There was much excitement in the press the other week when it was announced that having "put a ring on it" Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z have now gifted said unusual Papillon ring to the V&A Museum.
The ring is one from a series which are the creations of jeweller Glen Spiro (below), and take the form of an articulated butterfly seemingly poised to take off, with wings made of titanium encrusted with diamonds and rare green tsavorites (or other rare stones). The donation is one of several made to the V&A by the musical power-couple which they thought should go to an institution in the designers home city.
jeweller Glen Spiro
The Papillon collection pictured is a range of unique and exquisite butterfly rings - featuring moving wings made of feather-light titanium and encrusted with gems in various pretty hues. Each ring is ingeniously crafted and technically adept - with the butterfly appearing to be perched on the finger and fluttering as the wearer opens and closes her hand, or bends her finger, due to a clever mechanism that delicately extends over the knuckle. The butterfly appears to be attached to the wearer's finger by its diamond-studded tendrils which can flutter its wings on the wearers whim. Spiro says of his Papillon range - "The butterfly is a classic jewellery motif. But we wanted to make it more interesting, so we came up with a way to animate these bejewelled insects at the command of their owners."
The unusual Papillon ring is currently on display in the William and Judith Bollinger jewellery gallery at the V&A, and is in good company , set among important jewellery pieces previously created for and owned by Elizabeth I, Catherine the Great and Napoleon. Below you can see a brief video of the articulated Papillon ring in motion.
