Simcha Gallery

Here’s the sea foam ring that I’ve made for Chloe, to celebrate her completing her PhD in Bimolecular Archaeology at York.

Chloe’s been researching the age of ancient rhinoceroses, in archaeological sites in Zambia, but also the Wooly Rhinoceroses who once happily roamed, along with our ancestors, on Doggerland. This was our long lost Atlantis land, that joined Britain to mainland Europe, before the melting of the glaciers, at the end of the last Ice Age, 8200 years ago, which deluged the vast area with what was to become the North Sea

So my ring for Chloe has Opal and Moonstone, surrounded by dancing golden sea foam, to connect with this fascinating ancient time

Opals are formed from the deposition of vertebrate silica in subterranean rock fissures, transported from the ground surface by percolating rain water. Over the course of millennia, a silica gel forms and solidifies. Only on the rare occasions, when the platelets within the Opal form in perfect alignment can light refract, so that the strong rainbow light play is visible

I thought this would be the perfect gemstone to evoke the Wooly Rhino, as both involve the passage of time, and silicate material. Also the pear shape reminds Chloe of their horns!

The Blue Moonstone also has a beautiful light play, which is delicate, and so compliments the Opal

Moonstones are named after the Moon, the light of which was thought, in the past, to be held within the gem. As the Moon influences the Oceans tides, I thought this would be a poetic stone to compliment the Opal, echoing the rhythm of deep time, within which it is formed
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Here’s the Stepping Stones Eternity ring, that I have made for Linda, with her watery inspired choice of gemstones: Emerald, rich and light Tsavorite, green, blue and white Diamonds, Sri Lanka and green Sapphires, blue and green Tourmalines.
The ring is very delicate, with the gems being only 1.75mm.
I describe these as my Stepping Stones rings, imagining the beautifully uneven line of stones placed in a river, often hundreds of years past, to enable a safe crossing from one riverside to the other. And so the Eternity ring is a like a little amulet, for the safe passage through life
I’m working on a collection of these rings in the next few days: Champagne Diamond mix, white Diamonds, blue and green gem mixes, Rubies…
All can be worn with my other rings for a gorgeous stack
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So many rings being made right now at my bench.
Over next few days I’ll post the batch I’ve been working on. Then lots more Engagement and Wedding rings that I’m excited to be making for my collections

Here’s the white gold Entwining Ivy Leaves Wedding ring I made for my lovely customer, Amelia last week, for her August Wedding. Inspired by wild nature, with hand engraved delicate leaves upon tendrils entwining a knarly twig band. She loves her ring

https://stephenroperjewellery.com/product/entwining-ivy-leaves-ring-9ct-white-gold/

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Original art card, hand made in the gallery by Anne. A gilded mono print with fern

Forest dreaming… Oak leaf and acorn ring, with stems entwining around the band. Holding a luscious 4mm Emerald

Forest dreaming. Oak leaf and acorn ring, with stems curling around the band, holding a luscious 4mm Emerald
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Entwining Leaves ring with a beautiful Emerald, posted off to London Town today.
Thanks very much for your online orders 🌿

https://stephenroperjewellery.com/product/entwining-leaves-ring-1-75mm-emerald-silver/

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Reed Wedding rings, narrow and wide, for Amy and Jake, who discovered our gallery yesterday, and chose their rings from me for their Wedding, which is in two weeks time. I managed to re-size Amy’s ring within the hour!

