2026

Design Awards Silver Winner - Vivil Guimarães

Embrião Ring

Entrant

Vivil Guimarães

Category

Jewelry - Rings

Client's Name

Vivil Guimarães

Country / Region:

Brazil

The Embryo Ring is a sculptural piece of high jewelry crafted from recycled 18k gold and lab-grown diamonds, inspired by cell division and the beginning of life. 3D-designed with anatomical precision and cast using the intricate lost-wax technique, it merges contemporary high jewelry with the circular economy through zero-waste processes and mining-free gems, creating a sustainable luxury manifesto. The design's central inspiration lies in the biological dynamism of cell multiplication. The challenge was translating this organic aesthetic into an ergonomic piece that feels intuitively constructed cell by cell. In this context, choosing lab-grown diamonds reinforces the infinite and profound potential of life's origin, refusing to fund destructive mineral extraction to celebrate nature ethically.
Breaking away from exact geometry, the silhouette features an intricate and asymmetric topography of gold spheres digitally created to simulate a living organism's randomness. The main technical highlight is the flush setting of the gems directly into the gold spheres. Without traditional prongs to interrupt the flow, the diamonds appear intrinsic to the precious metal, emerging organically from its cavities. This visual care extends to functionality: ensuring maximum comfort in a bulky sculptural ring was solved by 3D modeling that mapped the hand's anatomy to hug the phalanx without restricting joint movement. The polished, spherical gold finish offers an impeccable tactile experience, while the flush setting eliminates sharp edges, preventing the ring from snagging on clothing during their daily wear.
By subverting traditional high jewelry rules—such as strict symmetry and the prominence of a single large stone—the piece innovates by using diamonds as diffuse and poetic narrative elements. The model stands out by harmonizing nature’s apparent imperfection with technological precision and lab-grown responsibility, proving that new luxury is deeply tied to innovation and low environmental impact. Finally, the project's true impact is consolidated in its circular, zero-waste philosophy. Utilizing recycled inputs eliminates the socio-environmental damages of traditional extractive mining, while the manufacturing process filters, captures, and entirely reuses all gold dust generated during polishing, honoring the concept of life from its initial conception to its final manufacture.

Credits

Wiltânia Guimarães
Vivil Guimarães
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