Amethyst Chunky Hammered Silver Ring, size R

Hand made using traditional methods. The ring shank was cut and prepared from a thick length of oval sterling silver, formed over a mandrel and hammered to give it its texture. The stone setting was created by fitting a strip of fine silver bezel around the amethyst to make an oval which was then soldered to a sheet of silver to make a cup the correct size and shape for the stone to sit in. This was then cut, filed and sanded with several grades of abrasive papers to smooth all the edges and remove scratches. The band was soldered to the back of the setting and the piece was then placed in a warm picking solution to remove the fire scale caused by the blow torch. This was followed by lots of cleaning and polishing to give the ring its lovely sheen. Lastly the stone was placed in the cup and the silver bezel pushed over the sides to hold it in place, and it was burnished.