In previous Sparkle On blog posts, I’ve mentioned that one aspect of the Sparkle Squad subscription that I’ve enjoyed is the ways in which I can test products and receive feedback from subscribers. Several of my ideas have been solidified, improved, or rejected based upon the response from subscribers. For the March Sparkle Squad box, we prototyped an item that has been requested by Elegant Insights customers for years, but I’ve been reluctant to add the item to our inventory. You may recall in my previous Sparkle On blog post, I expressed a similar sentiment about offering pins.
Several times over the years, I’m asked if I offer rings. The answer has always been no, along with an emphatic, “nor will we.” The reasons I’ve been uninterested in carrying rings is twofold. First, the range of sizes I’d have to inventory would be cumbersome. The typical ring size range is from size 5 through 10, each of which would require it’s own stock number and quantity. Second, unless you’re really a ring lover, very few people know their ring size. Perhaps you needed to know it if you had your engagement or wedding ring sized, but that may have been years ago. With ten fingers to choose from, ring sizes vary. Ring sizes may also vary on the same finger on the same hand, for example, if your fingers swell during the warmer months, or if you wear a wide band versus a narrow band ring. Unless you are used to wearing a lot of rings, getting your ring size right can be tricky. Additionally, not everyone has the same taste in what types of jewelry they love best. Some are really into earrings, and love all the styles from dainty to dangly. Others adore bracelets, collect them, and wear them in multiples all the way up their arm. For either of these, there’s really only one size. Even if a necklace or bracelet is a different length or style, you can still wear it. Fit is not an issue. Rings are different,
To me, the only logical solution to the problem was to create an adjustable ring, a “one size fits most” idea that would allow for size variations. I’ve toyed with a few adjustable ring designs over the years, and have never liked any of them. The resulting designs were unsatisfactory, as I wished to avoid the style of adjustable rings that looked like they dropped out of a gumball machine, like those I wore when I was a little girl. Yes, I loved jewelry even then.
The ring included in this month’s Sparkle Squad subscription box is not my design. Cheree, the artist who works for Elegant insights, approached me whit a handful of ring designs she made using a technique called wire wrapping. I’ve seen commercially available as well as handcrafted jewelry made using this technique. There are a few items on the Elegant Insights web site that incorporate wire wrapping, as it is a bit of a specialty for Cheree. She gave me a half-dozen rings, all similar in design but made using a variety of materials, and asked me what I thought of them. My first reaction was to realize that Cheree had come up with a design to make the ring adjustable in a way that looked more sophisticated than the gumball machine rings of my childhood. I loved the result, suggested a few tweaks, showed the rings around, wore them for awhile, and decided to give the design a try. So, Sparkle Squad subscribers, you are my test subjects.
The Sparkle Dots box:
Your ring is crafted of shiny stainless steel, which is hypo-allergenic and tarnish free. Several of my subscribers have metal sensitivities, so I thought this first effort should be nickel-free, surgical steel. The ring is called a bypass style, which means that as the ring wraps around, instead of the two ends meeting to close the circle, they bypass each other across the top of the finger, like two cars going in opposite directions on the highway. In other words, the ends overlap, or bypass, each other. On one end, there is an open heart, and the ring is embellished with a genuine white freshwater pearl.
You can adjust the ring to fit by gently pulling the ring ends apart to expand the diameter of the band, or you can squeeze the ring together for smaller fingers. The ring is not meant to fit the very smallest or very largest finger size, but the adjustability aspect should work well for those in the average ring size range from 6 to 8.
The Essential Elegance box:
Essential Elegance subscribers also received the pearl ring, which, by the way, matches the steel and white freshwater pearl bracelet and pearl pendant set you received in your Essential Elegance box last summer. So, now you have a complete suite of silvery steel and pearl jewelry, perfect for a vacation or business trip. Steel does not rust or corrode, and white pearls go with everything.
You also received one of our leather necklaces from our “Hyde and Seek” collection. The braille embossed charm is a brass butterfly, and the necklace secures with an S-hook clasp in the back. The clasp itself is tiny, but the detail is super cute, as you’ll get one with either a leaf design or a heart on each end of the clasp. Just hook the open end of the hook through the closed loop end of the hook, and your necklace will stay connected.
Since wearing a fashion ring means your hands will be in the spotlight, I included a couple of items so that you can nail your nail game. Everyone gets a four-way manicure block, which let’s you clean up rough edges and bring your nails to a high shine, even if you don’t wear polish. The grit on each side of the block gets increasingly fine, so start with the roughest side to file and shape, then use the subsequent sides to soften the rough edges, smooth out ridges, and buff your nails to a shine. There’s also an emery board you can tuck into your purse or desk drawer so that your pointers will always be on point. We wrapped it all up with soft spring pastel tissue, and tucked your new ring into a little ring box with a bow on top.
As we continue to experiment with ring designs, I’ll incorporate the feedback I get from my Sparkle Squad subscribers, along with trying different metals, such as sterling silver or colored wire. I also have a charm ring idea that will bring in braille for perfect personalization. Want to be part of upcoming design projects? Join the Sparkle Squad! There are two boxes from which to choose, and you’ll get new items first, at better prices than on the web site, and fun freebies each quarter just to keep things interesting. Hope you enjoy this season’s box!
Sparkle on!
Laura
