Style advice on model for placeholder engagement ring

[kitchenislife]

Hi All,

The preamble is that I'm making a placeholder engagement ring because I don't exactly know what style she'd like (pretty sure she doesn't know either). I'm making a wax model and will have it cast by a jewellery firm (that require two masters so twice the work, twice the error potential). The casting firm I think can do a good bit of the finishing and stone setting will be done by a local jeweller as I don't have the skill.

The design has a flying shoulder (attached picture M0) that is carved and engraved based very loosely on Van Goghs starry night (attached picture) and I'm stuck on whether to keep the design very simple with an engraved outline or try to add detail?

The current masters have just the outline in place (attached picture M1) but I mocked up a quick (and unpolished) template version as a visual guide where I tried to add more detail (attached picture M2).

I'm operating at the limit of my artistic skill and it's all being done by hand so I'm aware that it's not perfect but any advice/suggestions are appreciated.

The shoulders are 4mm wide and roughly 12mm long, the engraving currently done is approx 0.5mm wide (done with a needle point).

(I still need to fashion the setting prongs down, slim the band down to ~2.5 ish mm and put in the draining hole at the bottom of the setting and clean up the whole thing, probably up to about 3000 grit paper).

Thanks, Kitchen

[Dennis]

Style advice I think must be to follow what you have in mind, or it won't be yours.
Thickness of prongs according to metal used. Probably 0.9-1.00 mm for silver.
I would have the stone you are using in hand (possibly a CZ) so that you can get the wax carved nearly right, with minimal adjustment at the setting stage. Your setter might advise you before casting.
Keep looking here for a week or more as the members respond. Good luck with your project. Dennis.

[kitchenislife]

Hi,

Thanks for your input - very much appreciated. I think I would have liked to add a little more but haven't been able to get a polished, deliberate enough look when practicing (I've tried about 8 times and only one came out looking better than random scratches). I have a moissanite so the setting will be as correct as I can get it. The metal is most likely to be 18K white gold and the prongs are currently ~1.3mm which already seems very fine but I'll try to get it down a bit.

Thanks,
Kitchen

ps. the trout is incredible, wish I had that ability!

[Dennis]

Thank you.
More random thoughts:
18ct yellow is usually dull grey in colour, and not very festive. 9ct has a slight yellow cast and is quite sturdy and much cheaper.

For polishing, try to smooth the metal with two or three successively finer abrasive papers. These can be fixed to flat wooden coffee stirrers with double sided sellotape, and then trimmed to a blunt point with a snap off craft knife. Go on witheach until there are no visible scratches.

This can be followed by radial disks used in the correct order, but you need a motor run slowly with light pressure to do this.
The set from Cookson has 2.3mm mandrels, but some motors have a chuck for 3.00mm ones
https://www.cooksongold.com/Jeweller...ial&channel=uk

These can also be found elsewhere online.

A further shine can be achieved with metal polish, used with and old toothbrush and a soft cloth, or with a cotton mop and mandrel on a motor. Dennis.