Unusual job on the bench today
Discussion
ecain63 said:
speed_monkey said:
Well she likes pear cut stones
Could make that for you, no worries. If you're keen then best thing to do is pm me and we can take it from there. Not sure if Crab Reg get PH discount though. LolEdited by speed_monkey on Monday 17th February 21:39
What I want to know is how you went from playing in rubber dinghies to making beautiful things?! Genuinely in awe sir and I salute you
PM sent
ecain63 said:
michael gould said:
Sweet Jesus that is one big rock.....is there a story behind it ?
Not sure, but it is unusual for a small indy like me to get such an item through the door. I get 4ct and 5ct stones all the time but nothing quite this big. Can't be many about. Ive declined to keep it at work for obvious reasons and it'll only be with me whilst i set it into the ring. As for its history i can only imagine that the ring is a long standing family asset. Why its not in the bank i don't know but im proud and privileged to be working on its new housing. 10c can only be described as vulgar
speed_monkey said:
What I want to know is how you went from playing in rubber dinghies to making beautiful things?!
PM sent
Had a really busy tour of Afghan in 2006 / 2007 where it was only a matter of time before I got seriously injured or more probably killed. Look up the conflicts in Garmsir around that time. With that the missus became less impressed by being a bootneck WAG / probable widow. The father in law offered me a job outside and I reluctantly accepted. A few years of being the apprentice and now im running the place for myself and all is looking good. Civvies still suck though.PM sent
michael gould said:
Do you know anything about colour or clarity ? Is it brilliant or old cut ?
10c can only be described as vulgar
As yet I know little of the stone other than it exists. I cannot imagine it being an amazing quality stone but even if its poor the fact it's 10ct will hold weight with the public. I agree that its too big to look real and will probably even look daft. 3ct is about the limit of what looks good on a finger I reckon. I'll post pics when it's in obviously. 10c can only be described as vulgar
ecain63 said:
speed_monkey said:
What I want to know is how you went from playing in rubber dinghies to making beautiful things?!
PM sent
Had a really busy tour of Afghan in 2006 / 2007 where it was only a matter of time before I got seriously injured or more probably killed. Look up the conflicts in Garmsir around that time. With that the missus became less impressed by being a bootneck WAG / probable widow. The father in law offered me a job outside and I reluctantly accepted. A few years of being the apprentice and now im running the place for myself and all is looking good. Civvies still suck though.PM sent
ecain63 said:
michael gould said:
Do you know anything about colour or clarity ? Is it brilliant or old cut ?
10c can only be described as vulgar
As yet I know little of the stone other than it exists. I cannot imagine it being an amazing quality stone but even if its poor the fact it's 10ct will hold weight with the public. I agree that its too big to look real and will probably even look daft. 3ct is about the limit of what looks good on a finger I reckon. I'll post pics when it's in obviously. 10c can only be described as vulgar
NeMiSiS said:
ecain63 said:
PHOTO 1
PHOTO 2
1. This would worry me a bit, all that work to get it to the stage in photo 1, then a load more work until photo 2, then it looks like you've ruined it. 
PHOTO 2
2. Do you ever/seldom/often have to start again ?
3. When working with precious metals and stones why do you work on a piece of rough stone ?
Looking forward to the next bit.
Be 'clever' with what and when you post, no one needs to know when items are arriving or when you are working on a particular piece. For example the large diamond ring in this post was actually built in March last year, and is now in the owners safe, you have just found time in your busy schedule to arrange the post for your adoring fans....
Enjoy your new watch.
1. Yeah, when i first started i used to buff and polish everything between every step of the build. Its annoying seeing your nice shiny peice of gold blackened and burnt but if you keep cleaning it and polishing it, it will eventually wear thin and need redoing. Im quite anal about keeping it looking new and pristine but you have to bite your lip and hold back in this case.
2. Do i ever? In the case of the ring above its all gone swimmingly but a lot of jobs get started, remelted and then restarted again due to errors (normally a bit too much heat was used and it melted or youve slipped with a file or grinding tool. But that's the beauty of working with these metals. They have a lot of tolerance to being reused, although 9ct white can be a brittle bugger once remelted. The only time you nearly lose the plot is if you mess it up at the end, or when setting the final stone after a 2 day build. Emerald rings seem to by jinxed when retipping claws. You get to the last claw and it'll snap off, meaning that you have to undo all the work and take ALL the emeralds back out as they don't like any form of heat. But otherwise i'd say 95% of jobs go without issue.
