Hands in Faith rings
Mani en Fede rings have been forged across the world for almost 2000 years as gentle symbols of connection. Over centuries of cultural reinterpretations the rings have represented deep friendships, forbidden love, matrimony, family connection, and moments of morning.
Pictured are the rings I designed and made for my family, with my mother and grandmothers hands incorporated in using a 3D scan. They also include botanical details around the cuff representing Caper leaves from Salina where my great grandparent migrated from. Each set of rings is made to order, incorporating the heritage, stories and hands of those that wear them. Inquire below for any commissions or questions.
Pictured are the rings I designed and made for my family, with my mother and grandmothers hands incorporated in using a 3D scan. They also include botanical details around the cuff representing Caper leaves from Salina where my great grandparent migrated from. Each set of rings is made to order, incorporating the heritage, stories and hands of those that wear them. Inquire below for any commissions or questions.
Sizing ~ Made to order
Materials ~ 100% Australian sourced gold and silver
Ordering ~ Lead time 8 - 12 weeks from initial design session
Materials ~ 100% Australian sourced gold and silver
Ordering ~ Lead time 8 - 12 weeks from initial design session
Behind the design and history of the mani en fede rings
The history of the mani en fede ring has its roots in the ancient goddess Concordia, a symbol of harmony, family, agreement and at times hope. She is an emblem of the abundance that comes from the collective and working with each other - shown by two hands held in faith and trust of one another. Over their history, mani en fede rings have come to represent so many deep human relationships and emotions; love, friendship, family, mourning, devotion, and alliance. They have held deep emotional connections and acted as physical daily reminders of the importance of the people we share our lives with.
It was indirectly through my grandfather, Giuseppe Favaloro, that I first experienced this style of jewelry. Although he passed away well before I was born, my mother shares her memories of him as a stout bundle of overwhelming joy, care and generosity. Always in motion as he moved around the stacked shelves of his fruteria, waved his hands in exaggerated conversation, or passed secret lollies under the counter. He passed away when my mother was 14, and my sisters and I never got a chance to experience his presence in person. For much of my life, I thought we had little to remember him by, but as time went on I have felt him emerge into moments of my life and thoughts. I see him through my mother in the ways she held onto and enshrined Giuseppe into our lives - most deeply through the family ritual of food. Starting with a trip to Leisure Coast Frutteria to select fruits and vegetable through the feel of textures and smells, then clasping a knife among cluttered chopping boards - as eyes watered and hands absorbed the sensations of garlic. Finally, sitting down around the kitchen table to pass plates between hungry hands, and hold time for each others lives.
After he passed away my mother was given the family mani en fede ring to remember him by. Having then passed through another generation, from worn to fresh hands, the ring carried a complex family history - with scratches, flattened details, and worn edges. As my mother wore it, adding to the stories it already silently contained, it began to wear - eventually breaking through the base of the band. To ensure its safety it was tucked away amidst Giuseppe's old things, waiting somewhere in the trinkets, ceramics, clothes, books, records and various objects that we accumulate over our lives - destined to be left a loved one with no map to navigate their emotional weights and meaning.
In this heap this ring existed for a long time and only re-emerged in the midst of our families recovery from the 2019 bush fires as we had to move things around and recover lost possessions. It took me a few years to eventually unravel the layers of personal meaning and then the much larger 2000 year old history of its design.
I made this set to hold the memories and bonds of my family - to embrace who we are now and acknowledge where we came from. The Caper leaves and buds that form the cuffs around the base of the hands are traces of Salina where my grandfather’s family left to come to Australia. These botanical details trace the connections to my Mother and then to my sisters, and I. The hands themselves are those of my mother and grandmother, captured as 3D scanned echoes of a moment in time, and then sculpted into the design. A recognition to the powerful matriarchs they are, and how they have shaped the people we have become. To me these rings hold an emulsified mixture of memory, time, identity, emotion, mourning and reassurance.
While these rings hold my family's story, the tradition of mani en fede rings speaks widely to our innate human need for connection and trust. I will be periodically opening spots to create these rings for others. The process is personal and intimate, preferably involving an in-person 3D scan. If interested, feel free to inquire via the link above or through email.