If necessity is the mother of invention, pressure must be the lucky father—the craftiest solutions tend to come from situations when you need something, and need it fast. “I’m usually working in a small, confined space alongside hair and makeup to get the talent ready to be on camera quickly,” says Betina Goldstein, the nail artist behind Doublemoss Arte and all those manicure photos you can’t stop ogling and sending to your Instagram saved folder. Without lots of space on a shared beauty table, Goldstein started making little makeshift palettes out of everything from gloves to plastic coffee lids. It was messy, she admits, and in the long run it wasn't sustainable. She created Doublemoss Arte’s palette ring for this exact scenario. “I wanted to create a ring that was beautiful to wear when not working, but designed specifically to meet an artist’s needs.”
It’s gilded but not gold, pretty but not particularly precious. All of Doublemoss Arte’s pieces are solid high-polish brass, crucial for easy cleaning. The face of the ring looks a little bit like a river rock you’d fish out of the water, then ask your friends “Hey guys, do you think this river rock looks kind of like yin and yang?” Two walled wells gently secure liquid-y product, though you can also mix on the ring’s flat surfaces and the slightly lifted perimeter will corral any errant drips. The organic shape reminds me of vintage Elsa Peretti designs. (A sculpted hand version of the palette, which Goldstein is currently working on, would be at home in a cabinet of bone cuffs—Instagram’s favorite makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes counts herself on the waitlist.) And the band is adjustable, so it not only fits most people but also most fingers on one person’s hand. If you’re using it as a palette it’s probably easiest to stretch the band and wear it on your thumb, heads-up-seven-up style. But if you’re wearing it just because it’s chic, you can move it to your ring, middle, or pointer finger.
I am obsessed with this ring. And the true beauty of it is that if I saw it in the wild, I would have no idea that it doubles as a beauty tool. Goldstein fills the little divots with pools of nail polish both acrylic and classic, though they’re just as good at holding other beauty products. “I have been told that the ring has been used to hold glue when applying eyelashes, as a makeup palette, and for gel when styling baby hairs,” she reveals. I’d use it to hold blush, foundation, or liquid bronzer, which always end up getting all over my hands and therefore my white hand towels. Goldstein also notes that people not in the beauty industry have been filling the ring with actual paint for actual canvases.
When she’s finished creating a look, Goldstein just wipes the ring down with alcohol or acetone—brass is resistant to both. “Over time brass gets a patina from exposure to oxygen and water,” she admits, “but some people love that look.” If your ring does start losing its shine, you can make a paste of lemon juice and baking soda and gently scrub the surface with a cloth or soft toothbrush. And if it starts turning your finger green with excess wear, just coat the inside of the band with clear nail polish.
It sits at the perfect intersection between jewelry and beauty, which means it’s the perfect gift for the person interested in both. Is she a Libra? Is her name Ali? If so, you know where to find me.
—Ali Oshinsky
Photo via Betina Goldstein and Doublemoss Arte
