Although the basic ring is made of 925 sterling silver, the ring can also be customised to a certain degree (for example, made in gold or platinum or with the addition of diamonds or gemstones), which normally takes 2-8 weeks. Elena Villa

Although the basic ring is made of 925 sterling silver, the ring can also be customised to a certain degree (for example, made in gold or platinum or with the addition of diamonds or gemstones), which normally takes 2-8 weeks. Elena Villa

Elena Villa, the ring’s designer, says the idea of a home city is somewhat foreign to her--but it’s exactly for this reason she feels “touched” when people are so attached to their cities through her ring designs. 

Villa herself was raised in Lima, Peru, and studied jewellery design in Carlsbad, California (US). She has also lived in Hamburg, but now has her studio based in Trier. 

In fact, her most successful ring design to date has been based on Trier with a ring showing a stylised skyline of this former Roman capital of the north. When she first created the Trier ring around three years ago, she had 10 pieces in three sizes, but she quickly had to increase her production: over those three years, she has made over 1,000 pieces featuring this design.

Finding ‘the emotional side’ of Luxembourg

Creating a ring for Luxembourg came about through this success. “Two years ago, I got to know two ladies from Luxembourg who helped me understand and research the historical side of Luxembourg,” Villa says. 

Villa visited places like the Gëlle Fra (or Golden Lady), which she said shone “like sunshine on that grey day”, and the more modern Philharmonie which is “so gorgeous in terms of the architecture, so harmonic”.

Just as it was important for her to visit the historical places, she also wanted to “understand how people in Luxembourg feel about buildings, the emotional side”.

Elena Villa says she is open to the idea of working on rings for other cities:  "Any city can have beauty in it." Photo: Elena Villa 

Not only are a range of architectural features present on the ring, but the interior is also engraved with the national motto “Mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sin” (we want to remain what we are). The ring will be sold at Luxembourg House, with €5 of the proceeds going to Nestwärme, a non-profit providing assistance for families with disabled or sick children. 

Villa says some people purchased the Trier ring “when their kids left home, or when they left the city…to remind them where they are coming from. That touched me very deeply.”

She imagines the case will be similar for the Luxembourg ring: “I know a lot of people in Luxembourg are from around the world, but for a period of time [Luxembourg] is their home,” she says. “This is a symbol for them to take anywhere to remember the place, this special situation.”