Handmade engagement rings

[Jason Musgrave]

How much time would you estimate you have in an 'average' ring (say of the units posted in this thread)?

Very very nice work btw.



**I know 'average ring' is a crapshoot.

[Honus]

I'd say the minimum for a custom ring is probably around 3 to 4 hours. On average it's probably around 6 to 8 hours and a really complex job can get into the 20+ hour range. A lot of it depends on whether there is a lot of hand fabrication work, tricky stone setting or intricate engraving. I think the longest time I've spent on a custom piece was around 4 days. Another thing that can take a long time is when you have a repair job that requires serious reconstruction work, like when a ring goes into a sink disposal- that can get pretty ugly.

Here's a ring I just finished today. It's a bezel set princess cut Diamond eternity band in 14K white Gold. This was a one day job. Setting princess cut stones like this can be a bit tricky because the corners of the stones are really fragile, the stones are rarely square or match perfectly and getting a good finish and clean lines around the stones when setting them is difficult. The stones are also almost always different heights so there's a lot of little adjustments to be made while setting them so everything looks really even when done.

[Too Tall]

Fabulous work. It makes me want to wear rings!

[bking]

One of those a few photos back was mine (uh, my wifes now). Honus not only has a talent for design but also for delivery. I called a few weeks before Christmas; he was already slammed working long days. He still designed, built and shipped a couple days before the 25th. Great talent, good people, that know how to deliver: there's an alloy we all like to work with.

[Honus]

I recently finished this ring and I decided to document the entire process. Have a look- Platinum engagement ring- from CAD to finish

[Too Tall]

Thanks for sharing this. I can speak for the audience, we are in awe.

[roguedog]

Yup. One of my fave threads. Always look forward to the surprise in this thread when Honus posts :) Am always amazed at the detail work for such a small object.

[hokoman]

Great work on the documented ring... Just wish the client would have gone with a better color for the center stone, it really shows up yellow in the pics.

[Honus]

Great work on the documented ring... Just wish the client would have gone with a better color for the center stone, it really shows up yellow in the pics.

Thanks everyone! I was pretty happy that my boss agreed to let me document the process. I wish a lot of the photos could have been better but that's the best I could do under the time constraints. Since my scope doesn't have a camera mount it's pretty hard getting good close up shots of the setting process.

Yep- the center stone is K color but it's actually not as quite as yellow in person as it is in the pics. In the end the client was absolutely thrilled with the ring and that's what really matters. I like to wait in the back of the shop and see people's facial expressions when they first see the finished piece. I can do the job to the best of my ability but the reality is if they're not happy then I'm not happy.

[dashDustin]

1yr + 2wks has gone by since I proposed and gotta say that the rings still blow me away. Don't know if I ever posted it but this is just after proposing at the top of Snowbird (11,000').

Instagram

[Honus]

Here's one I just finished for a client. 12 carat orange Sapphire with 328 Diamonds set in white Gold. My eyes were going a little buggy by the end of this one- LOL!

[stnphoto]

This is the first thread my wife has ever been interested in reading on the V.

[roguedog]

Love that Sapphire ring. Makes me think of the columns of the Hagia Sophia in its intricacies.. Beautiful.

How does the design process work? I'd think you'd have 10x the issues of a framebuilder and opinionated clients.

[Honus]

How does the design process work? I'd think you'd have 10x the issues of a framebuilder and opinionated clients.

Pretty simple really. We ask lots of questions and do sketches and computer models based on the information the client provides. Sometimes the client will approve a computer model and sometimes I may carve a wax pattern by hand for approval- it just depends on the job. Some people know exactly what they want and some don't. Opinionated clients aren't a problem because those people by and large have strong ideas about what they want. It's the people that don't have any idea as to what they want that are difficult to please. The only real issue I have is when someone has created a very specific design without knowing the technical details of jewelry manufacturing and is adamant about it being constructed a particular way- and in all honesty that's pretty rare. In that case I usually go through the design/construction process with them so they can understand the technical reasons behind my recommendations regarding the construction of a piece.

[Honus]

Just finished up this one- three carat cushion cut Diamond set in rose Gold with 238 small Diamonds.

[Honus]

The Christmas madness is almost over! Finished this one up today. 1 1/2 carat radiant cut Diamond with Sapphire trillions set in Platinum.

[dashDustin]

That cut....wow

[DevinL'Ecu]

I suspect I'd go home with a blinding migraine every day; what's your un-aided vision like?

These all look amazing. I'm making myself a simple carbon band for my ring, just waiting for the next bike to go through a cure cycle to pop that in too. I hate running a cure for a single piece.

[Honus]

Dustin,
The cut and brilliance of the stone in person is really amazing. I've always really liked radiant cut stones but they can be a bit tricky to set due to the depth of the stone and cut of the pavilion (underside of the stone.)

Devin,
I do wear glasses but my prescription isn't too bad and it's barely changed over the last decade. I have developed a blepharospasm in my right eye over the last couple of years- it really shows up when I get stressed out, frequently using the laser welder or if I've been using the microscope setting small stones all day.

I've seen some really cool carbon bands lately. We recently picked up a jewelry line from a woman in Germany who uses carbon fiber for bracelets- it's really neat stuff.

[nspace]

This stuff is fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing!