By Wendy Brandes
Located in New York, NY
This listing is for the complete seven-ring "Maneater" ring collection designed by contemporary jewelry artist Wendy Brandes.
This series of seven one-of-a-kind, sculptural artworks explores the once pejorative term "Maneater," with fanciful interpretations of creatures winning out over their oppressors or captors. The collection buzzes from well-known whimsical stories such as the Whale and Jonah or the Dragon and Knight to iterations more personal to the artist, such as her ode to her beloved New York City taxi cab, who refuses to pick up a Wall Street passenger. Brandes's taps into her past career as a journalist as she tells intricate stories through the earth's most valuable treasures. Her popular and wry blog has for more than a decade touched on pop culture and feminist ideas, making the term "Maneater" both more potent and, at times, laughable.
The artist was first inspired after collecting a bell as a young child, which had a dragon on top, with the knight inside of it -- clamoring against the bell's sheath and defeated. This concept of hidden qualities has long informed her jewelry career, with many pieces including mechanical elements. An avid historian with a particular interest in women's history led her to study Empress Wu Zeitan of China, whom was often referred to as a "dragon lady" during her tumultuous reign. The idea to explore the ways in which women have been perceived as more dangerous than their male counterparts has fascinated Brandes for decades, finally culminating in this high art collection.
The eighth and final piece is currently underway and has been in work for more than 18 months. The finale to this deep exploration of women's roles and attachment to jewelry will be the largest of the 8-piece collection. The right of first refusal will be offered upon work's completion to the collector who invests in the full collection.
Each piece in the collection was made by exceptional artisans in New York City, using the ancient lost wax casting method. Purchase includes individual, signed story books per item, as well as complimentary gift wrapping.
Read about each individual piece below:
The Frog & Prince:
The Wendy Brandes "Maneater" collection consists of seven one-of-a-kind rings, each of which features a triumphant creature on top, with a tiny man tucked away inside of the band. This is the first ring in this high art jewelry series, which will eventually be completed with an eighth piece.
The 18K rose gold frog is perched atop an 18K yellow gold "branch" studded with brown diamonds. inside the band, a diamond-eyed 18K white gold prince is hidden away. The intricate design took my artisans months to complete and we spent hours studying frog varieties before landing on this petite tropical tree frog. As a special touch, we created the frogs out of 18K green gold to emphasize the hue of the cabochon tsavorites.
22.9 grams of 18K rose, yellow, green, & white gold, satin finish.
23 points of brown diamonds.
3 points of white diamonds.
5 points of pink sapphires.
Size 6.
One-of-a-kind.
The Lion & Hunter:
This is the second ring in this high art jewelry series, which will eventually be completed with an eighth piece.
The 18K rose gold lion is the king of his tsavorite jungle, surveying his world with blue sapphire eyes. The yellow diamonds studding his mane accent the texture given to his lifelike hair. Inside of the band, a diamond-eyed 18K white-gold hunter can only dream of getting close to the big cat. The intricate design took three separate wax molds and the process took my New York City-based artisans months to finish.
30.17 grams of 18K rose, yellow, & white gold, satin finish.
9 points of yellow diamonds.
3 points of blue sapphires.
Approximately 25 points of tsavorites.
2 small white diamonds.
Size 6.
One-of-a-kind.
The Whale & Jonah:
This is the third ring in this high art jewelry series, which will eventually be completed with an eighth piece.
The 18K yellow gold whale with tsavorite eyes surges through a yellow gold sea of blue sapphires. Inside of the band, a diamond-eyed Jonah is hidden, curled into a fetal position as if inside the whale's stomach. The intricate design took my artisans months to finish.
26.1 grams of yellow & white gold, satin finish.
86 points of blue sapphires.
4 points of tsavorites.
White diamonds, totaling approximately 50 points.
Size 6.
One-of-a-kind.
Made in New York City.
The Bull & Bullfighter:
This is the fourth ring in this high art jewelry series, which will eventually be completed with an eighth piece.
The 18K rose gold bull is ready to charge atop a yellow gold and diamond stadium. Underneath the band, an 18K white gold matador stands with his back to the viewer, his cape swirling around him. The intricate design took my artisans months to complete and I didn't stop editing it until it was perfect -- even when that meant taking it apart after its initial debut and setting the bull higher in the coliseum.
25 grams of 18K rose, yellow, & white gold, satin finish.
350 black diamonds, totaling 1.48 carats.
79 white diamonds, totaling 0.37 carats.
2 mall rubies.
Size 6.
One-of-a-kind.
Made in New York City.
The New York City Taxi Cab & Passenger:
The Wendy Brandes "Maneater" collection consists of seven one-of-a-kind rings, each of which features a triumphant creature on top, with a tiny man tucked away inside of the band. This is the fifth ring in this high art jewelry series, which will eventually be completed with an eighth piece.
This design is my ode to one of my great loves, New York City. The piece took my artisans months to create, with multiple wax carvings needed to complete the design as I imagined. No detail was spared: You'll even find "I heart NYC" engraved on the bumper. Hidden in the band of the ring, you'll see a Wall Street man in a suit, trying to hail a cab -- it's never going to pick him up.
23 grams of 18K yellow, & white gold, satin finish.
92 yellow diamonds, totaling 0.59 carats.
92 white diamonds, totaling 0.46 carats.
130 black diamonds, totaling 1.04 carats.
2 small rubies.
Size 6.
One-of-a-kind.
Made in New York City.
The Pink Elephant & Tipsy Writer:
The Wendy Brandes "Maneater" collection consists of seven one-of-a-kind rings, each of which features a triumphant creature on top, with a tiny man tucked away inside of the band. This is the sixth ring in this high art jewelry series, which will eventually be completed with an eighth piece.
This is one of the most whimsical designs in the series -- the 18K rose gold elephant stands on a bar of 18K yellow gold and brown diamonds. The elephant is a hallucination of the tipsy writer hidden inside of the band, clasping a wine bottle and a diamond-filled wine glass. The intricate design took my artisans months to complete.
23.6 grams of 18K rose, yellow, & white gold, satin finish.
262 pink sapphires, totaling 2 carats.
174 brown diamonds, totaling 2.15 carats.
3 small white diamonds.
1 small ruby.
Size 6.
One-of-a-kind.
AGTA Spectrum Award...
Category
2010s American Contemporary Ruby Models and Miniatures
MaterialsWhite Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Black Diamond, Garnet, Pearl, Black Pearl...
