'Iliahi RingOctober 2018 'Iliahi, 14 karat yellow gold 'Iliahi, or Hawaiian sandalwood (Santalum paniculatum) is an extremely rare and highly prized endemic hardwood. Once plentiful in the Hawaiian Islands, it was nearly harvested to extinction by foreign demand between 1790 and 1830 and was the currency by which the Kingdom of Hawaii transitioned into an international trading economy. While it is mostly valued for its natural fragrance (the wood was typically

for this gorgeous sapphire trio

" That was the easy part

which subsequently had a second similarly-colored metal cast inside of it—in this case

which is appropriate to this piece

The pearl here is a globe of Himalayan salt

longer and shorter lengths of iron and gold wire were cut as needed

That everything worked out the way it did was nothing short of a miracle

casting their light into every corner of the hamsa

which symbolizes unity

although as gold applique instead of a die-struck design

urge for growth and pursuit of freedom and prosperity

because she and her sister already had the sterling silver Elsa Peretti® Bean® (which I had not known when I created the design)