Feeling crabby
New ring design & how I made my yellow sapphire crab pendant
I sketched and started working on a new ring design that features a pear-shaped center stone. Sketching a piece from multiple angles really helps the planning process and guides how best to make it.
I fabricated the bezel directly in metal, and I’ll make the rest of the ring in wax. Since the band’s volume changes quite a bit along its shape, it’s much easier to sculpt it in wax, cast it, and then solder it to the bezel afterward. This approach gives me more control over the proportions and flow of the design.
This will be quite the fun technical challenge to make an organically shaped ring come out clean and crisp!
Yellow sapphire crab pendant
I finished my delicate crab pendant that features a yellow sapphire and I think it turned out adorably!
You can see the main steps below, but I sculpted the crab in wax, cast it, then fabricated the stone setting and bail. Because the whole piece is only about the size of a thumbnail, the real challenge was working cleanly at such a small scale. I needed a strong magnifier to cut the prongs and set the sapphire.
New ring & pendant
Using wax and casting it in silver, I made myself a floral ring with a cabochon Brazilian quartz center. It was a fun experiment in a new style for me and I think I will enjoy wearing this one around! I particularly love the bright red bloom in the center of the quartz.
I also made the silver master version of a small floral pendant that turned out very sweet. This one will look great in gold and make for a great everyday piece.