Erika Hartje / Blue Poppy

Precious jewels don't always come in diamond form. These rings by Spain-based Uruguayan jeweller Erika Hartje contain the world's most expensive... spice! That would be saffron — which, as I recently discovered, is derived from one of my favourite flowers: the humble crocus.

Above: silver ring with more affordable spices — organic ground cloves, cayenne pepper and wasabi powder — in resin, by California sisters Erin Lockwood and Jill Redman of Blue Poppy.

Bonus link:
This piece has got some spice of its own. Press the trigger and the "Stunning" ring will shoot pepper spray about 2-3 feet.

Even more jewellery:

• Blanca Monrós Gómez (New York) - seeds & tendrils


• Nettie Kent (Massachusetts) - organic metal


• Amanda Paige Alderson (Australia) - embedded resin


• Goodman Morris (UK) - modern classics


• Sonia Bandulet (Montreal) - tubes & circles