Crazy Chunky Dream Ring

I like my job. It is creative and artistic and allows me to bring ideas to life. But rarely do I have the opportunity to work with a client who is even more passionate about pushing the boundaries of an idea than I am. This job provided me with that opportunity. My client had been dreaming about this ring for years. Literally having dreams about it. So my challenge was to get inside her head and envision this ring that she already saw clearly in her mind. Daunting, yet exciting and challenging all at once. We knew the ring was going to be big and chunky. We knew that it was going to be adorned with many gemstones, some of which were sentimental and provided by my client, and some of which I had to find to compliment the idea. We knew that it was going to be organic and some what dark, with an influence we described as like roots or bramble bushes. It was going to be two tone, both gold and silver. The bezels surrounding six of the thirteen stones were to be cast in 10k yellow gold, so I started there. Carving and building those six bezels and having them cast. Once I had the gold bezels I carved the basic ring shape in a block of wax and sunk my gold bezels into the wax by gently heating them and melting them into my wax ring/block. I then completed the wax carving with the gold portion embedded firmly into the wax that was due to be cast into sterling silver. I cast the silver with the gold already in place and although the gold seemed solid then soldered them permanently in place. The next step involved a great deal of grinding and sanding to achieve the fluidity I desired, it also helped me eliminate extra bulk and weight. After polishing and applying a colored patina, it was time to set all of the stones and complete the final finish. I'm proud of the final product and even more importantly, my client was thrilled. It was a pleasure to work on and it sounds like there may even be a matching pendant in the future!!!