Wedding Set - 14k & Sapphires

14k Gold and Sapphires - Custom Wedding Set

These were made as a Wedding set, with an attempt at a complementary design.

One has finished formal edges with banding, the other is more free form with offset stones.

 

I think the sapphires fit the overall design well. 

 

Construction pictures below: 

 

Basic ring blanks and a gold square wire, I milled all of these with my rolling mill.

 

 

 

this process begins here:

 

 

Basic design layout.

Tape to hold it temporarily.

 

First pass of soldering.

Forming the rings.

Second pass at soldering.

All soldered up tight.

Next, trim to shape.  They need to be parallel.

The little strips I cut off are up above.  All by hand.

Shaping the blanks to become rings.  This is done on a mandrel with a rawhide mallet.  They need to be reheated a few time to get the shape.

Soldering the joint together.  Those little wires are gold solder.

File, sand, file again, shape and polish.

Sapphires selected.

Black dots marking where the sapphires will go.  I use a 17 degree bit to drill out the shape.  The bezel tubes can be bought or shaped using a press and dies.

Diamonds in 14k

 

 This is an unusual design for me.  It was inspired by the remnants of a previous project.  

Diamonds and 14k

 

 

 

The strips at the top above were cut off to trim the shanks here.

I had an Idea...

 

Ellensburg Blue Chalcedony in 14k

 

 

 The famous Ellensburg Blue Agate - 14k Ring

These stones are sourced here in Ellensburg.  A friend of mine hunts for them, cuts them and then I get to do the metal work.

 

The agate was formed in the vesicular basalt in the Teanaway. Rain water left deposited minerals over many years.

 

Ellensburg Blue Chalcedony in 14k

 

 The famous Ellensburg Blue Agate

 This one is set in multi-colored 14 and 22k gold.

 

 

A couple of shots of the pieces that became the ring here.  There are a few projects in this picture.

 

Vintage 14k and Diamonds

 

 

 This ring was re-created from a 95 year old gold band.  

The original was too small and too thin from from wear.  The original also had one very small ruby.  These diamonds were a set of earrings and are approximately 3/8 carat each or .75 total carat weight and very clear and bright.

The mark here is a Russian gold mark, "56" is in relation to .585 or 58.5% gold, 14k.  The inner shank here is white gold, 14k

 

 

This picture shows the small ruby the ring had, and the pair of earrings.

This was carving out a place for the settings, to lower them in.

 

Hit it with the torch to 1,400 degrees.