WINONA, Minn. – In his official duties as the new Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, Craig Loya will have a bit of Winona on his ring finger. The ring was crafted by Winona goldsmith Marshall Holtan. The bishop and Holtan consulted on the design, Holtan used computer-assisted 3-D printing to create a mold for casting the ring. The 3-D printing is new in jewelry-making, unlike the old days, Holtan said, when jewelers hand-carved molds. Bishops’ rings go back to the Middle Ages, each distinctive for a bishop’s values. Loya’s ring includes an adaptation of the church’s roots in ministry with Native Americans, he said. There also are symbols of racial reconciliation peace overcoming conflict. While ceremonial, a bishop’s ring also is practical. The signet is used to make an imprint on wax seals of official documents
HOLTAN: Commissioned for the ring
SIGNET: An adaptation of diocesan seal