Making my own wedding bands with help?
 

Greetings all,

I will soon be in the market for a wedding band set. I have
considered several options and would really like something with a
unique/personal flair. I have decided on a handmade ring set with a
small twist. I work in the metallurgical / chemical / technical field
and I would like to be involved with the construction of the ring.

Ideally, I would love to have the time to research methods, try
procedures and ultimately make the rings myself. However, I just
don't think this is feasable with my work and the time constraints.
My second best alternative thought...work with a local
jeweler/lapidary who specializes in hand made jewelery and ideally be
a sort of apprentice to the construction.

Since I first thought of this, I have had a chance to do some research
as well as pick up some raw materials...platinum, iridium, loose
diamonds...all that cheap ring-type stuff! I am about to the point of
calling some of the local jewelers to see what they can do for me, but
I thought I'd run this past the group for any pointers? So...

Is this type of scheme totally unheard of or do I have a chance of
finding a jeweler who would be willing to bring someone in "off the
street" and work with them a little bit?

So far I have about 65g platinum and 100g iridium. I know the
platinum will be the limiting element and was considering a 5-10%
iridium alloy. So this is a little over 70g of material total...is
this in the ballpark for materials quantity for a two ring set?
....suppose I could do some calculations, but thought I may get a quick
yeah/nay.

What sort of time frame would be "normal" for a custom ring? Is this
something I should expect in a week / month / half year?

I suspect a custom job like this would begin with a wax ring to make a
mold, casting and finally polishing / stone setting. Are there any
specific questions I should ask (beyond what's this gonna cost me)?

Thanks for any input!

Corey

Your type of request for guidance is common on this newsgroup.
However you should copy this request to your local jewellers and their
replies will be a good indication of what you will get here.
The simplest analogy is to ask say, the Ford Motor Co. if you could be
an apprentice in the making of your new car if you come along with all
the raw materials for it.
Also Ask yourself this question and the answer you should get will be
the same as you will get here for your custom rings.
One other observation, read the last 2 weeks of postings here, youll
also find the answer.

Ted,

Thanks for your information. I will definitely be doing some
additional research as time allows. I also thought your analogy with
FoMoCo was interesting, although I'm not sure exactly how to take it.
Yes, I do seriously doubt that I could show up at the plant with a
coil of raw steel and ask them to let me use their tooling to make a
car. However, I understand that it is common (or at least possible)
to schedule plant tours with various auto manufacturers, and it you
care to put a little planning into the date, they may actually be able
to arrange it so that you can watch your car being built.

At any rate, thank you for your input.

Corey

it was interesting"ted.frater" wrote in message
. ..
Your type of request for guidance is common on this newsgroup.
However you should copy this request to your local jewellers and their
replies will be a good indication of what you will get here.
The simplest analogy is to ask say, the Ford Motor Co. if you could be
an apprentice in the making of your new car if you come along with all
the raw materials for it.
Also Ask yourself this question and the answer you should get will be
the same as you will get here for your custom rings.
One other observation, read the last 2 weeks of postings here, youll
also find the answer.

In article ,
(Corey872) writes:

I also thought your analogy with
FoMoCo was interesting, although I'm not sure exactly how to take it.
... However, I understand that it is common (or at least possible)
to schedule plant tours with various auto manufacturers, and it you
care to put a little planning into the date, they may actually be able
to arrange it so that you can watch your car being built.

Some jewelry stores have "watch the jeweler work" booths-- one in San Diego has
a glassed in facetting set up, where one can watch stones being cut (if one
happens to wander in at the appropriate time). It's not one of the "chain
stores", but mostly high end, semi custom type jewelry and ART! type
metal/glassware.


Kaytee
"Simplexities" on
www.eclecticbeadery.com
http://www.rubylane.com/shops/simplexities