Delicate 2mm Bark Wedding ring in 9ct White Gold, for Tania, whose Wedding is next weekend 💚
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When Ryan proposed to Molly with my Entwining Leaves Green Tourmaline, and she said YES!
Feeling on top of the world, atop the Atlas Mountains, in Morocco
Molly Govus

Here’s the Wild Wood Wedding ring I’ve made for Claire. The seed cluster tumbles into the gap between the Green Tourmaline and Amethsyt of the Engagement ring I also made for her

And here are my studio images of the Entwining Ivy Leaves ring with a 5mm Aquamarine

https://stephenroperjewellery.com/product/entwining-ivy-leaves-ring-5mm-aquamarine-9ct-yellow-gold-2/
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And here are my studio images of the sea glass ring and pendant. Listen to the waves upon the shore, smell the briny air…
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Magical Moonstone Wild Wood ring for Milda’s Mum in Lithuania.
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Entwining Ivy leaf ring, posted to Northern Ireland, with a cluster of seeds upon the leaf, and a gorgeous rich green Tsavorite, evocative of the leaf’s colour.

Did you know the gem is a form of Garnet?

It was first mined in the Tsavo National Park in Kenya, in 1971, and is still a scarcely found gemstone, only known to occur in Tanzania, Pakistan, and also in Queen Maud Land in Antarctica, where it would probably be best left untouched, given the precarious climate changes there!
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Wild Wood Wedding and Engagement ring set for Marianne

Wild Wood Wedding and Engagement ring set for my lovely customers

Studio images of my London Blue Topaz Seed Cluster ring
I’m making a whole collection of these on my bench right now, along with other new rings, for launch in a few days…
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Here’s the wide Bark ring (15mm) that I re-sized to z+3 for the mighty Nick!!!
The deeply furrowed texture was created by an unpredictable process called reticulation. This involves an 8x cycle of heating the sheet metal almost to melting point, and cleaning in acid. The process, called depletion gilding, strips oxidised copper in the silver alloy off the surface each time the heated silver is cleaned in acid, and results in a gradual build up of pure silver on the surface. When I carefully heat the silver for the final time, the inner core melts, while the pure silver surface, which has a higher melting point, remains solid, but buckles into the organic texture of the completed ring. It really is a magical process on my bench, evoking the massive tectonic forces that, over millennia, shaped mountain ranges !
To make the design with the maximum texture takes several failed attempts, until I strike gold!
Then this master design is produced in small cast batch runs
I make the Bark rings in 5 widths from 3mm to 15mm, in silver and gold

Here’s the wide Bark ring (15mm) that I re-sized to z+3 for the mighty Nick!!!
The deeply furrowed texture was created by an unpredictable process called reticulation. This involves an 8x cycle of heating the sheet metal almost to melting point, and cleaning in acid. The process, called depletion gilding, strips oxidised copper in the silver alloy off the surface each time the heated silver is cleaned in acid, and results in a gradual build up of pure silver on the surface. When I carefully heat the silver for the final time, the inner core melts, while the pure silver surface, which has a higher melting point, remains solid, but buckles into the organic texture of the completed ring. It really is a magical process on my bench, evoking the massive tectonic forces that, over millennia, shaped mountain ranges !
To make the design with the maximum texture takes several failed attempts, until I strike gold!
Then this master design is produced in small cast batch runs
I make the Bark rings in 5 widths from 3mm to 15mm, in silver and gold

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Here are the Reed Wedding rings that I’ve made for Fiona and Jean Paul.

Inspired by wetlands river reeds, abundant slender grasses, which have, since the most ancient times, been used for both musical instruments (flutes, pan pipes , clarinet etc) and construction (thatched roofs, reed houses of the Iraqi marsh Arabs)

I made Jean Paul’s medium Reed ring in 9ct gold.

I curved Fiona’s white gold ring to sit beside the wonderful Emeralds Engagement ring made by Victoria Daniel, in London.

I make the Reed rings in three widths, narrow, medium and wide. Here are some pictures of the collection

They also stack beautifully with my other ancient treasure nature rings

For the ring stack image, the rings are:
1. Narrow Reed ring, £295
2. Narrow Bark ring, £395
3. Entwining Leaves ring, medium width Eternity ring, £695
4. Medium Reed ring, £595
6.Entwining Leaves ring, narrow width Eternity £595

These are in 9ct yellow gold. I also make them in white gold, and in 18ct gold

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