I turned this gold into something. WANNA SEE?

Here is a 17 second sketch of the ring I will make. I call it the "U" setting. The shank was casted last Friday from a mold I made a few years back. The setting will be yellow gold because I think it blends better with the green tourmaline I will be setting in it.

I am add boric acid powder to the gold I melt. When added it will allow the gold to flow like water instead of like maple syrup when pouring into the ingot mold.

Now I hear it up to melt the gold

After it reaches the right temperature I pour it into my ingot mold. I used a wet paper towel as a stopper so the gold will solidify into a small lump. The fist pic of this post is the lump of gold.

Here is my rolling mill. It is runs off a motor. I will roll this little piece of gold and try not to catch my fingers. Don't worry I do this every day.

After rolling a few times I need to soften the gold by reheating. It gets really hard while being forged in the mill.

After softening the gold I roll it so more.

And again softening. Roll and repeat.

After rolling it to the proper thickness I sand the surface. This cleans the discoloration and allows me to inspect the surface for any imperfections.

Look good

Now I must cut a piece to make the center setting.

Piece is cut

This is the white gold cathedral shank I casted last Friday. It is a base that I use for many rings. I have dozens of different variations to this cathedral shank. I made all the molds at some point. If you viewed my other post you will see how these are made. I will post a step by step on the mold and casting process later. Please be patient :)

I must make a bend in the gold.

I use a steel punch because it is the perfect cylinder shape to bend the gold around.

The is the setting. A little rough looking but I will pretty it up in a minute.

Cutting out the center of the cathedral shank so I can install the setting I just made.

After cutting out the center I install the setting. I am soldering the setting into place.

This is a charcoal block. It is ideal for holding gold or silver to solder. It is very light so that what I'm soldering heats up fast. Note.. do not use for platinum. It will contaminate the platinum making it brittle.

Here I am sanding the top of the setting.

Test fitting this beautiful green tourmaline into the setting. It looks like it will fit perfectly.

I must clean inside the U setting. I use this silicone wheel to remove the heavy scratches. It add a nice matte pre finish.

Now I use a very soft bristle buff with polishing compound.

What a beautiful shiny finish. It is under the stone. You probably won't notice but I like it to be perfect.

Now I must set the stone. I first must cut a groove inside the setting. I use a setting bur and cut carefully. I must carefully watch the depth and angles. Oh and it must be straight too. Lol.

Here is a look at the groove. I call it the seat. It is what the edge of the stone sits in.

Here is another look at it.

I file the edges just right. This needs to be done in 100ths of a millimeter no more no less.

I press the stone into place. If I did it right it should lightly snap into place.

This is my electric hammer. It is foot pedal operated. I can adjust the speed at which the hammed hits. This will beat the setting and slowly push the gold over the stone. Kinda like a jack hammer but smaller.

Hammering both sides

After hammering I must smooth out the marks.

I take a file and clean. The inside edge so it is perfectly straight.

I drill a hole and make cuts to produce the prongs that will hold the side diamonds.

This is a pink silicone wheel. It leaves a bright shiny high polish finish. I polish the grooves I cut to make the prongs.

Here is the setting bit I use to set the small side diamonds. Notice it is shaped just like a diamond.

I insert one side of the bit in and then push down so the bit rests evenly the way the diamond should rest in the ring.

Like this.

I carefully place the diamond in the ring so it don't fall on the floor. I don't want to be in my hands and knees for a diamond. Lol the diamond rests slightly below the surface.

This is a beading tool. I use it to push the gold over the diamond.

Here is a look at the tip of the beading tool. It is dimpled to it makes a nice little bead over the diamond

After setting the 2 side diamonds I polish and clean the ring. It came out beautiful.

Here is a profile pic. Can you see why I call it the "U" setting?

The combination of white and yellow gold really adds to the richness of the ring. Plus the deep green stone looks better in yellow gold.

The shank has a lot of angles. I beveled the shank it give it a great contour. This ring is very contemporary and modern. The sharp edges and straight lines only add to the style.

There is a look at the beveled angle.

This is an exceptional green tourmaline. It has a deep rich green that flashes at all angles.

Trying to hide my dirty fingers. If you made it this far you probably enjoyed the post. (Hopefully). The ring is priced at $695.00

Squirrel tax. I visited a watch accessory store and this was their mascot. Hyper little f'er tho.