East-West Tulip Plaque Ring with Bronze Relief

Specs

Care

Dry polishing cloth only. No silver dip — it strips the oxidation and attacks the bronze. Bronze patina is normal and can be polished back.

Motif

Ottoman tulip stem, border layout

Stone

None

Style

East-west plaque ring

Finish

Hammered and oxidised silver ground, bronze relief

Gender

Unisex

Origin

Handmade in Cappadocia, Turkey

Material

925 sterling silver with bronze relief and rim

Shoulders

Split silver rails

Face Shape

Rounded rectangle, worn across the finger

Metal Purity

925 sterling silver

Accent Material

Solid bronze

Highlights

• Solid 925 sterling silver plaque, band and shoulders, nickel-free
• Set east-west — the long face lies across the finger, not along it
• Bronze tulip stem in relief, running the full length of the panel
• Bronze rim framing all four sides, corners softened
• Hammered silver ground, oxidised almost black so the relief lifts off it
• Split shoulders that widen before the plaque, so the long face stays put
• Solid bronze, not plating — it patinas instead of wearing through
• Handmade in our Cappadocia workshop, Turkey — hammered ground varies per ring
• Arrives in a Sapheen gift box with a care card

Made by Sapheen

Description

A long rectangular plaque set across the finger rather than along it, framed in bronze, with a bronze tulip stem running the full length of the panel in relief — blooms opening at both ends, small leaves and a bud between them, and a bronze bead closing one end like a full stop. The east-west setting is the decision the whole ring is built on. Turned this way the face reads as a panel, not as a jewel: it follows the line of the hand rather than cutting across it, and it fills the space between the knuckles instead of standing above it. It is also why the tulip is laid out horizontally, as a running stem, rather than as a single upright flower. That layout has a source. On Ottoman tile work the tulip appears two ways — as a single stem inside a medallion, and as a repeating stem running along a border or frieze. This ring takes the second form. The stem travels left to right across the panel the way it would along the top of a tiled wall, which is why the composition reads as continuous rather than centred. The ground behind it is sterling silver, hammered into a dense pitted texture and oxidised almost black, so the bronze relief lifts clearly off it. The bronze rim then closes the panel on all four sides and softens the corners, which keeps a rectangle this long from looking severe on the hand. The shoulders split into two silver rails that open out before they meet the plaque. That drops weight from the underside and gives the long face a wide, stable footing — a plaque set east-west on a single narrow band would swivel. Two metals, two ways of ageing. The silver keeps its oxidised contrast; the bronze will deepen to a warmer brown with wear, and a bronze-safe polish takes it back to bright whenever you want the relief sharp again. Made by hand in our Cappadocia workshop. The hammering behind the tulip is struck freehand, so the ground is different on every ring.