This ring was designed by the architect William Richard Lethaby (1857-1931), one of the founders of the Art Workers Guild and Principal of the Central School of Arts and Crafts, as a wedding gift for his wife Edith Crosby (1850-1927). Lethaby met Edith Rutgers Crosby in 1893 during a visit to Constantinople, where he is said to have borrowed clothing from her and her sister to overcome the restrictions on foreign men visiting the Sancta Sophia church. Their marriage took place some years later in 1901 due to the objections of Edith's mother and they set up home together in London. Edith and William were buried together in the churchyard of St Mary's, Hartley Wintney in Hampshire with the epitaph 'Love & Labour are all'.

The ring was made by the renowed Arts and Crafts jeweller Henry Wilson (1864-1934). Wilson was a trained architect who also worked on visionary church decoration schemes, metalwork, jewellery and lecturing. He taught metalwork at the Central School of Arts & Crafts from 1896 & the Royal College of Art from 1901. His definitive textbook ‘Silverwork & Jewellery’ was published in 1903. Wilson and W.R. Lethaby worked together on the scheme for Liverpool Cathedral in 1902.

The design for the ring was inspired by a medieval cathedral, but perhaps also inspired Lethaby and Wilson's work in Liverpool. A note from Lethaby on a drawing of the ring in the V&A collection suggests their collaborative relationship. It is annotated 'Dear Wilson mine, Thinkst this could be doed at a 'not prohibitory?' and suggested parts of the ring which could be 'embigged'.