Men's Horseshoe Ring with .23cttw Diamonds and Brushed 14k Yellow Gold Sides

A horseshoe sits raised across the face of this ring, opening upward, finished bright white so it stands clear of the yellow gold around it. Round brilliant diamonds are prong set along its curve, and short notches are cut across each arm where the nail slots sit on a working shoe. The shoe is open in the middle rather than backed by a plate, so you see the shank straight through it. The sides are wide and brushed to a fine directional grain, tapering back to a polished band. 7.20 grams of 14k yellow gold, and the carat weight is stamped into the shank: .23.

The brushed sides are the decision that makes this ring work. Polished gold that wide would throw light everywhere and the diamonds would have to compete with their own setting for attention; brushed, it goes quiet and hands the whole job to the stones and the white shoe. Same reasoning behind leaving the shoe open in the middle — a solid back would have been easier to make and would have read as a lump of metal, whereas the opening lets light through and keeps the outline reading as a horseshoe from across a room. Even the notches on the arms are doing work: they are the detail that tells you somebody was looking at an actual shoe when they drew this, not just a curved bar. A horseshoe is the oldest piece of luck anybody in Kentucky carries. Which way does yours point?