To be perfectly honest, I have never been much of a ring person. Partly, it's that I have very sensitive hands and they get easily inflamed and agitated by jewelry and other abrasive materials. Usually, I'm not too bothered by this fact. Although I would certainly prefer to have the model hands of the woman below, I long ago made peace with my irritable digits. This past weekend, however, while wandering the streets of Williamsburg, I started wondering if I shouldn't be fighting the good fight after all- trying to repair my hands enough to decorate them. Having found my way into the beautiful new world of
Verameat metalwork I became transfixed with her shiny pieces. Maybe there's a ring person in me after all...
is a line of jewelry created by
Vera Balyura, an artist based in the East Village. Evidently she's had a shop there for some time, but last weekend she opened a new Brooklyn shop in the Williamsburg Mini Mall on N. 5th Street, right next to the lovely
Brooklyn Fox lingerie shop- a dangerous combination for the wallet! (
Incidentally, Brooklyn Fox recently opened a sister shop as well. It's around the corner on Bedford and is focused on Women's clothing and accessories. But more on that another time.)
Verameat uses fine materials like real ecologically sound recycled silver and 16k gold in her collections- a plus for sensitive skin-folk like me. Stylistically, her pieces range from whimsical things to hang around your ears and neck to fun ornaments for your wrists and fingers. Some pieces are light and airy like the
Ibsens Buck ring up top, but many have a tough-chick sense of humor such as her
Skeleton Thumbs Up Ring- one of my personal favorites! If the latter is more your sensibility, then you'll love some of these categories on her website:
Vampire,
Manly,
Monster and
Spine. Of course, if you prefer a daintier aesthetic like that of this sweet
Lucky Lift Ring, never fear. There's plenty of that to go around too.
There were loads of necklaces hanging in cool little clusters all around the shop- kinda made me feel like was in my own incredibly-stocked jewelry closet or something. I wish! But as much as I found those intriguing and not horribly expensive (they cost as low as $50 depending on the size and material), I found that it was the rings that were really screaming my name. I tried on this
Leaf Wrap Ring probably three different times wondering if this was the piece that would shuttle me into ringdom. Alas, though it was an affordable $40 I ultimately decided that I shouldn't impulse purchase. I just moved into a new apartment after all! I figured if I was still thinking about it later in the week, then perhaps it should be mine. The thing is... I'm still thinking about it...
Sucked into the Verameat Ring vortex, I kept gravitating to the simpler, botanic/nature-inspired pieces. I saw this
Feather Ring below in gold and also tried it several times wondering if it suited me better than the Leaf Wrap Ring. Of course, trying to choose between gorgeous and gorgeous was utterly impossible, especially since the Feather Ring was equally priced at $40. I suppose the upside is that the rings are affordable enough that I could always get two quality rings for the price of what one would cost most everywhere else. How is that for a rationalization?
If you find yourself in Williamsburg this weekend definitely steer yourself into Verameat. The way I see it, once in awhile it's nice to treat yourself after a long week of work, and the perfect, shiny little something-something might just be sitting in her showroom waiting for you. Maybe even for me!
Have any great weekend plans or a little something you've had your eye on? Do share!
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