Absolute nobody wanting to make an engagement ring
Hello!
I'm very new to not only this website, but the whole jewelry-making affair in general, and as such I will have a lot of explaining to do. Due to my propensity to ramble on, there'll be a highly condensed TL;DR located at the bottom :]
Anyways, I recently found this website a couple days ago as I'm hoping to get some professional (or not-so-professional) advice on how to go about making an engagement ring.
You see, I've never made a ring before. Nor have I ever made jewelry before. Nor have I ever expressed any interest in doing so.
In fact, the closest I've come to working with metal was in my high school applied tech class or when I'm fixing my car, and even then, it's not like I'm forge-welding anything... yet.
Now, I know, I know, you might be asking yourself: 'Xiao, why don't you just buy a ring, you four-eyed ninny?'
To which I reply, there's no need for name-calling! Jeez... and also I've always been a fan of making stuff myself for gifts as I believe them to be more meaningful, plus I love learning new skills. I'm always up for a challenge and to better myself and my abilities. Doing things myself always just makes me feel good, and I don't believe anything necessitates a self-made item more than the proposal to the lady of my dreams. (also rings are expensive lmao; I don't have a ton of money, but I have a ton of time and inherited stubbornness)
I did a small bit of research, and I've utilized this video by Alec Steele (currently unable to post URLs so just look up "Making an Engagement Ring for my Fiancée.") where he makes an absolutely gorgeous engagement ring. If I'm being honest, I'm liable to plagiarize the design entirely if I don't watch myself.
Anyhow, I've been able to break down the video into a few key techniques I must learn; e.g. lost wax casting, wax sculpting, fine metalwork, smelting, etc. I've essentially used it—not as a step-by-step breakdown—but rather as guidelines: what to do and in what order to do it. After I figure out the rough outline, I'll do more research and figure out the details in what to do/how to do it. This is where you come in!
Now, obviously I know gold is expensive, which is why I plan on working with aluminum metal I acquire by melting down empty soda cans, and once I ascertain my skill level to be up to snuff I'll graduate to gold and (hopefully) get my final version done in one try so I don't absolutely destroy my wallet. I know aluminum and gold are unlikely to translate entirely when working from one to the other, but I assume the general skillset should carry over at least somewhat.
SO!.. this all brings me back to what I wish to ask of you:
Does this sound like a good idea?
And before you say 'no, you moron, you can't just jump straight to an engagement ring, it requires time and experience,' how about you take a long walk off a short bridge and onto a boat where you can go fish or whatever while I figure this out, because I don't care how much time or experience it'll take or how hard it is, I'm not gonna rest until I achieve my goal of making my future wife the best goshdang (idk if im allowed to swear on this website) ring I am physically and mentally capable of making.
What I'm asking is do you think my idea is a good one? You know, researching the necessary steps to make an engagement ring, then starting off with aluminum, then graduating to gold once my skills are good. Would this work?
And before you ask, I don't live near any jewelry classes.
I suppose the more important question is what tools and techniques do I need to acquire in order to begin? I already have the equipment to melt aluminum, but making a ring? Nada.
I have no wax, no tools, no sanders or buffers or whatnot. Just enough to melt metal. Don't even have a vacuum chamber set up yet, but that's not what I'm here to ask about.
Anyways, I've rambled on long enough. If you've come this far and read the whole thing, thank you for your time. This woman means the world to me and if I'm to propose, the ring has to be truly special. I'm willing to put in the work, time, and effort to make this happen. Any and all advice is welcome, you'd be doing me a massive help.
TL;DR — I have never worked with jewelry before ever and am fixing to make an engagement ring. What are the necessary tools and techniques I should learn? Any helpful resources? Websites? Proctologists? Last one's unrelated, but still helpful.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for any help, big or small!
Xiao.
