Cast Helix

Helix Cast Metal Puzzle from Hanayama Puzzles of Japan is a delightful and very tricky brain teaser puzzle. It consists of two star shaped pieces which pivot on a small central rivet and a chrome colored ring. 
The object is to separate the ring from the star-shaped pieces.
 
 The star shaped pieces have many grooves and recesses and a few smooth openings. One needs to turn the metal ring placing the open ends through the holes in the stars. As you turn the two star-shaped pieces you will create more different "possible" pathways. Measures approximately 2.5 inches in diameter. 
 
This is a really great disentanglement brainteaser. You may find yourself going around and around in circles for longer than you planned. In some ways this puzzle can be thought of as a 3-D Maze.
 
 Rated by the manufacturer as a level 5 difficulty (on a scale of 1 to 6 where 6 is the most challenging.) The Number on the packaging indicates the level of difficulty. Your own experience could vary substantially. HELIX is part of a series of 45 plus very interesting and mentally provocative metal brain teasers from the Hanayama Puzzle Company. Some serious puzzlers refer to these as "disentanglement-style puzzles" as they involve taking something apart and then re-assembling. Re-assembly can also be a puzzle and may be equally as tricky. 
 
Reminder. NO FORCE is ever required to solve the puzzle. Just a series of clever moves.