Mokume Rings

[Patrick Hastings]

Everyone is showing off there Xmas orders here mine.

My latest, a pair of wedding rings for myself and Girlfriend Joya. I am going to give her the solitare on Xmas day and ask for her hand. She doesn't surf the forums so no risk of giving away the suprise, but I am bursting to show and tell.

The Rings are made from 14k white gold and sterling silver Mokume Gane. I purchased the stock already fused from reactive metal studios. It comes in a striaght grained bar with no pattern development. I twisted and carved the stock to develop the pattern then drew it out with hand hammer to the proper size and length. The Stone is bezel set in a bezel I made from the same stock. The setting is soldered into the band so there is a joint on either side of the setting only and no seams in the shank. Once the stone was set and the polish done I etched the rings in a dilute nitric acid. This removes the silver but not the gold leaving a raised grain effect. The interior of the setting and band were masked from etching. After that I polished the piece useing Japanese polishing brushes with silicon-carbide then charcoal powder. The Silicon softens the grain slightly so the layers are not sharp. Then the polish is brought back up with the powdered charcoal over all. The effect is pretty nice. I made four prototypes out of less expensive mokume to get some practice in on pattern development and to make efficient use of more expensive stuff. I started with a .25"x2" piece and made both rings from that. It worked out almost precisely. I have about a matchheads worth left The diamond is an old cut that belonged to my grandmother. It is probably in excess of a hundred years old ( since its been cut anyhow) it has nice color and gives good sparkle.

Wish me luck.

[sinic]

With rings like this she has no choice but to say 'i do'. The rings are awesome. Good luck

[Hÿllyn]

With those to give you need not ask for luck Patrick.

 

All the best for you both tho.

 

(I quite like the setting with it being in mokume as well)

[Robert Mayo]

Patrick

Awesome work and all the best to you.

 

Bob

[Jesse Frank]

Those are great! Good luck!!!

[Archie Zietman]

fantastic work, and best of luck!

[Adlai Stein]

Beautiful work and Mazel Tov!

[Don Hanson]

Beautiful rings . Good luck, don't think you will need it though.

 

Don Hanson

[J.Arthur Loose]

Good luck!

 

However, I feel like I must point out a critical mistake.

 

You have made jewelry for your girlfriend.

 

You will now be expected to continue...

 

Beautiful rings, BTW.

[Greg Thomas Obach]

oOooooo ahhhhh

 

those are sweet rings...... Good Luck and thanks for showin

 

Greg

[Blaine Whitney]

Never show this page to your women folk!

 

Those are amazing rings.

[Blaine Whitney]

Never show this page to your women folk!

 

Those are amazing rings.

 

I can hear it now...."Honey, why don't you....."

[Kristopher Skelton]

Best of luck to you both! now get a good paying job so you can afford all of the materials for the projects that will soon be on your "honey-do" list I think all of our wives/sweethearts (may they never meet! ) are our best "customers" and you've got quite a talent for her to exploit.

[BSchermann]

Very Nice. Congratulations :35:

[Alan Longmire]

SONofa..... ! @#$@! I made a new wedding ring for my wife, who luckily has already taken the hook, but I'll be darned if I'll post pictures of it now!

 

FINE work! :35:

[Patrick Hastings]

Thanks everyone for the kind words and encouragment.

I rather like them myself So I had to share.

Ill let you know how it goes.

 

Patrick

[Beau Erwin]

Patrick those are great!

 

And it's interesting how it's almost the exact same thing I want to do. Same type of metals, sterling and white gold, and the etch, and a diamond and everything.

 

Definitely something I want to learn to do.

I was thinking almost the exact same setup, except for saving and getting a blue diamond, and then two smaller diamonds to go on each side. Maybe a pair of earrings to remove the stones from. Might be an easy way to get the stones. Or a blue diamond solitaire for engagement, and then make a matching band that has the two stones that could be worn with it...I dunno, kinda prefer the 3 stone setup =P

 

So how is the bezel made?

I really like that, and now I know someone whose brain to pick when I decide to make some =P

 

I do like the idea of practicing. Something I need to do =]

 

I love them though. Great work.

[Patrick Hastings]

Patrick those are great!

 

And it's interesting how it's almost the exact same thing I want to do.  Same type of metals, sterling and white gold, and the etch, and a diamond and everything.

 

Definitely something I want to learn to do.

I was thinking almost the exact same setup, except for saving and getting a blue diamond, and then two smaller diamonds to go on each side.  Maybe a pair of earrings to remove the stones from.  Might be an easy way to get the stones.  Or a blue diamond solitaire for engagement, and then make a matching band that has the two stones that could be worn with it...I dunno, kinda prefer the 3 stone setup =P

 

So how is the bezel made?

I really like that, and now I know someone whose brain to pick when I decide to make some =P 

 

I do like the idea of practicing.  Something I need to do =]

 

I love them though. Great work.

37704[/snapback]

 

 

Hi Edgar,

I made the bezel by cutting off a 3.5mm length off the 4mm rod. I had worked it down to 4mm when I decided to make the bezel (too small to simply do stock removal). The stone is 4.8mm across so to get a seamless bezel I did the following. I drilled a small hole in the center of the end grain. I made a polished tapered rod and drifted the hole to enlarge it. At the same time this polishes the interior which helps enliven the stone. The whole setting is now wider than the stone with the hole being slightly smaller than the stone. Then I took a drill bit the same size as the stone and drilled into the existing hole but not all the way through. This creates the shelf that the stones crown sits on. the depth of this shelf dictates how much bezel you have to push over the stone. There are purpose made burs for making these seats and there are nice bezel set punches for round stones. I did not have these handy, but given abit more planning I would have had them as they are not expensive. The results are a nice open back setting with a polished interior.

