Ring of Ebony and Silver

A ring of ebony and silver, this piece sets the dense black wood against the metal in the contrast of materials Spratling favored, letting the ebony supply color and weight while the silver frames and structures it. The pairing turns a simple band into an exercise in two opposed surfaces, smooth reflective metal against deep matte wood.

The combination of silver with organic materials like ebony, rosewood, and tortoise shell was central to Spratling's later work, where he used wood not as a substitute for stone but as a deliberate aesthetic partner to the metal. An ebony-and-silver ring belongs to that family of designs built on material contrast.

Rings combining silver with wood survive but reach the market only occasionally, and they document a side of Spratling's output that relies on organic materials rather than the more familiar amethyst and obsidian. The piece reflects the breadth of the palette his Taxco workshop drew on.