Leaf Imprint :: Ring A Week No. 43

As I was walking my dog this week, I noticed some lovely fallen leaves that happened to be just the right size and shape for a wrap around ring. I collected a few and this weekend I imprinted one into sterling silver using my rolling mill. I hand cut it from the silver using my jeweler's hand saw, following the fine, serrated edge along one side of the imprint. I wanted the ring to feel comfortable on the finger so I chose to create a smooth bottom edge. I love how the tip and the stem of the leaf overlap and envisioned that detail being the front of the ring. However, I think it actually looks nicer on the finger with the overlap to the back.

Go and wake up your luck :: Ring A Week No. 42

Every now and then I visit my mistake drawer for inspiration. For my latest Ring A Week ring, I combined two pieces residing in that drawer. The etched piece, which reads "go and wake up your luck," was originally to be a pendant. I wasn't happy with the shape or the etched lettering and so it went in the drawer. I made the wide band from a piece of silver into which I had attempted to imprint some grasses for texture but didn't love the result. I sanded away the texture before fabricating the band and soldered the the organically shaped etched piece in place. I then gave it an oxidized, somewhat shiny finish. I am glad to have found a use for a couple pieces that had not turned out as I intended. It feels great on the finger and is a ring I will likely wear from time to time.

Curl Ring :: Ring A Week No. 41

For this latest Ring A Week ring, I challenged myself to make a ring out of a piece of scrap silver from a failed rolling mill experiment. I first cut the piece into a freeform organic shape and then smoothed the sides and edges. I formed it into a ring shape and then curled the ends. Finally, I gave it a soft matte grey finish. It reminds me of ribbon.