Rare Paul Miller NYC Sterling Silver Abstract Sunburst Modernist Band Ring Circa 1950s

 Size:  7-US / 54.5-EU / N 3/4-UK   

Band: .25"W (.64cm)

Markings: Sterling Paul Miller

Weighs: 3.7g

A wonderful and increasingly difficult-to-find example of mid-century New York studio jewelry by Paul Miller, dating to circa the 1950s.

Handcrafted in sterling silver, this substantial modernist band ring features a wonderfully graphic repeating design of abstract sunburst, floral and geometric forms worked around the exterior of the band. Dark oxidized recesses accentuate the hand-cut decoration, creating dramatic contrast against the bright silver surface and giving the otherwise streamlined form wonderful depth and personality.

There is something almost primitive or pictographic about the pattern — playful, slightly whimsical and unmistakably modernist. The imagery shifts as the ring turns on the finger, making the entire circumference part of the design rather than relying on a conventional central “face.”

That combination of minimal form, hand-worked surface decoration and a touch of humor is particularly characteristic of the experimental studio jewelry emerging from New York during the postwar period.

The interior is clearly hand-signed:

STERLING – PAUL MILLER

Paul Miller was an independent studio jeweler active in New York during the mid-20th century and worked within the same extraordinary creative environment that produced artists such as Paul Lobel, Ed Wiener and Sam Kramer. His jewelry is often distinguished by clean modernist forms combined with abstract, unexpected and sometimes delightfully whimsical imagery.

This example has recently been professionally polished and presents beautifully. The recessed decoration retains its darkened contrast, allowing the pattern to remain crisp and highly visible.

A terrific piece of wearable New York modernism and a wonderful addition to a collection of American studio jewelry, mid-century sterling, Greenwich Village modernism or postwar artisan design.