Bold Old Lady Rings

Two things to talk about today, but both involve my collection of huge, costume jewelry rings. First, the artist Robert Indiana died yesterday. Indiana is best known for his Love logo, designed originally for a stamp but much reproduced on posters, sculptures and, for Ultimate II as a ring (pictured above).

I’ve long been drawn to big bold rings. I have a recollection of seeing images of artists like Frida Kahlo or Barbara Hepworth wearing chunky bands on their well worn hands, I thought “that’s a look for me!” It’s like the old ladies and their oversized glasses, but for hands!

Now, over a lifetime, I’ve got quite the collection. Some, like the dangly dude pictured above and the sort of mask-like filigree number, were acquired back in the late 1980s/early 1990s. A couple were found on the ground (the triangle pinky ring was given to me by my nephew and the talon band in the second photo from the top was picked up at Nuit Blanche by Mr. Andrew). Whether  I bought them new or second-hand you can see from the wear that they have all been well-loved.

My fun rings seem to fall into three categories. There are the more bohemian styles, like the beauties shown above. And then there are the more mod acrylic baubles, illustrated below.

Then there’s the shiny and the clear — a term Mr. Andrew used to describe the clothes that people wore in retro sci-fi. I admit that I didn’t jump on the lucite train until about ten years ago when my friend Samra asked if I had any futuristic pieces for a photo shoot she was doing. Embarrassed by the hole in my inventory, I started picking up all the acrylic I could find. Nobody has ever asked to borrow my jewelry again.And thirdly, I like sparkly rings. Okay the V-shaped ring is neither big, nor is it costume, but I’ve always paired it with the pear-shaped CZ so I consider it an extension of the other.

The rings above and below are all handset, and have a lot of sparkle but alas, are not the real deal. Still, if I ever got an invite to the Oscars, I could wear these. If you ever get an invite to the Oscars, you can borrow them.