Monthly Theme: RINGS!

It's the first of the month and you know what that means, dear readers. Our darling Sophistiqué Noir's Monthly Theme, of course! This month's theme is Rings and holy smokes, do I have lots to share with you. I actually have a jewelry box full of rings so I've decided to pick my favorites and my super special rings to feature. I tend to gravitate towards big, bold styles with larger stones and heavier settings. I can get away with wearing this kind of ring because my fingers and hands are really long. I do have some more delicate styles, but that's because the gems and metals are more precious and the settings a bit more conservative. 

Please mind my "naked" nails. I haven't had a chance to polish them -- it is the beginning of the semester after all, and life tends to be super crazy as I try to organize my classes.

This is a good sampling of what is in my jewelry box. Most of the metal is silver, though my wedding bands and engagement ring are yellow or white gold respectively. I'm attracted to silver for a number of reasons: 1. it used to be very affordable, 2. I'm more of a lunar baby and silver "holds" the energy of the Moon, and 3. I love the way silver looks on me ... heck, all Goths do because it matches what we wear, black.

You'll notice that in every photo I am wearing a small, silver ring high up on my pinky finger. This is a child's ring that I bought a zillion years ago when I was still in college (1991ish). It's not often that it leaves this finger and I have a permanent indentation from it. You'll also notice that I'm using my left hand to model all the rings, a hand that is always sporting my wedding bands. I just can't take photos with my left hand so this will do.

The above ring is my engagement ring. It's a white gold setting with diamonds and a single sapphire. Ed wanted to do something different and decided to go much more traditional than a diamond. Sapphires were used as engagement and promise rings throughout history, therefore it was perfect for us. He proposed to me in Marblehead, MA the weekend before Halloween on a full moon. We went to Fort Sewall to catch our breath from Haunted Happenings in Salem -- we were living there at the time and were a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing. Marblehead was nice and quiet and the most perfect place (and night) to propose. As he said, he gave me the sky, moon and stars. :)

A dear reader recently asked me why I wear three wedding bands. Good question, darling! The top wedding band is the one that Ed and exchanged on our wedding day. We were legally handfasted in Salem, MA by our dear friend and High Priestess, Teri K. who owns Artemisia Botanicals. If you're ever in the Salem make sure you go say hi to Teri and her daughter Meghan, who helps her at the shop. Artemisia is an awesome herb shop that carries loose herbs, teas, oils, soaps, ritual clothing and supplies. I digress ... the top band is a reproduction of a 15th century French poesy ring that says, "Vous et nul autre." Ed has a matching ring. We both have a deep and passionate love for history and are avid Renaissance Faire attendees -- yes, we wear garb! The ring is a combination of this love and my adoration of everything French; admittedly I am a bit of a Francophile.

The middle band was given to me by Ed on our first anniversary. It's a claddagh band with diamonds and emeralds. I gave him a claddagh as well. This band not only marks our first year married but it also honors his Celtic heritage, of which he is very proud. 

The band closest to my hand is my third anniversary present. The diamonds in the band are princess cut and only occupy the front of the setting. There is no back story to this ring; Ed just wanted to give me diamonds that year.

The above two photos show three rings that I bought at the NY Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo Park, NY. These are handmade by Moon Angel, artists located in Sugar Loaf, NY who specialize in these kinds of natural/botanical/organic forms. I absolutely adore their jewelry and have other pieces by them like an ear cuff and necklace. 

These are two rings that I bought for myself to celebrate milestones in my life. I bought the ring on my middle finger is in honor of passing my First Exam which is the exam I had to take before I was eligible to take my Orals. I tried to take the exam twice: the first time I had to opt out because I came down with a SEVERE case of shingles. The second time I did take and pass the exam with flying colors; however, I did so under distress. My father died the week before. Let's just say it was a amazing act of will that I actually went to the exam never mind passing it. The stones are all quartz and represent stages in my education. The small orange stone, a citrine, represents my Bachelors degree, the lemon quartz represents my Masters Degree, and the smoky quartz represents my PhD. 

The garnet ring was a birthday gift to myself last year. I turned 39, a most magical number. It's garnet and diamonds set in silver.

As I already said, I love big, bold statement rings in a variety of stones. Going from left to right: silver and moonstone (gift from Ed), pearl (gift to myself), rose quartz (gift to myself).

I bought this rose quartz ring in a Tibetan shop on MacDougal Street in Manhattan. The weight of the quartz and this gorgeous setting really caught my eye and I just couldn't leave the store without it. There are certain stones that I am attracted to and mostly for magical reasons. Yes, I am Wiccan and yes, I wear stones for protection, for their vibration, etc. 

The rings on the left and center were gifts from my Mom. The stone in the left ring is a labradorite and the setting is SUPER heavy. The center ring is an all silver sculpted band from the Robert Lee Morris collection on QVC. Both rings were for birthdays. 

The amber ring on the right was giving to me by my very dear friend and coven sister, Elizabeth. This was a gift for my Third Degree which in itself gives this ring special meaning. Making this ring more special is the fact that Elizabeth died years ago from breast cancer ... I performed her last rites and her funeral ritual. Elizabeth will always be with me, especially when I wear this ring. She was the most wonderful, caring and fabulous person and I miss her deeply. When she walked into a room it was like someone opened the door to a beautiful, sunny Spring day! And her smile was absolutely infectious. 

Did you really think I could do this jewelry challenge without featuring a piece from Alchemy Gothic? Above is Alchemy's Wintergarden ring, which was a gift from Ed.  

Isn't this ring AWESOME?!? It's from the Honora Pearl line from QVC and was a gift from Ed. Yes, the pearls are freshwater and are dyed those colors. I wanted this ring in the worst way because it was so odd. I just love the colors and the way the pearls pile on each other -- it's like a ring sculpture made from pearls! 

I have to thank Ms. Kitty for this challenge. She made me look through my rings, in turn making me want to wear them again. I work a lot with my hands and I'm always afraid of smacking rings against desktops and bookshelves. But what fun is it to have these beauties if I never wear them? So, yesterday I wore my engagement ring and the quartz ring in addition to my wedding bands and small silver kid's ring. Maybe Friday I'll wear that fabulous pearl cluster ring? hmmm ...