YONAGUNI II SAPPHIRE

YONAGUNI RING – 与那国島海底地形リング

We designed YONAGUNI RING for our exhibition Islands in Bloom, part of Melbourne Design Week 2025. This version of the design features a custom cut Australian Sapphire.

This piece draws inspiration from the so called Yonaguni Monument. Called “Japan’s Atlantis,” the Yonaguni Monument is a massive underwater formation off Okinawa that has sparked debate since its 1986 discovery, with theories ranging from natural geology to the remains of a lost civilization.

Researcher Masaaki Kimura believes it may be a 10,000-year-old human-made site linked to the mythical continent of Mu, citing the monument’s sharp angles, step-like terraces, and possible carvings. While many academics dismiss this as speculation, the true origin of the Yonaguni Monument remains unsolved.

Rising like a sunken terrace from the seabed, these angular, stepped structures have sparked decades of debate: are they the result of natural tectonic forces, or evidence of an ancient, lost civilization?

Each ridge is hand engraved, a process that gives the ring a a strong texture and sense of tactility

The ring's bold, block-like structure echoes elements of Brutalist architecture - a design movement from the 1950s and '60s that favoured raw materials, monolithic shapes, and exposed surfaces. Like those buildings, YONAGUNI is unapologetically solid. Strong lines, sharp edges, and a sense of grounded weight make it feel more like a small piece of sculpture than traditional jewellery.

Hand-finished in sterling silver.
Made in Melbourne.

Designed by Chris Bril for Corky Saint Clair. Hand made in Melbourne.