Scorpio in 14k - for my sister

 

 One of my final projects of 2020 - a ring for my sister.  

This is my standard and favorite design.

 

 

 

 

Construction Photos:

 

More Construction Pictures After the Link:

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New tooth in 18k gold

I didn't make this one!  

A friend of mine did though.

In dental school they teach students the same basic skills to be a jeweler.  Same materials, tools, processes.

Alexandrite - 14k

This is one I made for my wife.....

This stone can display different colors in different lighting situations due the internal structure of the crystals that make up the gem

Construction pictures:

A large slug of 14k Gold

Cut into three pieces.

lots of cutting...

Yellow Sapphire - 14k

Yellow on Yellow

 Yellow Sapphire set in 14k Gold

Yes, sapphires come in many colors.   Also, nearly colorless.

Construction pictures:

First, a hammered texture ring shank. 

The little dot is where I plan to drill.

Drill Drill Drill.  This is not a drill.

Blue Sapphires - 14k

This is a simplistic and very old style of ring

Twin blue sapphires terminating a spiral of forged 14k gold

Construction Pictures:

Scrap Gold

after a lot of melting, annealing and rolling....

The long piece in the center here will become the ring shank

Creating a cup shape to accept the bezel settings.  
The tape is to minimize scratches if (or when) I slip with the flex shaft.

Scorpio Ring in 14k

This is similar to the silver scorpio rings I have made before, but without the enamel

I felt that the gold had enough presence without adding a color

Here are some pictures of the construction.  It was made from a necklace I bought at a thrift store. I spend a lot of time in thrift stores and garage sales, sometimes it pays off.

Well constructed necklace with a fancy clasp.  The construction was the give-away that it wasn't costume.  Gold jewelry is not constructed in a shoddy manner.  Plus it had a mark they missed on the catch.  I saved the catch.

Forged Gold Ring - Reticulated

This is really the first ring I have ever made - for me.

It was a long, laborious and complicated process:

Gold is super expensive.  It always has been, but somehow I decided to become a jeweler at a point that coincided with the 400 year high (adjusted for inflation) price of gold.   Bummer.

But if you have enough patience and learn how to look and judge, you can get gold really cheaply:

This is a clearly labeled 14k gold chain that I bought at a yard sale for a dollar.  The people had a big fancy house and were selling everything to move to a retirement condo in Arizona.  So, I didn't feel too bad.  This was about $450 at melt value that day.

So, the really hard part is that I can't bring myself to melt good stuff.  You can't un-stir the coffee so to speak.  I always think of the craftsman who made it.  I did not melt that chain.

But anything broken, or just of awful design.....gets the torch.

For example:

Extra Special Friend.   Hmm.... who would I give this to?  Really kinda creepy.

But it is marked 14k.  One other important thing, if you melt the clasps, there is a steel spring inside.  Once the gold has melted, you can just push it out of the puddle with tweezers.  Steel has a higher melting point than gold.

The necklace was marked 585 (the percentage of gold in 14k alloy) and 14k.



Here is me figuring out the math to determine what karat the end product will be.  

One other hard part is that sometimes, pretty rare with gold more common with silver, the stuff is either not what it is marked, or is not marked at all.