​

Reign Jewelry and Lapidary is an independent business based out of Los Santos.

 

“Pleasure and transcendence can be elusive.

You know that spark you feel when you walk into a museum, or hear a favorite song performed live?

Or even that warm glow you get when eating or drinking something expertly prepared?

Don’t you want more of that?”

– Christine Bates

​

I do, and making jewelry is one of the ways I find those emotions, and share them with others.

​

Metalsmithing and jewelry are things that have transcended across time and cultures. In the ancient world, metalsmiths were both revered and feared for their ability to take ores and transform them into completely different forms.

​

 Transforming metals and stones into something beautiful to share with the world is such a joy. I adore creating items that will make people smile, knowing that they will go on to have their history and meaning for anyone they come across.

​

Every piece I have is made by myself; using care, precision, and passion. My pieces focus on being stylish, elegant, and suited to everyday wear and tear. By purchasing from Reign, you will always end up with an item created with the utmost dedication at the highest possible quality.

-Adrasteia Cruorem 

​

Fusing The Past and The Present,

Some Jewelry Methods and Facts From Reign. 

 

I'm sharing one of my favorite historical forms of stone cutting, intaglio. Gems that were popular in ancient Rome and the surrounding areas were used as basic jewelry, amulets, and talismans. These pieces required extraordinary skill and remarkable craftsmanship. 

 Photos below are examples of intaglio from the MET Museum, The British Museum, and other sources. 

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

​

​

Many methods and designs of making jewelry from antiquity are still in use today.

​

This fine silver necklace I made by hand on the left, is the same kind of chain as the large chain from The British Museum on the right.

​

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

​

​

Called a Loop-In-Loop, the name is a simple reference to how the chain is created. Each link is hand-wound, cut, and soldered together. Using fine silver is easier, as it has the solder already within the metal. As long as the link is properly formed, when the correct heat is applied and quickly removed, the ring itself with melt for a second, fusing itself into a solid ring. 

​

That circular ring is then stretched with pliers and bent into a 'c' shape and bent together. A chain tool, which looks like a very small spike, is inserted straight through both ends and then repeated from the other side to ensure the piece is even. This opens the ends into the circles you see below. The pattern is continued by taking the next bent ring, putting it through the holes that were made, and repeating until the desired length of chain is made.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These types of necklaces can only be made by hand. It is impossible to replicate with a machine. If a link breaks in the chain, you have to remove that length of the chain and start again at the break. A necklace like this can take up to a week of constant work to create from start to finish. 

 

The same Loop-In-Loop design can be turned into multiple variations. This one has one end hammered out after being opened, and is called a 'Sailors Knot Chain'. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

I love learning how items have traveled across the world and have transitioned throughout history.

Items are introduced via trade and become something new and inspiring to the people who see them.

New cultures then take the item, keep aspects that they like, and change others to match their own beliefs, interests, and techniques. Thus creating entirely new designs and items. 

​

We alter, fuse, and blend traditions into identifiable concepts and items, but we still can have something that has rarely changed. We may have newer techniques, tools, and different ways of making these chains popular, but at its base, this is still a chain from antiquity that is made today.

 

I think that in itself is pretty remarkable. 

​

​

​