Case Study: Custom Ring “Yerba Mate”
Big Project: 100% custom designed sterling silver ring with gemstones
8-10 weeks project time
The “Yerba Mate” ring is a completely custom design. The client wanted something personal; they liked the design language of the sterling silver “Corn Unlimited” ring from my “Back 40” collection, but didn’t have a connection to that corn or maize. A plant more relevant to their life was the yerba mate.
Design: I initially sketched a few design ideas based on a yerba mate. The final design we agreed on would be similar to my other designs in form; a large band, with sculptural details around the entire circumference. Like the “Corn Unlimited” design, it would feature cutouts to lighten the ring and present some additional depth to the sculpted relief. Small cabochon-cut gemstones would be added to depict the distinct fruit the yerba mate produces. Carnelian was chosen for the gemstones, primarily for its color. These stones would contrast the sterling silver ring beautifully. I detailed the final illustration of the new design, and it was off to the races.
Execution: The ring design was accomplished through a combination of techniques. The main body was created through a lost wax casting. I began by carving the floral pattern in a flat strip of hard wax.
Once satisfied by the carving, I made a rubber mold - this would be used for wax injection copies of the design I carved. This mold was created for two purposes - one being insurance, in case I had issues with the casting (the original wax is destroyed in the lost-wax casting method). The real purpose of the mold served though was making a copy of the design in a softer, flexible wax. I used the soft wax copy to form the flat strip into a ring.
From there, the rough casting was made. I used a combination of grinding and cutting tools (burrs, gravers, files, etc) to hone the details of the piece, and form the setting for the gemstones.The interior of the ring was ground to the client’s ring size, and I began making the negative cutaways in the body of the ring.
With the body of the ring largely complete in overall form, I began working on the border of the ring. I used a rolling mill to create some large half round wire, which then formed into two rings. These two shapes were soldered onto the sides of the ring body. Beyond adding some pleasant formality to the ring design, they also make it more wearable by protecting the sculpted relief edges from wear and snags.
From here, it was on to setting the gemstones. I created 7 settings around the circumference of the band, all bezels that were formed around the cabochon cut carnelians.
The bezels were ground smooth after the stones were set, and from there the final finishing was completed. A dimpled texture was hammered into the background space of the relief to diffuse light and accentuate the sculpted floral motif. The result is a mix of textures when the ring is worn; the shine of the polished leaves and carnelian berries, the diffuse textured backdrop, and the warmth of the wearer’s skin showing through the cutouts.
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