My first ring.

so after receiving loads of goodies from cookson I decided to try my hand at making a ring.
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/w...psdxel4n1l.jpg
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/w...psukrnetj5.jpg
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/w...psbqdarj5y.jpg
its sterling and amber. I used 3mmx2mm silver D wire and a little .8.. round wire.
I decided on the setting as I am currently atrocious at making claw settings and have nothing to make bezels with, however I have really found that I like the look of it so I imagine I will be doing it this way some more with other stones.
someone this weekend told me to stop being so worried about the odd tool mark as they make the item more hand made (how this works I'm not sure) so I tried to not muck around to much and I'm very glad I followed that sage bit of advice.

so thoughts ladies and gents?
who likes it? any ideas for improvement?
many regards
Sam.

Well done, Sam!
I'm intrigued to know how you got the amber in there and then secured it. It's quite a novel holding method.
The presence of tool marks making an item look more handmade is one philosophy; the opposite one is that concealing the hand of the maker is part of the art of making something. If you subscribe to the second philosophy, you get your buff sticks and your polishing kit out and go all over it until it shines.

well, I made an oval that the amber could sit in snugly, then I made 2 c shapes that where about the same height as the amber, these I soldered onto the side of my oval as this would of made them a little shorter then the apex of the stone (if you follow my mutterings)
after everything was all soldered up and pickled I bent the 2 C's (now fully attached to the oval and oval to ring) and using much wiggling and swearing, slowly worked the amber into the housing. once it was sat flat I bent the C's back into position and straightened them up. maybe it would of been neater if I measured but I had fun and that's what counts.
I think I will make something similar and polish it right up and see which I prefer.
http://i735.photobucket.com/albums/w...pspz27s9aa.jpg

Love the design and such a great job for your first ring!
Personally I would want to polish all the tool marks out or make it more obviously a rougher finish, its kinda in-between as it is.

You say that you are atrocious at making claw settings, but you already have the makings of a simple four claw setting, if you snip away the surplus wire. Dennis.

I like it. I have a TON of amber sitting in jars and boxes (russian family connections..) and you've given me some ideas.

am wondering, though, if you found certain swear-words to be more effective than others? I learned to curse like a stevedore in multiple languages including javajo at my job as a telephone repairman. I was the only woman in an army of men and it helped me fit in a little. :D :D

I swear pretty well when I need to, I can be rather creative!
I really need to get my hands on some more little cabs, I seriously want to play with some lapis or some of that fossil stone stuff.

I love it. Very creative and original. I love to see hand made stuff. Much better than the commercial things on the market. Well done!

Paul

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That looks amazing! There's no denying that a great amount of creativity and hardwork was exerted on this ring. I've been buying my jewelry from REMOVED but I'd also love to craft rings and other jewelry just like you.