Tansy the Sweat Bee and Citrine Ring

She found the best spot in the garden approximately twenty minutes ago and she has no plans to leave. There are mushrooms. There is a golden stone. The twig she is perched on is exactly the right size. She is very small and very fuzzy and completely certain that everything is exactly as it should be.

The Sweat Bee

Sweat bees are one of the most important and most overlooked native pollinators in North America, and unlike the honey bee, which was introduced to this continent from Europe, sweat bees have been here all along. They belong to the family Halictidae, with over 500 species in North America alone, and they come in an extraordinary range of forms, from iridescent metallic green to small fuzzy black and banded varieties that look like tiny honey bees going about their business with considerably less fanfare.

They are called sweat bees because they are genuinely attracted to human perspiration, which they drink for its salt and protein content. This sounds alarming. In practice it is barely noticeable. They are docile, rarely sting, and when they do the venom causes only mild irritation, which is about what you would expect from something roughly the size of a sesame seed that was never trying to bother you in the first place. They are simply doing their rounds.

And their rounds are important. Sweat bees pollinate a wide range of native wildflowers and crops, visiting whatever flowers interest them on any given day with the cheerful generosity of creatures who have never met a flower they did not want to investigate. They nest in the ground, aerate the soil as they tunnel, and have been quietly supporting the ecosystems around them since long before anyone thought to give them credit for it.

Tansy the wildflower, after whom this bee is named, is one of the plants that native sweat bees actually visit. Its tight clusters of small yellow button flowers are exactly the kind of thing a small bee finds irresistible, which felt like exactly the right connection.

The Piece

Her name is Tansy, after the native wildflower, because a native bee deserved a native plant name and because both of them are small and yellow and completely unbothered by what anyone thinks of them.

Tansy was carved entirely from scrap pieces of sterling silver, every tiny piece of fuzz on her body placed individually by hand, cut and added piece by piece until she looked exactly like herself. Her wings are detailed and spread slightly the way a bee's wings do when she is settled but not entirely committed to staying. She perches on a gnarled twig that opens into an adjustable band, the organic shape of it giving the ring a quality that feels grown rather than made. Mushroom clusters surround her on either side, their speckled caps textured and detailed, the whole composition a tiny forest floor scene balanced on your finger.

At the center of it all a rose cut citrine glows in a crown setting, that warm saturated gold exactly the color of late summer goldenrod, catching the light the way afternoon sun catches in tree sap.

The ring is adjustable and can be sized for you before it is mailed. Just let me know your size when you order.

The Craftsmanship

• Ring: adjustable open twig band, sizeable to order
• Stone: rose cut citrine, warm golden yellow
• Material: sterling silver throughout, oxidized, made from recycled scrap silver
• Edition: one of a kind

One of a Kind

There is only one Tansy. This twig, these mushrooms, this particular fuzzy bee with her golden stone: they exist once. When she finds her person she will never be made again exactly like this.

A Note from Tamara

I made this ring from scraps because I do not waste silver. Every tiny piece of fuzz on Tansy's body came from the floor of my studio, cut and placed by hand until she had exactly the right amount of fluff. I named her Tansy because sweat bees and native wildflowers belong to the same world and I wanted her name to reflect that. She is small and native and essential and very pleased with herself, which is honestly the energy I aspire to. I hope whoever wears her feels that same quiet contentment every time they look down at their finger and find a tiny fuzzy bee sitting there absolutely certain she is in exactly the right place.

Shipping

Your Tansy is finished, packaged safely, and will be on her way to you within 3 to 5 business days. Let me know your ring size and I will adjust her perfectly for you.