Black opal and tourmaline ring

EDITOR'S REVIEW

The writhing serpents in Sylvie Corbelin's wildly imaginative Pythie ring recall the extraordinary hair ornament from Southern India, on display as part of the Bejewelled Treasures Al Thani exhibition at the V&A, in which diamond-encrusted serpents, representing procreation and fertility, wrap themselves around a central ruby, before spilling down a woman's braid in diamond leaves and pearls. Here, Sylvie's sparkling serpents encircle a black opal and tourmaline in a figure of eight - the rainbow-inflected depths of the opal reflected in Indian-summer-bright peridots and pink sapphire.