Set of Pillar Rings made from turned titanium, mounted on perspex stand, 1994, made by Wendy Ramshaw, OBE.

Wendy Ramshaw, CBE (1939-2018) was a British artist and designer best known for her modernist jewellery and her experimental use of a wide variety of materials and techniques.

This set of stacking rings by Ramshaw, entitled ‘Cyber’, are made from turned titanium. Titanium is a particularly difficult metal to work, and as such it has only been possible to use this metal since the 20th century. Titanium is more commonly associated with aerospace and medical technologies than jewellery, so this ring set demonstrates an unusual application of this metal and an associated metalwork technique, and highlights ther versatility of titanium.

‘Cyber’ is part of a group entitled ‘Destination’, which consists of 6 pieces of jewellery and a set of drawings, and was commissioned by a private collector c1993. Ramshaw’s stacking rings were always accompanied by a cylindrical mount which had been specifically designed for each set. The rings can be worn as jewellery, but when mounted on their accompanying cylinder they become sculpture. This concept won her Design Council Award for Innovation in 1972.