Clare Gaylard Glass 

'.....Once out of nature I shall never take

My bodily form from any natural thing,

But such a form as Grecian goldsmiths make

Of hammered gold and gold enamelling

To keep a drowsy Emperor awake;

Or set upon a golden bough to sing

To lords and ladies of Byzantium

Of what is past, or passing, or to come.'

Yeats, feeling his age, the whole poem needs to be read or you might come away with an idea of Hans Christian Anderson's 'Nightingale' rather than a lovely concept of inspiration and artistry transcending death and corporeal reality. I started work on Byzantine inspired rings and stories last year and then had the chance to visit Istanbul in April, the ancient gold and glory of Hagia Sofia is still fresh in my mind.