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Claddagh Rings and Necklaces: Coming soon!

Claddagh Ring With Triquetra Knots
Claddagh Ring With Triquetra Knots
Concept: Claddagh Ring With Triquetra Knots

As a deisgner of Celtic jewelry, I have long been a fan of Claddagh rings and necklaces. For a long time I put off designing my own version of the Claddagh ring because frankly there are so many kinds out there already. It was difficult for me to see what I could add or offer that had not already been done. But a few customers encouraged me to design a Claddagh symbol, so I decided to give it a shot.

I started out by looking at many different ones and I compared and contrasted them. I wanted to go for a simple and bold design, also featuring a Celtic knot, which is my signature. Someone on Facebook suggested I try a version where the crowned heart is bracketed by triquetra knots instead of hands. So I did a version of that, too. I also did a more traditional one where the crowned heart is being held by hands. The hands were by far the most difficult part of all of this to design, and they are also what I am most concerned about turning out correctly in the manufacturing process.

Right now I have ordered samples of these rings in size 7 in raw brass from Shapeways. The samples will be here in a few weeks. At that point I will examine them and see if I need to revise them at all. If no revisions are needed then these rings should be available for order sometime in June. If revisions are needed it could be slightly longer.

Claddagh Ring
Claddagh Ring Concept
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New Arrival: Leaf Pattern Celtic Knot Rings

Leaf Celtic Knot Rings
Leaf Celtic Knot Ring

I got a new shipment from Shapeways with a few new pieces. I’ll be sharing them over the next few days. The first is the leaf pattern Celtic knot rings. This one is a size 6.5 and is made from Shapeways’ raw brass material.

I’ve only gotten a handful of items in this material from them but it is becoming one of my favorites. It has a very high level of detail! It is also one of Shapeways’ most inexpensive materials, at least for their premium metals. It depends on the item, but sometimes the raw bronze and raw brass can be similar in price to their stainless steel material. This is ususally the case for smaller items (like rings!). The bronze and brass metals are much higher quality than their stainless steel, in my opinion.

A lot of people really want the shine that the polished materials have but I find that Shapeways’ raw materials have much better details and still have some sparkle. Some of the details get polished away in the polished versions. I think choosing between the raw brass and polished brass (or any of their raw materials versus their polished versions) is not as obvious as it may seem at first glance. The raw brass, raw bronze and raw silver materials have a lot to offer!

The inspiration for this particular ring was that I really wanted to do something with a Spring and nature theme. I kind of wanted to build on the Tree of Life theme I started. I also have another leaf design I’ll be sharing soon. Click here to purchase this ring in the shop.