The Most Controversial Ring in Modern Jewelry Design: Egoist Ring

Why We Put Gemstones Where No One Can See Them—and Why Some People Love It (and Others Absolutely Hate It)

Let’s be honest, jewelry has always had one job and one job only: to show off. For centuries, it was a bold, loud, flashing signal of power, wealth, and social status. You wore gemstones not because they meant something personal, but because they shouted: “I can afford this.”

Here and now, we are writing a totally different story. It’s called The Egoist. And it turns that whole jewelry tradition inside out—figuratively and literally. From the outside, the Egoist ring looks simple. Minimal design, clean lines, maybe a single small stone. But on the inside of the band, where it touches the skin, that’s where the real treasures are set. Natural sapphires, garnets, diamonds—hidden from view, placed so only the wearer sees and feels them. Not for display, but for sensation. They're meant for the wearer alone.

That single decision changes everything. It shifts the entire role of jewelry from something made to be seen to something made to be experienced. It forces a rethinking of value, of luxury, and of what matters most: you.

Meet the creator behind the concept: German Kabirski

The Egoist idea comes from German Kabirski, a contemporary jewelry designer known for breaking rules and stripping design down to what actually matters. His work pushes the modern aesthetic from public display to the wearer’s experience—less theater, more meaning. We asked him why he built the ring this way. Here’s his answer:

“Egoist rings are about the self—the real one, not the showroom version. They hold personal values you don’t parade. They’re yours, and yours only. That’s a new visual language of self-expression.”

Kabirski’s point is simple and blunt: if a piece can speak directly to its wearer, it doesn’t need an audience; if a relationship is real, it doesn’t need approval. That posture won’t please everyone, and it isn’t trying to; it’s there for the few who recognize themselves in it and prefer significance over spectacle.

A Jewelry Piece That Causes Goosebumps and Rage

We get wildly different reactions to this design, and we’ve never seen a ring split people this hard. Some people fall for it instantly—no debate, just goosebumps. They describe it as love at first sight that lands somewhere deeper: you feel the meaning before you find the words. For them, the choice to set natural gemstones—sapphires, diamonds, garnet—inside the band is exactly what modern jewelry design should be: personal first, beauty second. And when two people both respond to the Egoist like that, they usually understand each other in other places too. Same wavelength. They tend to like art that bends rules, a bit of absurd, a bit of play. It’s a real filter, this ring.

But that’s not the majority. Far more often, we get comments tinged with frustration, sometimes straight-up anger. People are upset that beautiful gemstones are hidden where no one can see them. “What a waste.” “How could you do this?” “Stones are meant to be on display.” If you scroll our Facebook comments, you’ll find plenty of that sentiment. It’s loud, and it’s sincere.

They’re not exactly wrong, those people; they’re just speaking from a different set of values. For them, display sits above everything. If it isn’t seen, it doesn’t count—or maybe it shouldn’t exist at all. The Egoist presses that nerve, and yes, it makes some people mad. And we are sorry about that.

Egoist as an Engagement Ring: This Isn’t a Performance

Some people don’t want their relationship on display. They don’t perform their love, they live it—quietly, fully, without needing an audience. When they choose the Egoist as an engagement ring, they’re marking that kind of connection.

Choosing an Egoist ring as an engagement ring means choosing a relationship where personal space is protected, not erased. It means standing beside someone without needing to merge, without needing to prove anything. The gemstone on the inside of the band reflects that boundary. It marks something real but private. It says: I value what’s hidden. I won’t touch what’s not mine. I love you without asking you to hand yourself over.

This kind of choice reflects a different kind of bond—one built on mutual recognition, space, and a shared understanding that what matters most isn’t meant for public view.

Are They Comfortable? Absolutely

The most common worry we hear is simple: won’t the stones on the inside poke or rub? They don't. The interior settings are flush and polished, so the contact feels smooth and cool.

Ancient jewelers believed a stone could only influence you if it touched the skin. Somewhere along the way, modern jewelry turned everything outward for the audience and forgot that. Egoist brings it back—stone to skin, meaning to wearer.

New Egoist Collection — One Ring, One Human

German Kabirski just released a new wave of Egoist rings. The outside carries fancy color diamonds with a clean, modern silhouette; the inside holds sapphires or garnets set to touch the skin. It’s the same idea turned up a notch: calm on the surface, alive within. More layouts and stone pairings are coming, but the core stays intact—design for the wearer first.

Every piece is one of a kind. No duplicates, no second editions. Your ring is yours alone, built once for one person.