Crazy Lace Agate and Sterling Silver Ring

Making jewelry has always been an outlet for me to release stress. For the past few months, my stress levels have been at an all time high so I decided I would get back to making jewelry. I wanted to create something fun and challenging. I had not worked on any metal fabrication projects for awhile but, I had a few scrap pieces of Sterling silver and bezel wire that would be enough to make something. I decided I would make a ring.

·        Sterling silver Bezel wire

·        Sterling silver wire for the band

·        * cabochon stone- can be purchased or you can cut/shape it using lapidary techniques*

·        Solder

·        Flux

·        Soldering brick

·        Tweezers or soldering pick

·        Striker

·        Mini butane torch

·        Paint brush

·        3^rd hand tweezers

·        Jeweler’s saw

·        Files

·        Jeweler’s saw blades

·        Sand paper- various grits from coarse to fine

·        Needle nose pliers

·        Bench pin

·        Wire cutters

·        Polishing cloth

·        Jeweler’s ring mandrel

·        Bench clamp

·        Rubber mallet

·        Flex shaft

·        Jewelry tumbler with steel shot

·        Pickle

·        Baking soda/water mixture

·        Mild soap/water

·        polishing compounds and polishing wheel

·        burnishing tool

  You can use fusion 360 to create a rough ring design or create the design organically.

Measure the bezel wire around the stone and also use a measuring tape. Mark the bezel wire with a sharpie and cut it to the desired length. File the ends as necessary to have a flush snug fit. (The ends of the wire must be flush in order to solder together.) Keeping the shape of the formed bezel wire, add flux and solder on the desired soldering area. Use a striker to spark your torch. Solder the ends together. Once the area has been soldered together, quench the bezel wire in water then place the piece in pickle to clean. Remove it from the pickle bath and neutralize it in a baking soda / water bath. Then rinse/ dip it in water.

In order for the bezel wire to be flush on the back plate, it is necessary to file/ sand the piece. Continue to file/ sand the bezel wire until it is flush with the back plate and it is at a good level to go around the cabochon stone. Once it looks even and flush, it is time to solder the two pieces together. Make sure both pieces are clean. Place the bezel wire on top of the back plate and add flux and strategically place solder to the area you want to be connected. Repeat the soldering and cleaning methods above.

Use a jeweler’s saw and saw blades to remove the excess metal. File and sand as much of the excess metal as possible. Later on, you will file/ sand to remove any scratches/ blemishes and until the piece is smooth and shiny. Another option is it use a rotary tool ( flex shaft) to aid in this process. As a way to check the fit of the stone in the soldered piece without having issues removing the stone, take a few pieces of thing string and tie them together at the center. Place the tied strings across the top of the soldered piece. Place the cabochon stone inside the soldered piece and if the stone fits to your liking then set aside and work on the band. If it still needs work, continue filing/sanding until it is smooth and shiny and the stone fits the pendant.

Wrap a piece of string around your finger. Use a measuring tape and the string as a guide for where you need to cut your Sterling silver wire. Once you have the desired size, anneal your piece of wire. Taking your ring mandrel and a rubber mallet, begin to form/ shape your ring , taking into consideration the ring size. With the excess material, begin to form/ shape it into the desired design. Make sure to anneal your wire on and off as the wire begins to stiffen.

File down any rough and unfinished edges until both the band and the pendant fit flush against each other. Once they fit together nicely, begin the soldering and cleaning process again. Once the pieces are soldered together, begin the file/sanding process again to remove any abrasions or scratches until it is once again smooth and shiny.

Before placing the stone in the ring band, tumble the ring to get it to shine even brighter. Rinse in mild soap and water. Add the stone and use a burnishing tool to completely encase and smooth the edges of the metal around the stone. You can use a rotary tool again for the final polishing if you prefer. You can also use a polishing cloth or use a polishing wheel and polishing compounds to make the metal shine even brighter. Then rinse with mild soap and water. Once it is dry and free of any scratches, the ring is complete.