Sunday, July 3, 2011

Rose Quartz soft facet ring build

Step one... turn on some Miles, Bitches Brew....


This is another gem that I cut, inspired by the Herkimer Diamond.
Rose Quartz, cut from a big hunk of rough, with a soft pink hue.

Here are all of the materials I that I used for this build.



I started by soldering some fine silver mesh to the bezel.



All soldered up and ready to form the bezel wall.



Here I am soldering the bezel wall seam.
I chose to put the solder on the inside of the wall as not to disturb the mesh pattern.



All soldered up!



Time to solder the base. I like to put my solder on the inside and pull it out for a nice smooth seam.



I drew a line on the bezel so I know the max height for my brass posts.



Preparing to solder the posts. I do this by smooshing little pieces of solder wire so they are paper thin. Just sit the posts on the solder and no mess!



The solder is hidden under the posts.



Once soldered, time to draw out the shape and get to sawing...



All cut out...



Shank is tapered by hammering, then sanded and stamped.



Shaping the shank with the Swiss super shank shaper, for sure!



Shank shaped and a seat has been filed.



Getting ready to get my shank on...
I like to wedge my solder on the outside connection and concentrate the heat inside the shank. This pulls the solder in and creates a nice smooth seam.



Here I drew a line to let me know how far and where to grind the bezel down.



Bezel wall has been shaped here...



Oxidized with LOS.



Finish is complete for the most part. Time to set and final polish some highlights!



And there she is... in all her glory!
I'm diggin it :)

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20 comments:

  1. NRjewellerydesignJuly 3, 2011 at 4:34 AM

    LOVE the ring and its really interesting to see how you approached making it. (and now I really need a super shank shaper!!) X

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  2. JudyJuly 3, 2011 at 7:59 AM

    I love it too! And thanks for the tutorial! I learn something every time.

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  3. My Creative CommunityJuly 3, 2011 at 8:42 AM

    What a gorgeous ring! Love it! Nice to see your process of creating it!

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  4. Bill MartinJuly 3, 2011 at 2:31 PM

    Thanks everyone! I am glad you enjoyed the photos!

    Nikki, it is a handy tool. It gets a nice shape. I do have to use the mandrel a bit, but that is because I taper my shanks. I use it every day though. Takes a little getting used to.

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  5. UnknownJuly 3, 2011 at 5:22 PM

    Just beautiful!

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  6. littlecherryhillJuly 3, 2011 at 6:36 PM

    Thanks for sharing your step by step process! Love the ring it's gorgeous!

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  7. UnknownJuly 4, 2011 at 7:30 AM

    I love the process shots, it is super informative! Beautiful!

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  8. AnonymousJuly 4, 2011 at 8:33 AM

    'She' is glorious indeed ! Fascinating to see the construction process, work of art!

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  9. Bill MartinJuly 5, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    Thanks everyone for the wonderful comments!

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  10. Karen Casey-SmithJuly 15, 2011 at 8:55 AM

    This is a gorgeous ring! It's so cool to get to see how you made it. Thanks for posting this. BTW, your photography skills are awesome too.

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  11. AnonymousJuly 15, 2011 at 8:12 PM

    Awesome ring! and I need a super shank shaper as well, never seen it before and all this time my right arm is looking like Hulk's from forming rings.

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  12. Bill MartinJuly 15, 2011 at 10:27 PM

    Thanks Karen!!!

    Natalia, don't be fooled! You will just end up with bigger wrist muscles! Although on thinner shanks it is like butter :) heavy shanks can be painful sometimes.

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  13. nova by tessJuly 19, 2011 at 1:38 PM

    Gorgeous. Loved to see how she came about. And just like Nikki now I need a Swiss super shank shaper :o)

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  14. Laura R.August 3, 2011 at 10:50 AM

    Your work ROCKS! I love, LOVE your stuff. Gotta get me one soon. :oD

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  15. daily coyoteDecember 18, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    I'm not a silversmith but I LOVED this post. I think artists hesitate to share their process for fear of demystifying the final work, but this post of yours achieves the opposite - it brings me closer to the piece, the ring, your art. Awesome and thank you!

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  16. Bill MartinDecember 18, 2011 at 11:26 AM

    Thanks so much! It's been so long since I've updated! Glad to see that people are still finding interest in my posts! Cool!

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  17. PerriJanuary 15, 2012 at 1:56 AM

    Thanks so much for this post - I'm new to the torch and am greatly appreciative of how you shared your process and especially the tips on solder placement for a cleaner finish.

    I found you through an FB post mentioning a comment here that sadly, didn't include a link back, :^( But Google to the rescue! Thank goodness for the bots and spiders. :^)
    Thanks again!

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  18. Bill MartinJanuary 20, 2012 at 10:58 AM

    Thanks Perri! I'm glad you found this useful! And very cool that you were able to find it through google! Awesome!

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  19. Jessica JohannesenMarch 2, 2012 at 11:07 AM

    Your work is gorgeous, and you make me want to learn some lapidary skills... do you cut all your own stones? esp. the Prehnite which is so beautiful

    but the whole reason behind my comment today is that i need to know where you got the shank shaper. I have never seen one before and that would be an amazing tool to have.

    Jessica

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  20. Bill MartinMarch 8, 2012 at 12:02 PM

    Hey Jessica thanks!

    I did cut this stone, but it really depends on what I am going after. I find that if it is just a basic color/cut, it's just not worth my time to cut it, so I buy.

    If you go on rio grande's site and search for "wire shaping plyers" you will see them. They also sell an economy set. I really don't remember paying that much for the swiss set. I think they went up in price for some reason?

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