I only apprenticed with a jeweler for a year a long time ago so this was kinda like going back in time for me. I am now reminded how much I forgot and how little I learned hehe.

 

If your low on bucks or can make some of your own nonprecious Mokume I recommend working some practice stock before taking the leap to precious metals. Blue stones sound nice, be careful not to get them too dark or they could end up looking black and lifeless in a bezel setting. The more ways light can get in and around translucent stones they better they will look. I choose Bezel setting because its the look I was after, but more importantly its a very secure way to keep the stone while still having it raised from the band. Prong setting are actually fine and show off stones better, but this diamond has an unpolished crown and would look funny in a four or six prong setting. The bezel covers up the crown.

Good luck and I would be happy to share what I learned making mine.

 

Patrick

[Michael]

Gorgeous, great idea and no doubt you and she are in for a special Christmas!

[Phillip Jones]

However, I feel like I must point out a critical mistake.

 

You have made jewelry for your girlfriend.

 

You will now be expected to continue... 

37635[/snapback]

 

Ain't that the truth!

 

Those are some gorgeous rings, Patrick! :ylsuper:

[Beau Erwin]

Yeah I was thinking a kind of light sort of aqua blue diamond if I can find one at some point. Be something to save for =] Saw one that was done in titanium (I think it was) that had the two clear diamonds on the sides, and liked how it looked and thought it would look nice in a mokume band.

 

Definitely going to have to work at learning how to do it all.

[Patrick Hastings]

Yeah I was thinking a kind of light sort of aqua blue diamond if I can find one at some point.  Be something to save for =]  Saw one that was done in titanium (I think it was) that had the two clear diamonds on the sides, and liked how it looked and thought it would look nice in a mokume band.

 

Definitely going to have to work at learning how to do it all.

37836[/snapback]

 

I am not sure that I have seen blue diamonds before. Were these synthetics you were looking at or natural stones(or perhaps sapphire?)

[Beau Erwin]

They were natural, although I think one of the companies making the man made real diamonds were saying they might have blues ones before long.

The colored diamonds are a bit more uncommon than clear ones.

 

It's a little unknown but rubies sapphires emeralds and the like are a bit more rare than diamonds. Reason diamonds tend to cost more is due to a group of I think the article said about 5 main companies that control the flow of diamonds and therefore the the price.

 

There are a variety of colors, blue, green, pink yellow, black and I think some others. I might have to find a picture of some to post for you.

 

A sapphire would be pretty but might be a little darker than what I was thinking.

 

Oh another little note.

 

Natural diamonds - Clear is more common than colored.

Manmade diamonds - Colored are more common than clear.

 

Weird, but that's what I understood from reading articles on it a while back. I think the yellow diamonds were the first ones they were producing and one of the companies I think has clear they are making now.

 

Little more variety in prices too I bet as the man made are cheaper, but are actual real diamonds, they just didn't take millions of years to form. They were done quicker using science. Not sure which i'd go for...maybe the more naturally formed.

Edited December 22, 2005 by EdgarFigaro

[Patrick Hastings]

They were natural, although I think one of the companies making the man made real diamonds were saying they might have blues ones before long.

The colored diamonds are a bit more uncommon than clear ones.

 

It's a little unknown but rubies sapphires emeralds and the like are a bit more rare than diamonds.  Reason diamonds tend to cost more is due to a group of I think the article said about 5 main companies that control the flow of diamonds and therefore the the price.

 

There are a variety of colors, blue, green, pink yellow, black and I think some others.  I might have to find a picture of some to post for you.

 

A sapphire would be pretty but might be a little darker than what I was thinking.

 

Oh another little note.

 

Natural diamonds - Clear is more common than colored.

Manmade diamonds - Colored are more common than clear. 

 

Weird, but that's what I understood from reading articles on it a while back.  I think the yellow diamonds were the first ones they were producing and one of the companies I think has clear they are making now.

 

Little more variety in prices too I bet as the man made are cheaper, but are actual real diamonds, they just didn't take millions of years to form.  They were done quicker using science. Not sure which i'd go for...maybe the more naturally formed.

37921[/snapback]

 

 

In regards to choice of stones I think it just boils down to your personal perception of the origin. If you like diamond as a material is should not matter, but there is a romantic intrinsic value to the natural stones. I was aware of many colors for diamond but a natural blue is quite rare. When I worked in the Jewelry store a stone dealer came in with some natural red diamonds from an OZ mine. These were a wonderful Ruby red, but very small like 5 and 7 point stones. I am still bitter about not taking them for myself hehe. Yellow are quite common and a default color for the man made process. That will be really cool when they make blue ones.

[Jason Dingledine]

In regards to choice of stones I think it just boils down to your personal perception of the origin. If you like diamond as a material is should not matter, but there is a romantic intrinsic value to the natural stones. I was aware of many colors for diamond but a natural blue is quite rare. When I worked in the Jewelry store a stone dealer came in with some natural red diamonds from an OZ mine. These were a wonderful Ruby red, but very small like 5 and 7 point stones. I am still bitter about not taking them for myself hehe. Yellow are quite common and a default color for the man made process. That will be really cool when they make blue ones.

37926[/snapback]

 

If I remember the show on Discovery channel (from a few years ago), the reason for the yellow color on the first generation of man-made diamonds was due to the gas (nitrogen??) that the stones where grown in.

 

I saw this a couple of years ago, and may not be remembering it correctly.