Wrapping up #INKtober

Here's the final page of sketches for #INKtober 2025. As the days left dwindled, I started dithering over which pieces of jewelry still left would be added. Because of family tradition, I had to include at least one piece of Black Hills Gold jewelry; both mom and dad lived at least part of their lives in that area of South Dakota. I'd had the ring sketched at lower center on my desk for a long time, wondering if it should be added. I know nothing about when mom got it but assumed it was a recent piece and so different from anything else she owned. It's very heavy and I'm sure that big pearl is real along with the small diamond. Surely there's a maker's mark . . .

. . . and indeed, I found one: Strell. Down the rabbit hole of internet research I went and found this out about the company:

The “Strell” hallmark is short for Strellman’s.  This company was founded in 1948 by Richard Strellman – the name quickly became synonymous with dramatic jewelry.  Originating in Oregon, this American company has become world famous for their original lighthouse lens cut. The name Lighthouse Lens Cut comes from the fresnel lens which is primarily used in lighthouses.  The gems are faceted similar to a lighthouse lens that directs the beam of light out to sea.  These fascinating stones reflect light in the exact same way.  It is unlike any other cut. 

That tiny diamond surely does shimmer which makes me wonder if it is that Lighthouse Lens cut. But my ring does not have a big gem but rather a big pearl so I started looking at images of Strell rings. Now I started seeing ones with opals and accent diamonds, jogging my memory about an opal ring of mom's. Off I went in search of it, checked for a mark and discovered that it is indeed a Strell ring too. So of course, I had to include both of them as my last two entries.

I found both rings difficult to sketch in spite of their relative simplicity. Here's a side view showing just how big that pearl is and the distinctive leaf design encompassing the beautiful large opal on the other.

From some of the prices I saw on line for both new and vintage Strell rings, I'm guessing dad laid down some substantial bucks for the pearl one. Mom's hands were bigger than mine and could pull off larger rings like the the onyx and diamond ring (from a previous page) and this pearl one but it really overwhelms my hand. 

And although I have my own opal ring with some history tying it to the area I grew up in, a single small oval stone set in a simple narrow band perfect for my smaller fingers, I have worn mom's quite a bit, although the ring size forces me to wear it on that middle finger. It does not have the weight of the other Strell ring but I'm guessing it's still worth some money, not that I'd be selling it.

I thought I should show you the jewelry box I've been pulling my mother's jewelry out of. Isn't it incredible? It's a music box that as it plays, that tiny dancer twirls back and forth, up and down, one leg swinging freely..

My oldest brother who died when I was 5 or 6 years old picked it up in Tunisia when he was touring with the military. I'm not sure if I have the note he sent with it, but I do remember mom reading that he was giving it to his "two favorite girls", mom and me. So I always knew it was a shared gift and I've always kept a few piece of my jewelry in it. But here's a troubling thing: As I've gotten towards the end of my trek through old jewelry, I've remembered that I had an additional music box for jewelry, same size as this one but black with inlaid mother of pearl in an oriental design, and although I always kept the two of them stacked on each other in an armoire, I no long know where it is. It doesn't make sense that it would be in the remaining few unpacked boxes from the last move which are mostly china and crystal but I know of nowhere else to look.

So now I've rounded up all the various pens and pencils I used on these sketches, put the loose ones back where they belong, and can turn my sketching back to that Zentangle Be Well series.