I am”.

One other aspect of my studies that always fascinated me was chiaroscuro, or the play of light and shadow. I have had the chance to experiment a bit with this in my baroque bands. There is something in almost all art movements I find inspiring. I do have a list of some of my favourite artists that I do plan to eventually make pieces inspired by their work including: Caravaggio, Bernini, Borromini, Caspar Friedrich, Vermeer, Jacques-Louis David, Goya, Whistler, Seurat, um…I better stop here because I could be going on for a while.

Product Specifications:

• • Metal: Certified recycled sterling silver
  • Metal Weight: 4.6 grams
  • Size: 5 1/2 NOTE: it is possible to size this ring within one size either up or down
  • Width: 1.57mm
  • Finish: Matte Finish
  • Handmade in Canada

Care Instructions:

• • Store in an airtight ziploc bag to prevent tarnish (included with purchase).
  • Sterling silver may tarnish if the piece is stored away and not worn for a while. To remove built up tarnish use the anti-tarnish cloth to rub it off (included with purchase).
  • Do not wear in a pool, spa or hot tub as the chemicals may cause the silver to tarnish.
  • It would also be wise to remove the ring before performing any strenuous activity and before bed.

Jewellery Emergency Care Kit Contents:

• • Cleaning Cloth: this cloth will remove tarnish from sterling silver jewellery. Simply wipe effected areas. Wash your hands after use.
  • Extra Sterling Silver Jump Rings: when one of the jump rings on your necklace breaks or opens you can use one of these as a replacement. Use pliers or tweezers to twist open the ring, attach it to your chain, then use the pliers or tweezers to twist close again.
  • Plastic Earring Backs: we all lose the backings to our earrings. Use these plastic backings as temporary replacements until you can replace the metal ones. 
  • Extra Plastic Bags: store your sterling silver jewellery in these zip lock bags to prevent your jewellery from tarnishing.

• • Cleaning Cloth: this cloth will remove tarnish from sterling silver jewellery. Simply wipe effected areas. Wash your hands after use.