Artist: Eryn Rosenbaum, Texas
Materials: sterling silver, Argentium silver, 18k gold, dendritic agate, Emerald City variscite, orange sapphire
Size: 9-9.5

Artist Statement: This ring explores inside and outside through layers and imagery. On the front, a black and white dendritic agate sits in an 18k gold bezel on a hammer-textured lid. This evokes a tree’s branches and a stippled bark texture. The lid opens to reveal two Art Nouveau patterns inside, both with a botanical yet decorative feel. An Emerald City variscite and an orange sapphire are the treasures hidden inside the locket, evoking colors of deep forest trees and flowers. Inside the lid is a fitted tension ring to hold a photograph (if desired). On the back of the curved base is a fern silhouette. The band, which starts with a stylized papyrus flower and connects to a wrought-iron style "gate", opens by means of a hinge and a latch. This allows this ring to be worn by people who may have trouble sliding rings over their knuckles. 

Artist Bio: Eryn Rosenbaum began metalsmithing in 2016, after a lifetime of searching for exactly the right artistic medium. Her journey started when her youngest child began a morning school program, giving her a precious couple of hours to herself for the first time since becoming a mother. Instead of doing sensible things like household upkeep, she taught herself to solder using online videos and a butane torch. She fell in love at first try with the process and its endless possibilities. Eryn now thanks her lucky stars that she is able to spend her time designing and creating one-of-a-kind jewelry in her home studio, expanding her skills through classes and workshops. She spends her free time feeding her compulsion to create jewelry out of silver, gold, and the most interesting gemstones she can find. Her jewelry celebrates texture and pattern, often juxtaposing nature and design, organic textures with artistic stylizations. She loves to incorporate unexpected features such as compartments, adjustable or kinetic elements, and reversibility into her more special and complex pieces, but even her most simple pieces will have something special on the back. 

This ring was part of Battle of the Rings: Ring Smackdown 2023, an online exhibition and competition. View the entire collection , view the matches , and learn more .