Custom Creations
This month’s feature is a behind the scenes look at a very cool custom design I made for a client last year. The ring includes a family heirloom turquoise set in sterling silver with carved accents and personalization inside the band. The photos below show the process from start to gorgeous finish.
Above is the basic beginnings after the setting is made for the turquoise. The large strip of sterling on the left is for the side walls of the carved detail.
The band has been created and fit, the setting is marked and ready to be carved with the files in the photo. The stone is tested within the setting several times along the way to ensure proper fit and to make adjustments.
Tiny bits of solder are being added to the edge of the setting to attach it to the sterling band. The finishing work is made easier with smaller pieces of solder that won’t need to be cleaned off later.
The setting is carved, stone is test fit again, and the ring is ready for the final phase. After clean-up the ring is very close to being done. Very important steps follow this next phase. The entire ring is polished, then patinated, and the stone is finally set.
The finished piece on a glamor photo shoot by the new owner, Tanner. I like to think of this piece as a Turquoise Cocktail Ring, merging urban with traditional.