Natasha contacted me after she saw my work on FaceBook, to ask if I could make her partner a ring.
After some lovely email chat, I sourced a stone for her partner, and Natasha asked if I could also turn the piece of charoite I had in my gemstone collection into a ring for her mum.
I’m so pleased with the way this turned out; I think it’s gorgeous, and Natasha and her mum do too. I’m working on Natasha’s next ring now. I love my job!
You might recall this fabulous olive green titanium coated drusy ring I created – I made this divine pendant for the same lovely client.
I was able to make this pendant in the same style as an existing pendant that she loved.
This chrysocolla comes from Morenci, Arizona, in the USA. Isn’t it gorgeous!
It’s always a joy to see other people’s creative techniques. I have written before here and here about the process of silversmithing, and I thought you might like another little insight into this world.
First, the drusy gemstone (from my never-ending collection!) and a rough design sketch. I’ve already created the bezel (the metal that wraps around the stone) in this picture, bending a straight strip of metal (like the one pictured) around the stone.
The next step is preparing the backing plate. He’s some sawing and filing in action.
After filing, comes emerying.
And laying out the component parts to see how it will look. The balls of silver are made by heating some little pieces of silver until they melt – the molten silver naturally gathers up into a sphere. It’s fun stuff!
I emery the back of the bezel flat, so that the join between the two pieces of metal will be exact and the solder will flow correctly.
Then it’s time for a bit of heat.
I love how from this dirty blackened thing comes an object of beauty!
Into a solution of sulphuric acid to remove all the oxidization etc.
While the piece is pickling, I create the bail (the part from which the pendant will hang), and a little plate stamped with my maker’s mark and ‘925’ to show the piece is made from sterling silver.
Those are soldered onto the piece, then it’s back in the pickle and after that, a rinse off.
After a good clean-up, with lots of emerying down to a fine grade, I mount the piece on a wax dop so that i can set the stone.
My engraving ball comes in super-handy here!
Some time with my chasing hammer, and the stone is set.
And finally, the finished piece!
If you like this pendant, you can see more of it here in my shop.
A comment was left on a picture of a custom ring I posted on Facebook that I had created. The commenter said she had seen someone wearing the ring in the place where she works! I was so surprised and pleased.
That lovely commenter went on to arrange for me to create her a couple of custom pieces, one of which is this gorgeous titanium drusy agate ring.
The drusy has been treated (see my blog posts about treatments here), and I think it is just stunning. Maybe you’d like your own ring made with a similar stone? Let me know!
My lovely client, Pauline, wanted a ring created for her daughter’s 40th birthday, with and opal and two peridots which are the birthstones of her daughter’s three children.
She asked if I could use an opal cabochon that she had. I was happy to do that!
I got in some tiny peridots, and we designed the ring together.
Pauline asked if I could make a simple silver bangle to pair with the ring. What a lovely gift!
What a wonderful thing it is to have kindred spirits in this world. One of them for me is a very dear bestie who I have been friends with since first grade.
This year, I felt she needed to soar among the clouds – so when I came across this cleverly constructed agate and turquoise doublet cabochon, it was just the thing!
I hadn’t made a brooch before, so this is a prototype really – I’m hopeful that it will withstand the test of time!
My gorgeous friend Marg, who is an artist (you can view her beautiful work here on her website), commissioned me to create this ring for one of her daughters.
Marg’s daughter chose this divine drusy agate cabochon, as it reminded her of a supernova. As soon as Marg told me I could see how very apt this imagery is!
It is always a joy to work with a fellow artist who appreciates not just my work, but the underlying complexities of being a creative type. Thanks as always, dear Marg!
One of the benefits of being part of organising a school reunion is that along the way, you get back in touch with some lovely people that you haven’t seen since your high school days.
I was thrilled to be commissioned to create this lapis lazuli ring for one of these gorgeous friends (there is a love story attached to this friend and the reunion, but that is a tale for another day!)
Could there be much better than creating a thing of beauty for a person with a beautiful heart?
I love all the cabochons I source, but once in a while I come across a cabochon that I just can’t part with. This grey drusy agate is one of those.
I love this ring, and I’ve been wearing it nearly every day!
If you’d like a custom made gemstone ring of your own, check out my gemstone collection, and let me know which one you love the most!
One of my clients fell in love with faceted onyx (as have I!), and she asked if I could make her this matching ring and pendant set.
I was thrilled to! I love that she matched the set with a pair of coal black Czech glass earrings, too.
Love the whole set. Thanks, Ash!