Inspiration from Sante Fe New Mexico

I am no longer in the phase of life in which I am drawn to buying jewelry. I have beautiful pieces that I have accumulated over the years but no longer wear. Some rings no longer fit. Some earrings pull on my lobes or hurt my piercings. I stopped traveling with my jewelry for fear that I would lose or damage it.

So during a recent trip with my daughter to Sante Fe New Mexico, as we explored the various artisans, we both gravitated toward a jewelry artist whose silver rings were elegant in their simplicity.

I kept telling myself, I was not in the market for a piece of jewelry. And a ring was out of the question. Until….

When I tried it on, I expected it to look horrible. My fingers and hands are not getting any younger. I wondered when and where I’d wear this? Do I want to spend this much money for a ring that I may not wear? I walked away….for all the wrong reasons.

And then decided to give it some more thought:

• It is a memory; not a piece of jewelry
• My fingers and hand actually looked lovely with it on
• It is versatile and I can wear it on my thumb, index or middle finger
• It is expressive with a pattern then when turned around has a different look
• It is aesthetically pleasing
• And above all, it reminds me that I am an artist and gives me joy.

For all the right reasons, I bought the ring and was inspired to capture it in an abstract remembrance of Sante Fe.