A moment of curiosity, without knowing the outcome, was the beginning of the Swivel Ring system.
The experiment was to determine how the kinetic element: a ball with a setting on it; would function in a ring shank.
Of course this raised questions, such as:
How reliable is it?
Will the ring shank hold the setting when the ring is worn?
How will a combination of several rings on a finger work?
What will be the most suitable material for the shank?
In 2001 when Hans Lingenbrinck first told me about his concept for an interchangeable ring system, he explained…“we built up our brand PUR through the 80’s and 90’s with the focus on designing handmade pieces in platinum and gold and it was all a very serious business, then one morning I woke up and I thought…’I’ve had enough of wearing black I want to have some fun’…”
One of the most popular attributes of the Swivel Rings is their versatility and how, each combination looks different from the next. Some are bright and poppy, fun even daring, others exude sophistication and style, every Swivel wearer has a different interpretation of what their ring set is saying.
The basis of each ring in the system is a steel shank with cupped ends which grip a steel ball, the ball provides the mounting for the ‘Head’ and in turn provides the kinetic element of every Swivel and gives the system its name.
The Swivel heads are mainly in steel set with lab grown sapphire or spinel. Being precision-made, lab grown stones are very affordable and their colour and quality is consistent. The rings are ethically produced by a small team at the PUR atelier in Germany, using high-tech CNC milling alongside traditional goldsmithing skills. For many of the designs the stones are firmly fixed in place using the same bonding technology as a dentist uses for dental crowns, with a special invisible adhesive and high intensity curing light. This ensures a really tight grip.
Today the Swivel System boasts a multitude of different forms in 18 vibrant colours sometimes combined with gold details or a scattering of small diamonds.