Interlocking Bangle...Help!!

Hi everyone!
I've been asked by a past client if I could make her a bangle with her children's birthstones. The bangle is based on stacking bangles I made recently, which she saw.....only she also wants the bangles interlocked like a Russian wedding band idea. She wants 3 birthstones on each bangle (tube set). I'm a little nervous as this strikes me as being a rather tricky piece......I know how to make Russian rings, but bangles with stone settings is a different story really! Anyone ever made anything similar or have any inkling as to how difficult (or easy) making the bangle might be?

Hi Karolina and welcome back.

Making it is pretty straight forward really if you have a good hot torch. You do not say what metal you are using, but particularly with silver, the heat will dissipate rapidly as you solder the last of the three.

There is also the problem of sizing, so if I were you I would make it from stout brass wire first to verify that. Copper is rather too floppy when annealed to be good for a large piece.

As I am writing, I have thought of two snags though: the tube settings will interfere with the way the rings lie and move over each other with three intertwined rings.

Maybe this is not serious if the tubes are kept as short as possible, but your try out will tell you. However the movement of metal will certainly tend to rub and dull the stones or even loosen them.

I would recommend three separate rings held together with a large oval. Kind regards, Dennis.

I made something similar in the past and didn't like the results at all. Subsequently, I've had much better results with stacked versions with tube settings, or 'Russian' ones with flush set stones.