This commission was for a surprise engagement ring.
The chosen design
Two brilliant-cut diamonds had been chosen by my customer to use for the ring; one of just under a carat in weight and the other one smaller but of the same exceptionally high quality.
My customer provided me with some images of styles that his partner liked (clothes, favorite jewellery colours etc) and from this I created several mood-boards with design elements and ideas that might suit the double stone ring. The ring is to be part of three in total – a wedding and eternity ring to be added later. With this in mind, simplicity in form was an important consideration so as to allow the other rings to interlock.
One of the mood boards I created to discuss the initial styles for the ring
Platinum was chosen to make the ring and the unusual split-claws added the element of the number eight to the design, which is of special significance to the couple’s relationship.
A natural, organic and flowing form was preferred, yet the design needed to be classical and timeless. I finalised the design and painted it to scale before getting approval and going ahead with making.
The final design
The platinum shank ready to be formed into a ring and forged
I made the tapered knife-edge shank by forging it to the required shape. The settings were made from platinum wires to create the claws which I then soldered onto support bezels.
Platinum has a very high melting point so requires special eye protection to shield the glare from the hot metal during soldering and welding. Contamination from many normal workshop tools (iron and steel) and chemicals has to be prevented. It is also very time consuming to polish, as the surface of the metal does not flow in the same way as gold and silver. Despite this, however, it is one of my favorite metals to work with because of the results I can achieve with it. Its strength allows very fine details to be constructed, stone settings are very durable and a good white colour, and its enduring polish gives work a beautiful finish.
The tapered knife-edge shank and claws
The finished ring. After hallmarking I set the diamonds and gave the piece a final polish
"Dear Erica,
....I said YES! Thank you very much for making such a beautiful ring. I'm so pleased with it and cannot wait for the next two to complete my set!" - The Future Mrs Thompson.
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