Architecture Rings Let You Wear Your Beloved Cities Wherever You Go

Imagine moving your family to a new city every few years. This is what Siberian goldsmith Ola Shekhtman regularly does to familiarize herself with a new urban center. Trained in St. Petersburg, she takes the iconic elements of cities like London, Paris, and New York and turns them into beautiful rings.

While training, Shekhtman did everything by hand, like the old masters. She melted the metal she used, rolled it, sawed it, and soldered it into its desired shape. Now that Shekhtman lives in the US, she’s switched to 3D printing! Check out her Etsy shop to see some of her work, and read our full interview after the pictures.

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Paris

London

Washington D. C.

Amsterdam

Hong Kong

New York City

San Francisco

Boston

Stockholm

Edinburgh

Charleston

Berlin

See more beautiful examples of Shektman’s work on Etsy

Interview with Shektman:

“My story in a couple of words:

I change where I live often. I was born in Siberia, then relocated to Saint Petersburg, Russia, lived there for six years, then with my whole family (my husband, white Persian cat, and turtle) moved to Israel; 2 years ago, we relocated to the USA. We have already lived in Virginia, Maryland, and NYC and are now in North Carolina. We are thinking about trying California next.

From 2012-2013 I studied goldsmithing at the jewelry school in St.-Petersburg, Russia. I made everything by hand – melting metal, rolling, sawing, soldering, polishing. But when we relocated to the US, I had no tools with me anymore, so I took a few 3D modeling courses in NYC. They gave me complete freedom in creation, and now I can turn absolutely every one of my dreams into reality.

I always wanted to have a ring for myself with cozy houses around my finger. One day, when I was a goldsmith student, I made such a ring as practice and gifted it to my friend. I didn’t forget this idea, it stayed with me the whole time, and one day in May 2015, I made my first model. It was Paris. I didn’t count on success, but I made it available on Etsy. Then I added Amsterdam, then New York, and so on.

I often ask myself: who is my customer? I don’t target my city rings on some target audiences or genders. My customers are, of course, women from 20 years old to infinity. Young ladies can’t afford them, unfortunately, but I know a lot of parents who order them as a gift for daughters and nieces. Men also buy a lot as a gift, sometimes for themselves. I often receive messages that customers moved to another city/country, missed their homeland, and are glad to have such an everyday reminder. Or some people had a great time/wedding/met each other in some place and want to have a ring with that special place that means a lot to them. So I guess I can say that these rings are made for the romantic wanderer.”

We want to thank Shektman for the interview!

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