A Ring and Proposal in Taupō

Some of the best news we receive arrives quietly, by email, weeks after a piece has left the gallery.

Earlier this year a client came in looking for an engagement ring. He spent time with our collections, landing on a one-of-a-kind ring from Tessa Blazey's exhibition Kindred Spirits: the Yu Shu Lien & Li Mu Bai ring, named for the two characters played by Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-fat in Ang Lee's 2000 film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Two stones held in one band, each with its own distinctive colour and cut, sitting close but never quite touching.

The ring is carved in wax and lost-wax cast into 18ct yellow gold, making the texture along the band a creation of the maker's hand, instead of a finish applied afterward. It is set with a freeform Australian parti sapphire beside an emerald cut pale pink Ceylon sapphire. Parti sapphires carry multiple colours in a single stone; this one featuring hues of blue and green that shift with the light.

He proposed at Lake Taupō, on New Zealand's North Island, and she captured the moment in a photograph, her hand held aloft against the magical blue green of the lake. The warmth of the gold band and the shifting hues of the two gemstones feel perfectly at home against the water beyond.

We are always delighted to hear where a piece has found its home. Choosing a ring at Pieces of Eight is often a considered process, shaped by conversations about the wearer and what feels right for them. Once it leaves the gallery, it begins a life of its own, one we are rarely lucky enough to glimpse. Congratulations to them both!

Our engagement collection displays the work of many artists, each with their own distinctive approach. Book an appointment with our team to explore the collections, learn about the gemstones and makers, and find a ring that feels right for you. Or, if you have something particular in mind, we can help bring it to life through a bespoke commission.

Credits 

Ring: Yu Shu Lien & Li Mu Bai Ring by Tessa Blazey, from Kindred Spirits, 2024. 
Stone cut by Pebble Sprout.

Photography (beside the water) courtesy of the client.