The winner of a recent art competition at the Brigham City Museum of Art and History drew on what may seem like an unlikely inspiration for a piece of jewelry—the coronavirus pandemic.
“I made it in response to the coronavirus and the crisis surrounding it," Amy Schmidt said. "It’s a functional ring.”
Schmidt is a jewelry artist and silversmithing instructor whose pandemic-inspired ring won the 2020 Utah Design Crafts Artists Competition.
The year’s theme was "Design of the Times" and Schmidt created the ring to symbolize what life was like in the early days of the pandemic.
“There’s a cylinder, and the cylinder is made out of clear copper which is supposed to kill the virus," Schmidt said. "And then inside the cylinder is a little vial of hand sanitizer, and the top of the ring is clear quartz stone bezel set in silver with a message inside that says stay home.”
The ring also features a sterling silver mask on the front, and she said quartz stone is supposed to be a master healer.
After creating the winning art piece that symbolizes life during the Coronavirus, Schmidt contracted COVID-19 herself.
“I dropped the ring off at the museum and a few days later started to feel sick and got tested for COVID, and tested positive. My whole family had it," she said.
Schmidt said getting COVID-19 after dropping off the ring was ironic and helped her understand what it is like for people who contract the virus and all of the unknowns that come with it.
The ring will be on permanent display at the Brigham City Museum of Art and History.
