Back in London now. Having made 4 sterling silver bangles and 4 rings, I decided to try setting a gemstone in a ring. Have been using my new book, Jewellery Making - a complete course for beginners by Jinks McGrath - very much recommended for an introduction to silversmithing. I bought a couple of amethyst cabochons - 4mm - big mistake as they are so tiny. I decided to use a 6mm purple zircona instead. Made a ring band from sterling silver sheet and hammered it. Not too bad apart from the fact that it started to melt and I had to file some off the top! I then had to make a bezel cup from bezel wire. I made that, so I now have two rings in effect. Both soldered with hard solder. Then I had to solder a silver backing sheet to the bezel with medium solder and saw round it making a small bezel cup. (found out later that you can buy them in Cookson's for about £1!) My cup then has to be soldered to the ring with easy solder which has a lower melting point than hard and medium solder which means the other joints will not unsolder. Are you still with me? That worked fine. Then I had to fit the stone. - it was a very tight fit and I struggled. Richard had to help and eventually managed to push the bezel top over to hold the stone in place. It looks OK and is wearable but I won't put anything on this site unless it is perfect and it isn't - see picture. So I am keeping it for myself. With all the time it took to make it I would have to charge about a million pounds for it.
I have now got another book from Amazon about art clay called Magical Metal Clay Jewellery by Sue Heaser - another wonderful book with amazing things in it. I have a 20g pack of slow dry silver art clay so I will make some things with that to attach to a ring or bangle - watch this space. See picture of the art clay pendants I made recently that are waiting to be hallmarked.
S&M are doing fine - I am letting their fur grow as it's so cold - they look very cute.
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