In this blog I share the process of commissioning an 18ct gold ring set with a sapphire inspired by the sea.
This customer got in touch after a smaller commission went well and asked if I would be able to create a ring for his partner as an engagement ring. We talked about influences and settled on it reflecting the ocean. I set about sketching some wave designs. We settled on a matt finish and I was able to source a sapphire that reflected the colour of the sea. below are some rough initial ideas and then the design we developed and agreed upon.
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Once the design had been finalised I created a working model in sterling silver to make sure I knew how to forge the gold into the correct shape. Its much quicker and less nerve wracking forging silver than gold, but the gold was lovely to forge. The fluid nature of the ring reflected the movement of the water. It started with a bar of 18ct gold and went through a process of hammering and annealing and hammering again. Annealing is a process of heating metal to the right temperature to increase the ductility. Every hammer blow causes the crystalline structure of the metal to get bunched up causing brittleness. Annealing the gold helps even out the crystal structure into a nice regular pattern again.
As the ring took shape I created a seat within the arms that curve around the stone for the sapphire to sit. The ring then needed planishing which is the process of lighter hammer blows to smooth the texture of the ring and then sanding and polishing to create the even slightly matt texture. Once the surface was right the ring was sent to the Assay Office for its Hallmark and then the diamonds and sapphire were set and the ring was complete.
If you have some heirloom jewellery you would like redesigned or you have an idea for a piece of jewellery for a special occasion do get in touch.