Acquired Aesthetics: MerCurios

In the past few months, I’ve noticed fashion bloggers wearing a lot of bold jewelry; namely, two-, three-, and even four-finger rings.  The Clothes Horse, the (chloe) conspiracy and Song of Style have all accessorized with them, each in their own unique style, and seemingly effortlessly.

It’s the one thing that surprises me most about the new multi-finger trend: that double and tripple rings have evolved from their hardcore brass knuckle status into a much more feminine, if still a little bold, aesthetic, and now almost anyone can wear them.

However, as I watched the trend progress, multi-finger rings still seemed a little cumbersome to me.  I was wary they’d prohibit me from my day-to day work: my “normal” job at a computer, my work on this website, as well as all my other home stuff, like taking care of my gigantic dog, cleaning up sudden messes and running errands.  My life seemed a little too rough for such a presumably delicate and inhibiting hand-piece.

Then I spoke with Mary-Jo Peritore, an indie designer that goes by the moniker MerCurios on Etsy, who endeavored to convince me that a two-finger ring can be pretty and bold without inhibiting my lifestyle.  She designed a personalized, handmade creation, on the spot, in exchange for “an honest review” of how the ring looked, and how it held up against my day-to-day responsibilities.

First of all, wow. When Mary-Jo asked me what I might like as the focal point for my ring, I didn’t give her much to work with: “I like the stones, and the evil eye, and the skull…you know what? Just surprise me.”  After she completed the ring, she told me that she just ”had a feeling” about what I might like, and went with it.

I could not have asked for a better piece of jewelry to fit my personal style. My two-finger ring has classically-inspired colors – creams, blues, and greens – with an added twist (literally, of copper wire) to keep me from getting bored, and an Asian theme to add femininity.  I can wear it to the office with pencil skirts, or pair it with skinnies and a t-shirt for a little flair.  It works with all of my neutrals – black, brown and grey – and has already been noticed by my friends and boss.

Even better, it only took me a few minutes to adjust the way I type, and it hasn’t once gotten caught or bent by anything, even when I went shopping. You’d think that the wires would have caught on something, but I didn’t even have to think about it as I tried on silk and satin, buttons and zippers.  I was really impressed.

Enough of my yammering; at this point, you’ve either stopped reading or you want to see more.  Suffice it to say that I love my new ring and am incredibly flattered that Mary-Jo was willing to work her magic for me.  She loves custom orders, and every piece is hand-made and one of a kind.  (Mary-Jo: doesn’t all that hand-wire-wrapping hurt after a while?)  She also makes tons of other jewelry; I’ve posted a few of my favorites here.  You can follow her on Twitter, too!  (That’s how I met her.)

Thank you again, Mary-Jo!

MerCurios – Hardcore Couture Jewelry for Mind, Body, Soul

Skeleton Key Asymmetrical Wrapped Copper Bangle: $66

Two Finger Lace Agate Ring – Brass Knuckles: $35

Hardcore Rock Chic Till Death Brass Skull Choker: $100

Tags: copper, double ring, Jewelry, two-finger ring, wire wrapping

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