What inspires me - my grandmother's ring

When I was young I had a fascination with my Grandmother Esther's jewelry. She was a fashion plate in her day and her jewelry was different than anything else I had seen.

She had a poison ring. It was a ring whose main decoration hid a small box where poison was supposed to be held - at least that is what she told me.

The ring was old and beaten up from many years of wear but I coveted it and she gave it to me. By the time I got it the hinge for the box was broken and the ring was way too big for me. When I could afford it I took it to a silver smith and he modified it for me.

The other day I was looking in my jewelry box and rediscovered it. It is probably 80 years old by now. I still love it and didn't realize how much that ring had inspired me when it came time to design my own jewelry.

The following pictures illustrate the unintended inpiration the ring gave to my creations many years later. I used a similar style in the ring band and created my own version of the three graces many years later.