Silver Jewelry Design · 2025
Align Vault Ring
- A' Design Award 2025 Silver Winner in Jewelry Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Harsha Ambady
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 58,837
- Verification code DEC9BE48AF · Verify this award
About Align Vault Ring
The collection takes inspiration from the step well, known as Kolam in Kerala. The geometric layout and symmetric steps contain water reflecting the lush greenery of its surroundings. The design uses clean, bold lines that coil around the smooth cylinder shaped labradorite gemstone. The labradorite has been used here to depict water.
Harsha Ambady's Align Vault Ring emerges from the vibrant tradition of contemporary studio jewelry that privileges sculptural presence and material dialogue over conventional gemstone display, positioning itself within design conversations that celebrate the inherent beauty of natural materials alongside refined metalworking craft. The work demonstrates remarkable technical achievement in its precise wire cage construction, wherein parallel gold bands encircle a cylindrical stone element with mathematical regularity, creating an architectural framework that simultaneously protects and celebrates the geological specimen within. This approach to stone setting departs from traditional prong or bezel methods, instead proposing an open structural system that allows light to penetrate and illuminate the stone from multiple angles while establishing visual rhythm through repetition. The chromatic relationship between warm gold tones and cool grey-green stone activates a sophisticated complementary tension that draws the eye continuously between metallic luminosity and earthen groundedness, suggesting meditation on the relationship between human craft and natural formation. The stone itself, with its characteristic dark mineral inclusions scattered across the surface like constellations, introduces an element of geological time into the composition, each speck representing millions of years of mineral crystallization now held within a contemporary design framework. Thematically, the work appears to explore concepts of containment and revelation, protection and display, the geometric precision of the wire cage suggesting both vault-like security and transparent accessibility. The designer signature visible on the interior band speaks to the piece's status as authored artistic statement rather than anonymous commercial production, inviting consideration of jewelry as a medium for individual creative expression. One might contemplate how this ring transforms the wearer's hand into a site of material poetry, where the meeting of skin, gold, and stone creates an intimate dialogue between body, culture, and earth.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Align collection is inspired by the architecture and details of Kolam, the pond or step well in Kerala, is known for its geometric layout and symmetric steps leading to water reflecting the lush greenery of its surroundings.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Overall dimension 27mm x 25mm x 8mm
Labradorite stone size 6mm dia x 25mm - Tags
- jewelry design, geometry, minimalism, art deco, modern
- Production Technology
- The base metal is brass with 18k gold plating with a cylinder shaped labradorite stone. The design was sketched and drafted on CorelDraw. After creating the technical sheet, it was sent to the factory for 3D making and sampling.
- Design Challenge
- The concept was meant to be for my launch collection for the brand and the most difficult part of the process was to decide the brand language and aesthetic I wanted to portray. However, since I love geometry, and that is my stronger perspective, I decided to go with a concept that best describes my style as a Designer.
- Project Duration
- Oct-Nov 2023 in Thrissur, Kerala, India
- Operation Flow
- Wired metal design holding the custom cut cylinder labradorite stone
Handcrafted in Brass with 18k Gold plating. - Research
- The ring is from the Align collection, which is the launch collection for my Jewelry brand under the label Harsha Ambady. The most time consuming part of the process was to decide the brand language and decide the concept for the first collection. I wanted to incorporate a collection that speaks of my roots. I did a little research on Kerala Architecture and decided to use stepwells as my concept as it is quite an interesting approach.
- Inspiration
- As a Designer, I have always had an inclination towards geometry and modern forms. This design is inspired from the stepwells found in Kerala, India. The straight, bold lines is the prominent feature. The use of the cylindrical labradorite stone enhances the metal.
- Image Credits
- all images: Photographer myself, illustration myself, video/sound nil