Fifth Anniversary: WoodNovember 2018 'Iliahi, sterling silver My wife rarely asks for jewelry, and is even more rarely specific about what it should be. Every year I make her an anniversary present using the traditional material for the year, and the fifth anniversary is wood. Since I had just made an 'iliahi ring the month before our anniversary, this time she knew exactly what she wanted just much, much bigger.'Iliahi, or Hawaiian sandalwood (Santalum paniculatum) is

The yin/yang nature of the opposing textures even represent each night and day of the week

Astrological sign: ♌ (Leo)

whence the congregation derives its name

and turquoise

I even threw in a pair of earrings to make a set

" The lotus blossom is a common motif in Chinese art and literature

The informed observer will note that the character itself is upside-down

but I obviously couldn't do that here—so I scaled back to the relevant verse

The deep red of the garnets and the hammered pattern of the 22-karat gold (materials common in ancient Greek

and it is sometimes a one-or-the-other scenario

and reduces the number of skulls per ring to two by removing one of the repeating skull motifs

December 2017