BACKYARD BERRY RING

Buy in 14K Gold. It's mid-summer 1989, and I'm about eight years old. This pre-screen world doesn't offer much entertainment, so I must create my own. Today, I'm a chef in my backyard kitchen, and at the top of the menu are backyard berry mud pies with yellow flower-covered cupcakes on the side. I spend hours picking the berries, enough to fill a Tupperware bowl I stole from my mom's actual kitchen. I sift dirt for flour and mix in found seeds and crushed leaves as crucial ingredients to this conjured-up concoction. My hard day's work yields earthy pastries almost too pretty to eat. But I don't dare eat them; even at 8, I know enough to be wary of nameless wild berries in my backyard. It would be another 30-something years till I found out those bright red backyard berries were, in fact, edible. Beyond that, I'd finally learn them by name, the Mock Strawberry. It's not a native wild strawberry but a naturalized little displaced relative from southern Asia. I can't recall why this backyard berry popped into my mind not too long ago. I remember laying my head down on my pillow and the zoomed-in image of its texture, and then a flood of memories of what I now know as foraging came to me. I knew I had to capture that texture, but more than that, I wanted an excuse to dig deeper into something so woven into my first memories of play and creativity outside. I imagine little hands have been picking bright red berries from fields for fun since our beginning. It feels like a shared memory that goes beyond my old backyard across space and time, and something about that feels beautifully human and profoundly connected. I created this ring to capture some of the magic of backyard baking and foraging before we knew what to call it. Not sure about your ring size? Order a ring sizer here!   Made by hand in our South Louisiana studio. Each piece varies slightly due to its handmade nature. *Note: Sterling Silver and 14K Gold prices may vary due to fluctuation in the gold and silver markets.   Jewelry Care Instructions: Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Always remove jewelry before washing hands, swimming, or using cleaning products. Chemicals can damage both the metal and stones. Store with Care: When not in use, keep your jewelry safe by storing it in its cloth MIMOSA bag or jewelry box. Professional Maintenance: We recommend a professional cleaning and checkup once a year for the life of your new piece!