ARTS AND CRAFTS

I spent a chunk of yesterday working on my boyfriend's brother's wedding band. Since my new studio isn't set up for this type of fine metal work yet I was able to use my friend Jake Albee's amazing space (his jewelry is out of this world, literally: he often uses meteorite in his pieces).

The ring started out as a strip of half-domed 18k gold. Below is the strip after I annealed it to prepare it for being bent into a ring (annealing is the process of heating up metal with a torch which changes its chemistry and makes it more flexible). Annealing also temporarily changes the color of the metal which is why it looks so dark. I created two wooden saddles to help support the strip while i bent it (wood so the outside of the ring wouldn't get scratched/dented.

This is what the ring looked like before i soldered the seam shut.

Post soldering and "roundifying" the ring

I filed off the excess solder and created a "comfort fit" on the inside of the band by filing and sanding the inside so it is slightly curved.

This is the ring as of yesterday . . . I'll be finishing it on Monday. I still need to remove the marks from the ring squeezer, hammer some more for texture, and buff it up!!!

a few photos of Jake's soldering station

Jake's wife Kristen's amazing wedding ring that he made using her grandmother's diamond. Platinum inlay, 24k gold, wowza!

and then i treated myself to a delicious marinated portobello mushroom sandwich.