Oval Blue Topaz Freeform Bypass Ring with a Curved Row of Five Round Diamonds in 10k Yellow Gold

An oval blue topaz, a bright clear sky-blue, sits in the fold of this ring, held by four yellow gold prongs. The mounting is a single broad polished band that does not stop at the stone: one arm curls down and around the left side of the topaz, the other rises across the top of it and carries five round diamonds, .15 carat total weight, set in white prong heads along a curving diagonal line. The shank is wide and polished to a high shine throughout. 7.40 grams of 10k yellow gold.

Most rings are built around a stone. This one is built around a line. Follow the band with your eye and it never really stops — it sweeps under the topaz, folds back over the top, and the five diamonds are placed exactly where you need them to keep going. Notice too that the topaz is not squared up to the finger the way a solitaire would be; it sits slightly turned in the fold, as if the band caught it mid-motion. That is the whole idea of the piece, and it is why it reads as a hand-made studio ring rather than a catalogue setting. The high polish does the rest, because a curved mirror surface throws light in long streaks rather than points, and the blue stone sits inside all that movement perfectly still. Do you follow the diamonds up, or the band down?