Unfortunately it is not for me, (although there is a possibility I could end up with it as the client has not seen it yet!) This was a commissioned piece, that was originally talked about a long time ago. Because it was not urgent, it was put on the back burner, and when the topic and deadline came up again, there was a real sense of urgency in sourcing a big blue stone. Little did I know how very tricky this would be. I have an amazing huge aquamarine that I picked up in Thailand about 15 years ago, and it was astounding to see how many £100's a stone like it would cost now. In the end the ring has been made with a 12 x 24mm quartz stone, in a Blue London Topaz shade.
Working with a rectangular stone is quite different to rounds and ovals. Firstly the bezel needs some right angles. I was keen for the bezel to look 'weighty' as the stone was so big, so this was made in 1mm silver which needed scoring and folding. The bezel was then sat on 1mm sheet which formed a base for the stone. This helped add visual width to the ring, as we were originally hoping to use a wider stone, but were unable to source one. The stone itself sits on an internal ledge of silver Bezel wire. The inside of the bezel has been foiled so that it will remain shiny under the stone as the silver tarnishes. I am proud of what a perfect snug fit I got for the stone, I suppose this is something that gets easier the more rings you make. It was nerve wracking cutting down into the corners of the bezel of a finished, polished ring, to set the stone, but everything went smoothly and working with a burnisher I did a rub over setting, which met perfectly at the corners and slopes of the faceted stone.
This gives an idea of scale compared to a 5p. As you can tell, I have been struggling with camera focus. This was taken on one of the boys cameras as my Ixus died before Xmas, and Santa didn't get my note and bring me a new one. I might make it my job to get a new one today, as it really makes a difference in the digital world we live in.
And finally, apologies to everyone that the ring has been photographed on my hand. I have had several comments that I should use more hand cream. Unfortunately these are working hands - quite lucky they look as good as they do considering that I had just been using lots of rouge to polish!
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