Hoja ring

The Hoja ring belongs to the Shelter collection. Unlike Hiedra, which climbs and twines, the leaf here is more ordinary, more familiar. Its identity lies in the detail: the veining, finely crafted and perfectly symmetrical. Those lines leave a mark reminiscent of a fingerprint, and that is the metaphor: something that grows, something being born.

While designing it, Maite was thinking of Mikel, her second son. Not of him exactly, but of the process: something that takes shape little by little until it has its own substance and presence. Something simple that, precisely because it is simple, is already unmistakable.

It is not the first time this has happened. The "Ó" collection is named after Óliver, her eldest. Maite's children have found their way into her work as each of them arrived.

Each leaf is cut, sanded and polished by hand before receiving its 24-carat gold plating. The fine work lies in the veining: it is what gives character to a shape that, without it, would be just another leaf.

It is made on Calle Alameda, in the Barrio de las Letras, in a workshop you are welcome to visit. If you come by, you will probably see the next one being made.

It is an everyday ring. Matte gold, no colour, the kind you wear on its own or stacked with others from the same collection. Within Shelter there are earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, a cuff bracelet and a brooch featuring the same leaf.

The lacquer protects the plating from contact with skin and perfume. Keep it dry and stored separately, and avoid putting on scent while wearing the piece. With normal wear and this care, the gold plating lasts for years.