14K Yellow Gold Indigenous Art 1.00 ctw Lab-Grown Solitaire Ring, Signed "A. Helin"
Product Overview
This remarkable 14K yellow gold ring is a beautiful example of wearable Indigenous art. Handcrafted by Tsimshian artist Alex Helin, it combines contemporary fine jewellery with the rich visual language of Northwest Coast Indigenous design. Signed “A. Helin” inside the band, the ring is a distinctive, one-of-a-kind work of art surrounding a modern 1.00 carat lab-grown princess-cut diamond.
Fashioned with a substantial 8 mm wide band, the ring is centered by a raised bezel setting holding the square princess-cut diamond. Rather than being set in the conventional orientation, the diamond is turned so that its four corners point toward the top, bottom, and sides of the finger, creating a dynamic diamond-shaped presentation. The clean geometry of the stone provides a striking contrast to the flowing, organic engraving surrounding it.
The band itself is the true artistic focal point. Tsimshian-style hand engraving travels completely around the ring, creating a continuous visual narrative rather than a simple decorative border. The deeply worked forms, flowing lines, and interconnected imagery reflect the characteristic design vocabulary of Northwest Coast Indigenous art. The result is a ring meant to be viewed from every angle, with the story continuing around the finger.
Alex Helin is a Ts’msyen (Tsimshian) artist from British Columbia and the son of renowned Tsimshian artist Bill Helin. According to Helin’s own biography, his Tsimshian ancestry comes through his father’s family and is connected to Lax Kw'alaams (Port Simpson). His great-grandparents, Maude and Henry Helin, were chiefs of the Tsimshian Nation, placing his jewellery practice within a family tradition deeply connected to Northwest Coast Indigenous art.
Helin began working alongside his father at a remarkably young age. At just eight years old, he helped carve part of the world’s tallest totem pole project for the 1994 Commonwealth Games in Victoria, British Columbia, and also participated in the creation of the 40-foot-long Raven Song canoe. He later apprenticed with his father and ultimately chose hand-engraved jewellery as his principal artistic medium.
Helin describes his work as handmade, custom Indigenous jewellery, specializing in Pacific Northwest Coast Tsimshian-style pieces in gold and silver. His practice is particularly notable for its detailed hand engraving, a labour-intensive technique that allows the artist to create original designs rather than relying on mass-produced patterns or cast reproductions.
Helin has described jewellery as his artistic passion and emphasizes the importance of carrying the beauty of his Indigenous culture forward through wearable art. This ring is especially compelling because the artwork is not confined to a crest or isolated motif; the entire circumference becomes the canvas. Its broad gold surface provides ample room for the intricate engraving to unfold, while the central lab-grown diamond introduces a distinctly contemporary element to an otherwise deeply traditional artistic vocabulary.
- 14K yellow gold
- (1) princess-cut lab-grown diamond (1.00 ctw)
- Clarity: VVS-2
- Colour: G-H
- Gram weight is 9.0
- Current ring size is 9
- Measures approximately 8 mm in width
- Independently appraised value for insurance purposes: $7,360.00 (note: may not reflect selling price)
All items in the Estate Originals Collection are estate pieces created in years gone by. Although this item is in excellent condition, it could have some signs of its age and past enjoyment. The images shown are of the exact item you will receive.
