Saturday brings us snake rings

Happy Saturday! I have a poorly boyfriend today, so instead of swanning around and eating brunch, we are relaxing in front of the TV. This means, of course, that I can write a lovely post on one of my favourite ring designs... snake rings! 

Snakes... according to Wikipedia, the snake [or serpent] is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. They represent dual expression of good and evil. They are also used as fertility symbols in many cultures; the shedding of their skin is symbolic of rebirth, healing, etc. Snakes have also been used as guardians of sacred spaces such as temples. They also have their place in the history of medicine and are associated with healing, immortality, and poison [obviously]. Here's one that we all know about - snakes are connected with vengefulness and vindictiveness. 

The Victorians loved the symbol of the serpent and snake jewellery really took off when Queen Victoria was proposed to with a snake ring. Her ring featured two snakes entwined with an emerald. Sadly this ring was never photographed and she was buried with it, so we can only guess at what it looked like. The popularity of 'snake jewellery' peaked in the 1840s, and became popular again during the Art Nouveau period. 

I won't go on, however much I'd love to [because it's so very fascinating], but if you're interested in this sort of thing have a look on Google, there's lots to read. 

This is what you're really here for [I guess]... some of my favourite snake rings. 

Two-headed snake ring by Erica Weiner $400 - $675  

From EW's 1909 collection, this two-headed snake ring is the right combination of snake and delicate. It comes in yellow gold and with no stones, red diamond eyes, or white diamond eyes [see price ranges at the beginning]. Perfection in a snake ring! 

Vintage snake ring by Zara Taylor £12

Sadly this beauty is made from brass, hence the price tag, but it has such wonderful detailing that I couldn't leave it out. 

Snake ring by Momocreatura £187

This ring is not currently available from Momocreatura, but it is in stock at Boticca [I've never purchased from here]. I couldn't leave it out because it's rather special. It comes with different coloured eyes and doesn't it look ah-mazing stacked?? 

Gold and white sapphire snake ring by Julia Failey £296.50

I just saw this one when I was looking at the Momocreatura ring so it's a bit of a cheat entry because it isn't one I've had my eye on previously, but with those white sapphire eyes I couldn't not add him into the list. 

Snake tail ring in sterling silver with rubies by Michelle Chang £70.97

This is one of my all-time favourites. I love the way the tail is in the mouth and the softness of the metal make it look very modern and wearable. 

Twisted snake by Makri £currently unavailable 

This ring by Makri is a work of art. I'll show you the front and the back because it's intricate and beautiful. 18k pink gold with white diamonds and rubies. I HEART this ring. 

Victorian 14k gold persian turquoise snake ring Vintage $645 

A real-life Victorian ring - oh my! 

Snake ring by Grace Lee Designs $385 

I love how delicate this one is, it'd be perfect for stacking and great for every-day wear. Once again this one has diamond eyes. A popular feature of the snake ring. 

Serpent ring by Pamela Love $1,300 

This one is a little more of a luxury item at that price, but it's stunning. Seriously, look at that tri-stack! Swoooon. 

Anyway, there you have it - Snake rings! I hope you see something you like and if you have some snake-inspired rings, or any snake jewellery, please comment and let me know! 

Thanks for reading, 

L. x

Liberty, oh Liberty

I'm going to just put this out there. I love Liberty. I do, I love it. Here's a little history of the shop for those of you who are not familiar… (shamelessly stolen from Wiki). 

Liberty: 

Liberty is a department store on Regent Street, based in the West End shopping district of Central London. The department store sells a wide range of luxury goods including women’s, men’s and children’s fashion, cosmetics and fragrances, jewellery, accessories, homeware, furniture, stationery and gifts. Liberty is known for its floral and graphic prints.

