Storytelling is always at the forefront of what we do. Whether it is the memories and sentiment that we help our customers to pour in to their jewellery commissions, or simply the journey of a piece as it's made, all jewellery has a story to tell. This month I thought I would share one of these stories with you.
A lady came in with some old gold that she had inherited from her mother. It wasn't something she liked or would wear herself so she asked if it could be melted and made in to something new for her son.
We started by designing a ring for her, showing her examples and styles, before she chose a design that she loved. We then got on with the making…
1) First the gold was melted down in to a 'blob'. It is important to burn out as many of the impurities as possible as they can impact the surface of the metal and cause it to crack.
2) The white-hot gold bar was then left to cool before it could be worked on further.
3) Next, the gold was rolled out through mills to make a length of wire which could be used to form the basic ring shape.
4) Each time the metal was worked, it would harden. It needed to be annealed (reheated to a cherry red colour) every now and then to keep the metal soft and pliable.
5) The wire was also hammered by hand to help the shape along.
6) Once the wire was the correct shape and length it could be slowly bent in to a ring.
7) As the wire was made by hand the ends were not square, so before the ring could be soldered together the two ends needed to be squared off so that they created a tight joint.
8) The wire ends could then be soldered together to create the basic ring shape.
9) Afterwards, the shape was filed and profiled by hand.
10) The ring was then placed in to the lathe where the line detail was added.
11) After one final polish the ring was complete!
What do you think? A beautiful new ring that can be worn every day, made from sentimental gold that otherwise would have sat in a box! If you have some old gold that you would like to have made in to something new so that it can be loved again, why not get in touch? You can find out how to contact us here.
As always, if you have any jewellery questions, or just need some advice, then please do get in touch, we are only too happy to try and help.