How I Done it

Hey girls. I thought it might be fun to post a simple photo explanation of how I made your rings. (Or at least, I like seeing how jewelry is made, and Aura assures me I'm not alone in this.) So, here it is.

First off, some of the supplies: I used 20 gauge square wire for the shank, and 22 gauge half-round wire to wrap the shank. Wire cutters and a file to file the edges of the wire so they don't poke you. The gem you picked, a snap-tite setting, a ring mandrel, a hammer, and flat-nose pliers.  (Not pictured, a pin vise and masking tape .)

The first step is to set the gemstone. You do this by using masking tape to secure the gemstone, and masking tape to secure the setting. Then you center the setting over the gemstone and gently press down until the stone snaps into place.

 Then you cut about a foot of the square wire and use your fingers to straighten it.

You slide the wire through the prongs of the gemstone setting until it is centered in the middle of the wire.

Then you wrap the wire around a mandrel, about one size larger than the finished size will be, hammering it with the hammer to help it hold it's shape.

 When wrapping the ring, you feed it through different available slots between the prongs of the setting--you can see how that works a little better in this picture. . .

Next, you put the remaining unused portions of the wire in a pin vise, and twist it several times to create texture, then wrap the wire around the setting a couple times, and then around the shank of the ring a couple times.

Lastly, you cut some of the half-round wire and wrap it around the bottom of the shank, to keep the wires together, and to help it glide onto your finger smoothly.

Voila! The finished product. Surprisingly easy, 'eh? 

If anyone wants to try to do this themselves, come on over (If you can). I've got left over supplies you can use. 

Until next time . . .