Paper artist, Jeremy May designs sculptural rings inspired by the books they’re made from. He begins with a book and a ring shape and meticulously cuts through the book, one page at time, until he has hundreds of layers of paper that he stacks together and compresses (using his secret lamination technique) to make the ring. Thick book, big ring. Very often clients will have a book in mind. “After I receive the book, I read the book completely. While I’m reading, I’m sketching. Within the words, I get inspired for the design of the jewel.” May scours second hand book shops for hidden gems and has amassed a vast book collection of his own. If selecting a book for my jewel, I’d choose The Odyssey; the stories were so much a part of my childhood with visual possibilities a plenty. The piece below was inspired by Coleridge. But already I’m seeing the sails of a Homeric ship.