my first ever ring

[medusa]

OK, so following on from one of Carol's recent commissions, I decided to have a go and make an Allsopp (sp?) style ring. This is the prototype and I have just enough 18ct left to do one each for the girls for xmas. It was fiddley, but great fun!

rubbish pic but will try and get a better one later.

[caroleallen]

I forgot to take a picture of mine. It looked completely different to yours as it had a solid ring underneath and a garnet set into it. As it was a wedding ring, I couldn't be as free with it as I'd have liked. I was a bit worried after I'd send it in the post when the groom contacted me to say he hadn't received it. Luckily I sent it by special delivery and was able to see that Royal Mail had tried to deliver it and left a card. Phew! I was even more relieved when the bride contacted me and said she loved it. Double phew!

I'd had a bit of trouble setting the stone. On the lovely Dave's (Bigwol) recommendation, I tried using my Dremel engraver as a hammer. I think I must have had it on too high a setting, as it just mangled the collet. I managed to use my gravers to cut away and neaten it up but it was a bit fraught at the time!

Anyway, your ring is lovely and I'm sure your girls will love them.

[Dennis]

It's a completely different take on that idea and a great success. Dennis.

[medusa]

I can't imagine trying to set a stone on something like that. it was bad enough trying to get the gold and silver soldered together. If I ever do another one after this bit of gold is finished, I think I'd use square wire and then roll it down and hammer it. I was pondering this morning that it might be quite cool if you could actually have it without soldering it together, so it's almost like an expandable spring. are the original ones just soldered at the ends, Dennis? Could you see?

When I do the ones for the girls, I think I'll make sure there is more silver length and I put the gold in the middle rather than in the third quarter. One thing I do like about it is how it looks different each time you put it on.

It's now residing on Mr Medusa's little finger and looks pretty good, though he's concerned it is a bit too flimsy feeling, so maybe thicker wire would be better. I'll get some more/better pics up later because that one was taken on the laptop in near dark. I went to get the proper camera just after posting but half fell off the mezzanine and wrenched my shoulder

[Dennis]

I did not get to try it on Liz, but as your appointed spy, I would say it was soldered rigid and could not be manipulated. You probably know that random and informal designs still require planning and then fixing in place to look their best.

On the other point I find that rub down settings on a flimsy background are best done with pliers to avoid distorting the base. I plan to show something like it maybe next week. Dennis.

[medusa]

heh, well it's now bust at one of the solder points. I was a bit unsure of how well I'd got the join as there was a distinct gold-silver divide there whereas on the other join, the gold and silver seemed to blend in together. I think it definitely needs to be much thicker. Which means I need to buy more gold since the little princesses saw the try-out and now really want one for christmas.

[Dennis]

I hesitate to mention this in case you're doing so already, but joining gold to silver it's best to use silver solder.

[medusa]

Thanks Denis, I did use silver solder but i was thinking of using some gold solder I have next time, so thanks for the heads up.