Liberty’s third and fourth floors showcase innovative designs from famous gifting and homeware brands such as Ibride, Moorcroft, Emma Bridgewater, Mason Cash, Rob Ryan, House of Hackney, Rory Dobner and Tom Dixon. The third floor’s central atrium is home to the Liberty Haberdashery department and is dedicated to the Liberty Art Fabrics collection, which introduces new designs and reused updated prints each season.

It looks like this: 

They sell all sorts of wonderful things in Liberty; scarves, handbags, stationery (oh the stationery), fabric, much, much more, and… jewellery! 

When in store they have some more unique one-off antique pieces, which they don't have on their website, but these pics are from the website as I don't get to visit much in person. They stock some of my favourite designers, so you'll hopefully recognise some of them along the way… 

You'll notice that they carry the more unusual pieces, and this is one of the things I love about Liberty. 

1. Gold plated fine baroque double front ring by Alex Monroe. £150. 

This ring is just stunning. It is made from 22ct gold plated (silver, I assume?) with a green cabochon green tourmaline with seed pearls. It is a part of Alex Monroe's Banquet collection which came out only recently and this particular piece is exclusive to Liberty; lucky Liberty! Sadly it won't be adorning my finger as I'd need to get it re-sized, but it really is just beautiful. 

2. Silver oculus cuff by Pamela Love. £180. 

I've only recently discovered Pamela Love recently, so this cuff is brand new to me. I can't tell you much about it, but I do love a cuff. It's sterling silver and has an amazing double eye feature. There's a place in my heart for "evil eye" jewellery, so this is why this cuff made it on the list. I also like the extra "tear" detail on the right-hand eye. Nice touch. Here it is: 

3. Silver evol fire opal stud earrings by Anna Sheffield. £165. 

There are two things I like about these earrings. Number one: The amazing, amazing fire opals (set in sterling silver). Just look at that colour saturation; fire opal is certainly the correct name for them. I might have even called them lava opals. The second thing you don't spot until you see the side view. Look at how these fantastic opals are mounted… backwards! Who does this?! It gives them an extra edge which moves them from "they are pretty" to "oh my goodness, how will I live my life without them?". Here are both views for you to enjoy: 

4. Here comes the big one… 18ct gold, sapphire, and diamond ring by Kojis. £8,500. 

Seriously folks, look at this bad-ass ring! It features lots of good stuff - a cabochon moonstone, some oval sapphires, and then a gazillion brilliant cut white diamonds. I would be planning cocktail parties every week just so I had an excuse to wear it! 

There are a million and one pieces that I'd love to own by Kojis, and I'll save those for another day. Their catalogues just make me speechless. 

5. Gold nectar jasmine droplet necklace by Annoushka. £950. 

I like that this necklace has stones in the chain and then there are also droplets. I'm a sucker for droplet necklaces, especially "dew" type ones. These droplets are made from white sapphires. 

6. Last one (before the honourable mention). Yellow gold garnet and diamond ring by Ruth Tomlinson. £1,065. 

I'm enjoying ovals turned side-ways at the moment, which I think is why this one makes the cut. I also love the rustic/Roman-esque styling of the metal. It looks ancient! 

It's made up of red garnet and two diamonds. It doesn't say what colour the diamonds are, but they are obviously not white. So, so pretty, and very unique. 

That's it for tonight folks. I've got a chilli chicken in the oven and I've had a lovely weekend. I was also gifted a new Pandora bracelet today. It's one of the new bangles (Moments charm bangle) and here is a stock picture from their website: 

Oh, and before I go… Liberty are offering £30 off when you spend £150 online when you enter 30LIBERTY at checkout.

Bye for now. 

I just remembered my promise of an honourable mention! This necklace is the Blue resin key necklace by Isabel Marant. The reason it's getting an honourable mention is that I LOVE it, and I think the enamelling is just amazingly unique and perfect, but the necklace is made from brass and I don't know how long-lived that makes it, and at £115 that's a shame. I would have paid  bit more to get it in a precious metal. Isn't it beautiful?! It's actually in my top three from today's lot! 

Bye again!