Garden of Livia

Section of the decorative wall painting depicting an idyllic garden. From the House of Livia in Rome.

Gardens. So pretty, so dangerous. The bees sting, the roses prick and hemlock kills. With garden rings and earrings, you can enjoy the beauty of a garden without the risks.

Cactus

Years ago I bought this cactus at a market. He had two small bobbles growing out of his big main head. As a youngster he was rounder, but as he aged, his bobbles became elongated like octopus tentacles. He is an endless source of fun and inspiration and requires very little care. Such a good plant.

One evening I noticed the shadow the cactus was casting on the wall and made a sketch of it. The sketch developed into cleaner rounder forms and later became the design for the earrings and rings.

How I Did It

A short description on how the cactus ring was made.


After creating the design, it is traced on transparent paper and placed on a flat piece of silver using double sided tape.



The design is cut out with a fine saw and the transparent paper is burned off with a torch.



Using pliers, the ring is rounded up for soldering. Afterwards, it is shaped into a perfect circle by slipping it onto a ring mandrel and tapping around it with a wooden hammer.

Marks on the ring are removed by using files and various grades of sandpaper.


The ring is brought to a mirror finish by using two polishing compounds: tripoli, an abrasive polishing compound, and rouge, for a final burnish.

Kaleidoscope

As a child, instead of toys, I received math drill books for Christmas. These days I cannot walk past a toy shop without going in to take a peek. I made these rings as the colours of the stones reminded me of the changing colours inside a kaleidoscope.

Ring in Spring

As a teenager, I lived in an old farmhouse overlooking a vineyard in the Tuscan countryside. It was truly horrific. The summer heat reduced us to melting lumps of flesh. When autumn came, we worked like medieval peasants, using scythes to clear the fields. During winter, chopping wood to light the stove fires consumed our daylight hours. Then spring arrived and we would wander down to the end of the vineyard where an old apple tree blossomed and while away the hours under the warm sun. These rings are inspired by the faded memories of perfect springs past.