The Mykolaiv Shipbuilding Museum, which boasts over two thousand exhibits, has become a kind of exhibit itself. Kharkiv jewelers depicted a small copy of the building on a silver ring. The jewelry piece has become part of the Enchanting Cities of Ukraine collection.
Jewelry-making, like any business in conditions of full-scale invasion, has faced difficulties along its path. Especially in Kharkiv—a city on the frontline constantly under Russian shelling.
Currently, the Oringo Jewelry House operates solely online.
"Jewelry has been made for thousands of years, and our art has witnessed countless wars. People's tastes have changed slightly; now, they more often order jewelry without stones or nostalgic and ethnic jewelry." The history of the "Enchanting Cities of Ukraine" collection began in 2019. At that time, the first ring was created—"Kharkiv. State Industry."
And then came Odessa, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Lviv, Kherson and now Mykolaiv. Currently, the collection is based on 15 Ukrainian cities. The author depicted the Mykolaiv museum on the ring. Besides the building itself, you can notice small details on the jewelry, such as amphoras, cornflowers, and the sea.
"On the left, there are rare white pearl cornflowers—part of the unique flora of Mykolaiv region that we may lose, and a Colchian amphora—the only intact amphora of its kind in Ukraine is located in Mykolaiv. These are two reminders of the fragility of nature and historical monuments," says the author.
Elena had visited Mykolaiv several times and already knew, when creating the ring, that the composition would be built around ships. On the right side of the ring, there is an image of the frigate "Sviaty Mykolai (Saint Nicholas)" and an anchor that holds the entire composition together.
