Sarah Phetteplace | Armillary Orb Ring

Artist: Sarah Phetteplace, New York
Materials: sterling silver, quartz
Size: 7

Artist Statement: Entirely hand-built beginning with sterling silver wire and sheet, the Armillary Orb Ring showcases a colorless natural rock crystal sphere encased in three layers of freely moving concentric orbs. This globe, in turn, is clasped between two cups - gently enough that it may be rotated by hand but firmly enough that it cannot be removed.

Artist Bio: Sarah is a bench jeweler and jewelry designer, formally trained in classical goldsmithing technique and theory at the North Bennet Street School's Jewelry Making and Repair Program.

She was raised in New England, wedged happily between NH's modest coastline and the lofty peaks of the White Mountains. Later, time spent living in cities saw her surrounded by towering urban canyons of human invention. This, as well as her studies in creative writing, philosophy, and photography have instilled a curious awe for the geometry of nature as well as the myriad of ways people have sought to frame that wonder throughout history. This relationship steers her own creative work in stone and metal.

Sarah infuses pieces with elements of architecture, science, and movement. Her work explores properties of light and kinesis, as well as showcasing the distilled phenomena of natural gems. When not creating at the bench, Sarah is an avid hiker, rockhound and gemology nut, amateur photographer, and traveler.

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