RAW 52/25 - Indicolite in Quartz

Indicolite in rustic cut Quartz

Indicolite encapsulated in white quartz.  Nice tall bezel walls to protect this lovely stone.

Inky blue Indicolite Crystal

Isn't that the prettiest blue?  Such an amazing stone, and that rough surface is incredible.

Long Green Turquoise Pendant Necklace

Green Turquoise Pendant Necklace

This long slender green turquoise (32 x 8 mm) matches the ring I listed in the last post.  It is set the same way, and finished with the same texture on the silver.  The heavy bezel provides such a nice frame to the stone.  Yeah, a bit more silver used but so worth the uniqueness.

RAW 52/20 - Faceted Carnelian

Big Bold Orange Carnelian Ring

This is my 20th ring for the Ring A Week challenge - a nice bright orange carnelian with faceted top.  And I'm having fun with the texture on the silver.

Another View

RAW 52/16 - Amethyst Crystal Cluster

Amethyst Crystal Clusters

Amethyst Crystal Cluster Ring

 

Trying my hands on setting crystal specimens.  This is a small cluster of amethyst where the crystals are left in their natural state.  Amethyst is a purple quartz and the birthstone of February.

RAW 52/14 - Tension Set Ring

Just finished today - tension set ring.  Sterling silver and CZ.  Tension rings rely on the stiffness of the metal to press the stone to hold it in place.  That also means, the stone need to be sufficiently strong to resist the compressive forces.

RAW 52/10 - Latte Ring

Latte Ring, with Ocean Jasper

Trying to set this stone a little differently, using tabs.  Instead of using a thinner bezel wall, I cut strips of heavier gauge sterling silver to surround the stone.  The little tabs were cut and pushed over the stone to make a secure capture. 

Latte Ring, with Ocean Jasper

With this opaque milky white ocean jasper, it works perfectly with a darken bezel wall to make the stone pop.

RAW 52/08 - Larimar Ring

I'm suppose to be doing my taxes but all I can think of are rings.  So this will have to do for now.

Handmade Larimar Ring

Handmade Larimar Ring

RAW 52/04 - Green & Pink Ocean Jasper

Green and Pink Ocean Jasper Ring

For the third ring, I used one of my favorite stones, Ocean Jasper.  It is one of the orbicular jaspers which contains variably-colored orbs or spherical inclusions or zones, found along the intertidal shores of northeast Madagascar.

RAW 52/02 - Marquise Moonstone Ring

This is the second ring for Ring A Week (RAW) challenge.

A relatively transparent piece of moonstone with a lot of blue pearly opalescence. 

You can make out the ring band through the stone.

I kept the back open.

In this picture, you can see the profile of the band that I hand forged from a straight piece of round wire.

I sculpted out a curve on the bezel.

With the stone being a long marquise shape, I thought a delicate setting will be more suitable.  It is a US size 6 and is posted on my website.

RAW52/01 - Hammered & Engraved Band

RAW stands for Ring A Week, a ring making challenge project for a group of artists.  For my first submission, I made a silver band with hammered edges that contrast with a matte background for engraved text. Aside from the matte texture at the center of the band (which I curved slightly for a comfortable fit), the ring has a high-polish finish, even on the 18k gold accent. 

At my last show when I explained to a customer that I typically use reclaimed silver, he thought that was why my rings and pendants have matte finishs. To proof the point, I have the 2 finishes on this ring.

This design can be for men or women, a casual ring or wedding bands, with or without inscribed text. Yes, the text can be customized. On this prototype, I engraved the last two lines of Invictus, a poem by British poet William Ernest Henley. This quote was inspired by the movie, Invictus, that I recently watched.

A Few New Rings

Managed to make these new rings during the past long weekend.  They will be posted to my website and etsy shop real soon.  You can also meet them in person at my upcoming shows as well.  Click here to see my Events schedule.