Unusual job on the bench today
Discussion
snobetter said:
Yes. We'd discussed budget, style etc. he then ordered a selection of sale or return diamonds all slightly different for me to compare, all fun and interesting and led to making the best decision i believe.
I popped the question earlier this year and read a lot of your posts/ threads eddie. I really really wanted to you use you to make the ring, but when I decided to get my ass in gear and do something about it I wouldn't have had enough time. but I did go to an independent up here in Edinburgh (macintyres) and was very happy with what they made for me.
they took the time to show me through lots of different stones, they didn't have exactly what I was looking for so ordered some in for me to look at, then made the ring as I wanted. in the end of got a platinum band with princess cut diamond (0.9ct vvs2 H), it felt great having some input into buying the ring, seeing the stone before setting etc.... I went into a few of the highstreet chains and apart from getting more bang for your buck elsewhere, I actually didn't see anything I liked in those shops!
they took the time to show me through lots of different stones, they didn't have exactly what I was looking for so ordered some in for me to look at, then made the ring as I wanted. in the end of got a platinum band with princess cut diamond (0.9ct vvs2 H), it felt great having some input into buying the ring, seeing the stone before setting etc.... I went into a few of the highstreet chains and apart from getting more bang for your buck elsewhere, I actually didn't see anything I liked in those shops!
Nearly 4 weeks since my last post, what's been going down?
I had a holiday to recover from the busy summer rush and then it was straight back into it last week. Plenty of jobs waiting for me including a couple for you good people. Here is one that is due to be collected this week.....
It's nice when a customer leaves the job of finding the right stone in my hands. The certs and computer images can only so show much which is why it's important to get some stones in and compare them in the real world. I've been using my diamond supplier for over a decade and he knows what works for me and my clients. He's very good at supplying stones he'd buy with his own money and although he's never the cheapest he always overproduces on quality and visuals. With this job the customer had a rough budget guide as well as a good idea on stone size: Circa 1.00ct pear shape with a lively appearance.
Half a dozen shortlisted stones came through and in the end I decided the money was best spent on a 1.02ct F SI1 on a GIA. On another certificate you could see it at as high as a D VS1 such is the strictness of GIA grading. It is a stunning stone. The customer knew pretty much what he wanted in the mount design and after a short spell deciding on claw specs we settled on platinum and 3 claws.
It was a nice build session too as it goes. I had the customer on WhatsApp on Saturday morning and was able to send realtime images and videos as I went. The wonders of modern technology! Here's how it went.....
Another job you might like was done this morning. I quite like casting in clay and today I had the pleasure of casting a signet ring. The customer has an 18ct yellow gold signet already but wanted a white one of the same spec. Rather than buy a blank and just push it over the counter I used up some nice 18ct white gold scrap I had. White gold doesn't always work well in this process but the metal was all very high quality with no solder so I took the risk and went for it. You've seen my casts before so I won't go into too much depth. The pics do the talking.......
The white one will now go off for seal engraving.
Hope you enjoyed
I had a holiday to recover from the busy summer rush and then it was straight back into it last week. Plenty of jobs waiting for me including a couple for you good people. Here is one that is due to be collected this week.....
It's nice when a customer leaves the job of finding the right stone in my hands. The certs and computer images can only so show much which is why it's important to get some stones in and compare them in the real world. I've been using my diamond supplier for over a decade and he knows what works for me and my clients. He's very good at supplying stones he'd buy with his own money and although he's never the cheapest he always overproduces on quality and visuals. With this job the customer had a rough budget guide as well as a good idea on stone size: Circa 1.00ct pear shape with a lively appearance.
Half a dozen shortlisted stones came through and in the end I decided the money was best spent on a 1.02ct F SI1 on a GIA. On another certificate you could see it at as high as a D VS1 such is the strictness of GIA grading. It is a stunning stone. The customer knew pretty much what he wanted in the mount design and after a short spell deciding on claw specs we settled on platinum and 3 claws.
It was a nice build session too as it goes. I had the customer on WhatsApp on Saturday morning and was able to send realtime images and videos as I went. The wonders of modern technology! Here's how it went.....
Another job you might like was done this morning. I quite like casting in clay and today I had the pleasure of casting a signet ring. The customer has an 18ct yellow gold signet already but wanted a white one of the same spec. Rather than buy a blank and just push it over the counter I used up some nice 18ct white gold scrap I had. White gold doesn't always work well in this process but the metal was all very high quality with no solder so I took the risk and went for it. You've seen my casts before so I won't go into too much depth. The pics do the talking.......
