Retired James Avery sterling silver wide band ring with Love written in script across the face and hearts on the reverse. The word runs in a flowing hand lettered cursive that spans most of the band, the strokes cut into the surface and darkened so the letters read black against bright polished silver, with the tail of the e trailing off toward the edge. Turn the band and two open hearts sit on the opposite side, drawn in the same loose single stroke hand as the script. The band is flat and wide with squared edges, the outer surface high polished and the interior smooth, stamped with the James Avery candelabra and 925.
The lettering is what sets this apart from a plain inscribed band. It is not typeset, it is drawn, with the irregular thick and thin strokes of a brush or pen rather than the even weight of machine engraving, and the darkened recesses hold the line at full contrast while the surrounding silver stays mirror bright. Putting the hearts on the reverse means the ring reads differently depending on how it sits, and whoever wears it knows they are there whether or not anyone else sees them. This piece is retired and no longer in production.
Ring size 5.25. The wide flat band has real presence for its size. Comes with the James Avery box and pouch.
Details:
Designer: James Avery
Design: Love Script with Hearts
Metal: Sterling Silver
Hallmarks: 925, JA Candelabra
Band Style: Wide Flat Band
Ring Size: 5.25
Status: Retired
Includes: James Avery box and pouch
Condition: Excellent estate condition
Fun Facts:
James Avery began handcrafting jewelry in Kerrville, Texas in 1954, working out of a two car garage and selling his earliest pieces through church groups and craft fairs.
The darkened lettering on a piece like this is oxidized silver, created by exposing the metal to a sulfur compound that forms silver sulfide in the recesses, the same reaction that tarnishes silver naturally, applied deliberately and then polished back off the raised surfaces so only the cut lines stay black.