Yulia has painted two of the rare big cats comforting one another on this very special pen. On the left is a snow leopard and on the right an Amur leopard. They are painted against a silver-leaf background with a winter scene depicted in glittering violet, turquoise, royal blue and yellow gold. Yulia has a soft spot for all animals, and especially for these leopards which face threats from poaching, destruction of their habitats and climate change. It is estimated that there are only between about 25 and fewer than 150 Amur leopards remaining in the wild. They live in forest and mountainous areas between eastern Russia and northern China.

The snow leopard, which is classified as vulnerable though not as critically endangered, faces similar threats. They live in the mountains of Central and South Asia. Interestingly, they have specially adapted feet that act as snow shoes. These cats are agile and can manoeuvre at death-defying speeds down what look like sheer cliffs, chasing their prey such as Himalayan blue sheep (which are not blue) down steep mountainsides.

Lana has mixed a very deep teal resin for the section material and we have added an Argentium silver cap band, section ring and logo medallion embedded in the cap finial.