Rings and Things: A Masonic Delight!

There are no shortage of beautifully designed Masonic rings out there to tempt you. There are also a number of pretty gaudy and even a few which are downright ugly. Beauty clearly is in the eye of the beholder, and Masonic jewelry and accessories are no exception to this rule.

So, when I came across the jewelry being produced under the aptly titled collection which has recently appeared online,  The Regnas Collection, I was certain that I had died and gone to heaven. This collection of hand crafted Masonic jewelry combining precious metal and semi precious stones, carved or engraved, will garner universal praise. The folks who put this business together demonstrated sheer genius. There is a combination of great design and really high quality materials. What is more, you can even design your own. You can send your drawings to be rendered in precious materials, or describe your vision and ask them to bring it to life for you. They will be happy to do either.

Although their business roots are in The U.K almost all the business is Thailand based. I recently had the pleasure of communicating with John Sanger and Tim Davies, who handle the firm's communications. The Regnas Collection, whose home is on the Jewellerymen website, is a family business going back generations. The experience of our silver smithing associates and our jade carvers is truly multi generational. Chiang Mai, where most of our products are made has been a trading hub or crossroads for hundreds of years and succeeding waves of artisans, have roots from across Asia.

The actual tools that they use are not very interesting...The stone carving and engraving is done using a flexible shaft tool rather like a dentist's drill and the silver working is accomplished using traditional methods, both construction and casting. As one of the owners noted, "It is the 'bringing together" of those skills which finally 'lays the egg' so to speak.

They are small enough to be able to offer individual attention to all their customers and suppliers. As a result, customers generate new styles and ideas for production just as much as the owners themselves do. They very often follow the lead of their customers and naturally 'follow the money' as is the commercial way. As they note, not all receive government grants like the BBC and the Royal Ballet.  They often are able to guide their customers towards the artist's perception of beauty--but as the owner said, "Who is to say?---Beauty is fortunately in the eye of the beholder."

A good 'up to the minute' example of how they work is the case in point of the 'acorns and oak leaves' silver work they dispatched recently to Australia. The customer wanted the oak tree motif on the sides or shoulders of the ring to 'go with' his family coat of arms which were engraved intaglio on the lapis ring stone. They already had immediately available several images representing oak leaves and acorns but they both looked so boring. The customer suggested having 'lots of acorns' and from that sprung the idea of covering all the silver work rather just the side panels, with leafy images.The owner posted a few photos on Facebook and has already they've received at least 15 questions and requests for quotes.They are now extending the idea into 'wild roses' image they've used before.

The Regnas Collection is unusually well situated in the Worldwide stage of "gem sculpting." This is because Chiang Mai has so much industry in the carving of jade and similar stone. Engraving intaglio is perhaps a more Western art more often used for heraldic pieces. They make creative modernizations on these themes, for example their erotic "tree of life". This image has been reproduced extensively over the last year as one of our rings was worn by Snow white's father, King Magnus in the recent movie "Snow White and the Huntsman". This provoked a fair bit of business .It is both decorative and beautiful without being vulgar. It also translates well to red agate, lapis and bloodstone--three stones the Regnas Collection use a great deal.

They can sculpt, they can produce engraved intaglio, they can reverse engrave pure

rock crystal which the owner notes gives remarkable results.  They engrave silver, can simulate Medieval lettering and even copy scripts from languages long dead.

Although 98% of their Masonic images are the 'set square and compass' they are very open to help from any quarter to suggest other images that would be of interest to Masons.

Above all they love the work and find great satisfaction in their art..

Although we are focusing on their Masonic work, their jewelry is not restricted to Masonic designs. Check out their links below:

Regnas Online Store:  http://www.jewellerymen.com
Website: www.regnas.com 
Email: president@regnas.com  or  mailto:regnasjewels@gmail.com

Regnas Ebay Store UK: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/The-Regnas-Collection

Regnas Ebay Store USA:  http://stores.ebay.com/Regnas-Jewelry-for-men-and-gifts
Regnas Etsy Store:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/Regnas