Bronze Jewelry Design · 2026
Her Decree Ring
by Yutong Shen
- A' Design Award 2026 Bronze Winner in Jewelry Design
- Awarded April 15, 2026
- CLIENT: Yelonne Chatonne
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 8,281
- Verification code E7069210D9 · Verify this award
About Her Decree Ring
Her Decree is a ring that can also be used as a pen. The design is inspired by the quill pen, a historic symbol of knowledge and authority, reinterpreted as a contemporary expression of power. The tip incorporates an inkless alloy pen point, allowing the ring to serve as a discreet and precise signing instrument. The feather form is shaped through precision 3D modeling and produced by high-detail lost-wax casting, giving the structure both sculptural fluidity and strength. The ring represents the power of a woman to write her own destiny.
Contemporary jewelry design represents a fascinating intersection where sculptural form, precious materiality, and intimate bodily adornment converge to create objects that function simultaneously as artistic statement, personal talisman, and wearable craft. This ring exemplifies the sophisticated formal vocabulary available to contemporary metalsmiths working within established precious jewelry traditions while introducing distinctive asymmetrical compositional strategies that challenge conventional ring architecture. The design demonstrates notable technical accomplishment across multiple specialized craft domains: the large circular element features meticulously executed guilloché engine-turning, a decorative technique requiring precision mechanical engraving to create the radial sunburst pattern that produces subtle optical effects as light rakes across the textured surface, revealing the maker's command of traditional ornamental vocabularies rooted in eighteenth and nineteenth-century European goldsmithing and watchmaking practices. The cushion-cut sapphire, exhibiting vivid saturation and apparent clarity suggesting high-quality natural or laboratory-grown corundum, receives secure four-prong mounting that balances stone protection with maximum light transmission, allowing the gem's inherent optical properties to activate fully while the substantial scale of the stone establishes visual dominance and chromatic focus within the composition. The band construction integrates parallel reeding or rope-twist texture that provides both aesthetic detail and ergonomic functionality, creating tactile interest for the wearer while the ridged surface may assist in preventing rotation of the asymmetrical top structure around the finger. The overall form achieves dynamic equilibrium despite pronounced asymmetry, the large disc counterbalancing the gemstone mass while the connecting band architecture mediates between these elements with sufficient structural integrity to support the cantilevered composition during wear. Chromatic restraint focusing primarily on the cool neutrals of polished silver punctuated by the singular saturated accent of sapphire blue demonstrates sophisticated color discipline, allowing material and form to communicate without chromatic competition while the blue stone carries traditional associations with wisdom, nobility, and celestial connection across multiple cultural contexts. The presentation strategy positions the work between commercial product documentation and intimate personal narrative, the inclusion of human gesture and handwritten text suggesting the ring's function as meaningful adornment rather than abstract sculptural object, inviting consideration of how jewelry uniquely occupies the liminal space between autonomous art object and body-integrated ornament whose full activation requires living wear. How does the asymmetrical architecture of this design transform the conventional experience of wearing a ring, and what relationships between stability and movement, permanence and rotation, might the wearer discover through daily interaction with this distinctive form?
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- A ring that can write. A pen that can be worn. Inspired by the quill pen, this piece transforms a historic symbol of knowledge and authority into a contemporary expression of power. The tip incorporates an inkless alloy pen tip, allowing the ring to function as a subtle and precise signing instrument. It represents the power of a woman to define, declare, and write her own destiny.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- 26mm x 22mm x 28mm
- Tags
- quill pen, female empowerment, wearable design, functional jewelry, symbolic design, contemporary jewelry, inkless pen
- Production Technology
- The ring is developed through precision 3D modeling and produced using high-detail lost-wax casting. The feather structure is digitally engineered to maintain both sculptural fluidity and structural strength.
- Design Challenge
- The primary challenge of this project was translating the symbolic meaning of the quill pen into a contemporary ring form without reducing it to literal decoration. The design required balancing sculptural elegance with structural durability. Integrating an inkless writing mechanism within a fine jewelry scale presented technical constraints related to precision, material strength, and wearability. Additional challenges included maintaining aesthetic refinement while ensuring functional reliability. These obstacles were addressed through iterative digital modeling, structural reinforcement strategies, and material testing to achieve both conceptual integrity and practical feasibility.
- Project Duration
- The project started in Dec 2025 in New york and finished in Feb 2026
- Research
- This project investigates the historical symbolism of the quill pen as an instrument of knowledge and authority from the sixth to seventh century onward. Research focused on the relationship between writing, power structures, and gender identity in European history. Methods included historical literature review, visual analysis of royal documentation artifacts, and material experimentation through digital modeling and prototyping. The design integrates symbolic abstraction with functional innovation by incorporating an inkless writing mechanism within a wearable object. The result is a ring that reinterprets authorship as a contemporary expression of female agency and personal sovereignty.
- Inspiration
- This ring is inspired by the quill pen, widely used across Europe from the sixth to seventh century onward. In that era, knowledge was inseparable from divine authority and writing symbolized power and order. Reimagined as a ring, the flowing feather express grace and softness while the pen represents intellect and discernment. It embodies a balance of elegance and wisdom and symbolizes a woman writing her own power.
- Image Credits
- Yutong Shen
- Patents
- Yutong Shen