Orchids come in a vast number of species - some 25,000 wild ones have already been discovered, in addition to more than 100,000 officially recognised mixtures bred under controlled conditions. Cross-breeding between plants is carried out by removing immature anthers from the maternal form and fertilising them with pollen from the paternal form.
A hybrid is a combination of the characteristics of the parents. Therefore, the breeder must first consider what flower they wish to create. It may be a matter of increasing the size of the flower, obtaining a particular colour or a pattern such as stripes or spots. Another element to take into account is the scent. Having established all this, the breeder selects two orchids from which he hopes to obtain offspring displaying the desired characteristics.
I decided to transfer this incredible process to the world of jewellery. In designing the ring below, I decided to combine the characteristics of several flowers and produce a new species that would belong exclusively to the ring's owner. In the stamens of the flower found in the centre, a top-grade yellow sapphire has been set, complemented by smaller sapphires of the same colour, set on the petals. They transition seamlessly into white diamonds, which also adorn the leaf-shaped ring. The whole piece was made in 14k white gold.
