THE BIG RING

With Helen Blythe-Hart

Welcome to the BIG RING workshop. We will have a blast making a big fun silver ring in this class! I recommend that you start with a stone or two, (either a faceted one or a cabochon,) enamel piece, button, etc. Then we’ll make a fabulous ring to set it in. (I will bring a small selection of stones for you to purchase at the beginning of the workshop.)

We will be doing prongs or a bezel setting depending on your stone(s) and your skill level. Stones larger than a green pea may be used although you may add a few smaller accent stones as time permits.

We will likely be roller printing our metal, so if you want to pick up a brass pattern sheet from Metalliferous, do so. They are pretty inexpensive. We will also add wires onto the metal to give even more to decoration your rings. Gold accents may also be used, but please note that you can only use 18k and higher karat as accents and 22k and higher for your bezels. It is not recommended that you use recycled gold for this project.

The following is a list of supplies you will need:

STERLING:

• 3”x 4” of 18ga sheet (22ga will also work if you have small hands)

• 2”x 4” of 24ga (or 26ga sheet of the same size)

• 2 feet of 18ga round wire

• 3 feet of 20ga round wire

• *(Tubing optional: if you have any small sized tubing bring it)

FINE SILVER:

• 6”x 1/4” 26ga bezel wire (or 26ga sheet ½”x 4” that we can cut to suit)

OPTIONAL GOLD ACCENTS:

• *4” of 3/16ths x 26ga 22k bezel (this may be sold as 4mm as well)

• clean scraps of 18k or 22k gold sheet or wire that don’t contain solder, to ball up.

TOOLS:

• Round nosed, flat nosed and optional *half round pliers

• 8” half round or ring file like the Grobet #2 cut

• Saw frame and blades approx. size 4/0  (medium blades)

• Sharpie markers- fine and extra fine

• *Joyce Chen type scissors

SUPPLIERS:

Metalliferous 1-888-944-0909 or  www.metalliferous.com  brass pattern plates

Rio Grande 1-800-545-6566  or   www.riogrande.com  tools, metal etc.