Tag Archives: drusy agate

pink and white agate ring – bespoke statement ring

My lovely client Emma chose this amazing drusy cabochon to be made into this pink and white agate ring. The stone gets the amazing colour through treatment. I usually prefer natural stones, but sometimes a treated stone is just too good to pass up!The ring is a huge one at nearly 5 cm long. It makes a great statement piece, but is comfortable enough for daily wear. The stone sits on top of the finger, but allows full movement of the finger below. I love to wear huge rings, and I take them off only if it gets very hot or if I’m doing something quite manual, like building another ring! You can read more about wearing my rings here.

Emma has a number of gorgeous Silver Forge pieces, including this pink and white agate ring. Check out her charoite ring; her shattuckite ring and her haematite ring. Fabulous! It’s always lovely when she drops by to browse my gemstones and have a chat. Thanks for visiting, Emma!

Pale Pink Titanium Coated Drusy Ring

This piece was a custom order for a lovely client, who happens to be the friend of another lovely client of mine. I was so pleased!

I have only a couple of dark silver and one gold of these titanium coated drusy cabochons left, and I won’t be getting in any more. If you’d like your own piece, get in touch!

Dark Grey and Baby Blue Drusy Rings

My lovely and ever stylish client Rosie chose these two titanium coated drusy stones to be made into rings to add to her collection of Silver Forge pieces. Fabulous!

Black Oblong Drusy Ring

Some very kind friends gave my client a Silver Forge gift voucher for her birthday.

This oblong shaped drusy cabochon makes a gorgeous piece!

Green Freeform Drusy Ring

One of my lovely regulars, Karen, reserved this stone from my collection, and when she was ready, asked me to create her a ring.

We worked on the design together, and I love Karen’s request for a wire border of silver around the stone.

Love the sparkly crystals in that drusy!

Pomegranate Red Drusy Ring

One of my lovely regular customers, Niki, commissioned me to make this ring as a gift for someone close to her.

I always love making rings, I think it’s partly because they’re one of my favourite pieces to wear, too!

Thanks, Niki, I hope Angela liked her gift!

Petrol Pink Titanium Coated Drusy Ring

I met my lovely client Kate when she visited me with a friend of hers who was having a piece made. She fell in love with this petrol pink titanium coated drusy agate cabochon and asked if I could make her a ring with it.

I was so happy to do that! The drusy has been treated (see my blog posts about treatments here), and I think it’s gorgeous.

Kate is the owner of the hair & makeup salon Peach Industries on the Tasman Peninsula, and does totally amazing things with hair.

I’m loving the similarities here! Maybe you’d like your own ring made with a similar stone? Let me know!

smithing – creation of a gemstone and sterling silver pendant

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.

Olive Green Titanium Coated Drusy Ring

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!

Supernova Blue Drusy Agate and Sterling Silver Ring

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!

the silver forge

jewellery handcrafted by ruthie gray