3. It's not stone. Its a gauze plate that helps with even heat distribution and absorbs dirt and grime so it doesnt contaminate the metal. You'll see in the following pics that it has a clean side and a dirty side. Clean side for specail occasions and dirty for every day stuff.
......... how do you know i didnt do it weeks ago and am just constructing a story? lol
So yesterday we had pretty much finished the head of the ring. Today we.............
are going to make an underbezel in the same way we made the halo part of the top setting. Cut out 1 x disc of 18ct white gold and then cut out 1 x ring from the inside of that. Then bend it to match the curve needed to match a size M ring (customers size). You can see ive also filed the bars to equal lengths because i was being a bit anal in my prep.
The bars are then filed down from the centre out to match the curve of the disc. Its then soldered in place.
Other way up.
From the undeside.
Melt some more of the scrap 18ct white gold along with any offcuts used so far. This is going to be turned into the ring shank and shoulders.
1 x rough shank made. 2.5mm wide and 1.75mm thick.
Hammer the shoulders to create a tapered edge. Blacksmithing skills but smaller!
File the sides of the shoulders to get rid of hammer marks (and because it looks bad)
Solder it to the ring. Starting to look like a ring now eh!!
Check the alignment.
Next, take a small section of the left over shank and cut it diagonally with a fine saw to make the shoulders.
Solder one on.
Then the other.
And then file and buff to shape.
Now it's time to start tidying the claws up and finishing the ring prior to getting the diamond in. As per previous jobs the claws are filed to profile.
Give it all a fine buffing and it's done. Ready for 'the rock' to arrive and make the centre setting.
And to give a rough idea of what it'll look like (minus centre claws) i found a 10ct, 15mm Amethyst.
I'll fire the final pics up when my customer gets round to popping in.
Hope you enjoyed,
Eddie
are going to make an underbezel in the same way we made the halo part of the top setting. Cut out 1 x disc of 18ct white gold and then cut out 1 x ring from the inside of that. Then bend it to match the curve needed to match a size M ring (customers size). You can see ive also filed the bars to equal lengths because i was being a bit anal in my prep.
The bars are then filed down from the centre out to match the curve of the disc. Its then soldered in place.
Other way up.
From the undeside.
Melt some more of the scrap 18ct white gold along with any offcuts used so far. This is going to be turned into the ring shank and shoulders.
1 x rough shank made. 2.5mm wide and 1.75mm thick.
Hammer the shoulders to create a tapered edge. Blacksmithing skills but smaller!
File the sides of the shoulders to get rid of hammer marks (and because it looks bad)
Solder it to the ring. Starting to look like a ring now eh!!
Check the alignment.
Next, take a small section of the left over shank and cut it diagonally with a fine saw to make the shoulders.
Solder one on.
Then the other.
And then file and buff to shape.
Now it's time to start tidying the claws up and finishing the ring prior to getting the diamond in. As per previous jobs the claws are filed to profile.
Give it all a fine buffing and it's done. Ready for 'the rock' to arrive and make the centre setting.
And to give a rough idea of what it'll look like (minus centre claws) i found a 10ct, 15mm Amethyst.
I'll fire the final pics up when my customer gets round to popping in.
Hope you enjoyed,
Eddie
speed_monkey said:
ecain63 said:
speed_monkey said:
Eddie.... do you need a new apprentice?!?
My CV is in the post
Actually, once my cancer has fMy CV is in the post
ked off i will be looking to train up a youth. Interested?ecain63 said:
speed_monkey said:
ecain63 said:
speed_monkey said:
Eddie.... do you need a new apprentice?!?
My CV is in the post
Actually, once my cancer has fMy CV is in the post
ked off i will be looking to train up a youth. Interested?Yes 100% genuinely up for it mate.
Blackpuddin said:
Great thread. Slightly O/T but how much gold is used in a Rolex (say)? I've always wondered at the premium for gold over steel.
Without sounding like a dick.......it depends on the model and its weight. But if you base RRP of circa £50 to £60 a gram for 18ct gold and £90 or so a gram for platinum you wont be too far out. Add to that the labour rates etc and that's why Rolex can charge so much for their watches.(those prices are not gospel from suppliers. Only what's recommended when selling stock to the public. includes vat etc. Most outlets sell 9ct at £30 to £40 a gram depending on quality of the goods)
speed_monkey said:
ecain63 said:
speed_monkey said:
ecain63 said:
speed_monkey said:
Eddie.... do you need a new apprentice?!?
My CV is in the post
Actually, once my cancer has fMy CV is in the post
ked off i will be looking to train up a youth. Interested?Yes 100% genuinely up for it mate.
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