The white one will now go off for seal engraving.
Hope you enjoyed
Edited by ecain63 on Wednesday 11th October 20:10
Gingerbread Man said:
I'd assume that wax wouldn't take the heat.
As above.Wax can't be cast in this way. I'm not really experienced in wax moulding but my understanding is that you carve a ring or item from wax and then pour a resin or clay either into or over it to make the mould. It's the resin / clay that you then pour metal into.
ecain63 said:
As above.
Wax can't be cast in this way. I'm not really experienced in wax moulding but my understanding is that you carve a ring or item from wax and then pour a resin or clay either into or over it to make the mould. It's the resin / clay that you then pour metal into.
I think the idea is that you can leave the wax 'master' in the mould when you pour: the wax boils away - 'lost wax casting' - but helps to support fine detail and complex shapes that would other wise be impossible to obtain using a split mould. Since you don't have to remove the master, the mould doesn't have to be split at all - but has to be destroyed to remove the piece.Wax can't be cast in this way. I'm not really experienced in wax moulding but my understanding is that you carve a ring or item from wax and then pour a resin or clay either into or over it to make the mould. It's the resin / clay that you then pour metal into.
It's also a cheap and easy medium for making masters.
Eddie, thanks for the call this morning. If anyone is thinking of getting anything made I'd recommend him as he's answered all of my questions,covered everything I wanted to know and will soon be cracking on with making a nice (but not as nice as the big bugger above) eternity ring for my wife 
tobinen said:
Out of curiosity, what would a signet ring such as that cost?
That's a fairly heavy example for the finger size so it's not the cheapest. Creeping over 4 figures in reality.If you want specific pricing on my work I'd ask that you contact me by email or through the shop. I know I'm advertising my skills here but I would like to keep the mods happy by not discussing prices too much. They've been good to me for a few years now.
IroningMan said:
I think the idea is that you can leave the wax 'master' in the mould when you pour: the wax boils away - 'lost wax casting' - but helps to support fine detail and complex shapes that would other wise be impossible to obtain using a split mould. Since you don't have to remove the master, the mould doesn't have to be split at all - but has to be destroyed to remove the piece.
It's also a cheap and easy medium for making masters.
I believe that's a spot on explanation.It's also a cheap and easy medium for making masters.
ecain63 said:
IroningMan said:
I think the idea is that you can leave the wax 'master' in the mould when you pour: the wax boils away - 'lost wax casting' - but helps to support fine detail and complex shapes that would other wise be impossible to obtain using a split mould. Since you don't have to remove the master, the mould doesn't have to be split at all - but has to be destroyed to remove the piece.
It's also a cheap and easy medium for making masters.
I believe that's a spot on explanation.It's also a cheap and easy medium for making masters.
Always fascinating to see these things made.
That diamond was a bit of zonker - huge!
Want to say a huge thank you to Eddie for helping me to sort out an engagement ring! Absolutely top guy, helped me through the design and diamond choice, found a stunning diamond working with my budget (slight tweak of the budget ) and then re-sized for us after she said yes!
Had been eyeing up Blue Nile, etc. etc. but so glad I didn't. Thanks again Eddie and hopefully will see you again (when the bank account recovers)!
) and then re-sized for us after she said yes! Had been eyeing up Blue Nile, etc. etc. but so glad I didn't. Thanks again Eddie and hopefully will see you again (when the bank account recovers)!
BenBuzz said:
Want to say a huge thank you to Eddie for helping me to sort out an engagement ring! Absolutely top guy, helped me through the design and diamond choice, found a stunning diamond working with my budget (slight tweak of the budget ) and then re-sized for us after she said yes!
Had been eyeing up Blue Nile, etc. etc. but so glad I didn't. Thanks again Eddie and hopefully will see you again (when the bank account recovers)!
Congratulations on the engagement Ben. Really glad to hear you are happy. See you again I hope ) and then re-sized for us after she said yes! Had been eyeing up Blue Nile, etc. etc. but so glad I didn't. Thanks again Eddie and hopefully will see you again (when the bank account recovers)!
ecain63 said:
pastrana72 said:
I am sure you got a mention on 6 music this afternoon, I was in my engineering workshop when I am sure steve lamaq read out your message.
Was it you?
Ha! My missus sent it. Didn't hang around to hear the rest of the show. What was said?Was it you?
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