This simple ring features a round rosecut 10 mm black spinel set in sterling and fine silver. This ring is the little black dress of jewelry because it goes with absolutely everything!
My process: I sized the fine silver scalloped bezel to fit around the stone. Then I soldered it closed and soldered it to the sterling silver sheet metal. The sheet was trimmed with a jeweler’s saw and hand filed smooth. The double half round sterling wire was formed into a ring shank using a mandrel and hammer and attached to the back of the backplate. The entire ring was then dunked in silver blackener and polished to remove enough of the blackener to bring out the detail in the band. The ring then took a spin in the tumbler for a final polish and hardening before I set the stone.
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Here’s some info for my fellow rock geeks: Spinel is a broad group of minerals that occur in many colors. For over 1000 years, spinel was confused with rubies and sapphires because people were not aware of the chemical differences between spinel and corundum.
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Materials: Fine silver, Sterling silver, Black Spinel
Dimensions: approximately 3/8" (9.5 mm) tall by 3/8” (9.5 mm) wide. Size 9 3/4
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Please keep in mind that all pieces of jewelry from Tabby Cat are handmade using natural gemstones. Handmade means that there may be marks from the tools used in the process of making the setting. Natural gemstones are just that- natural. They may have pits in the surface or inclusions visible in transparent and translucent stones. These things just add to the charm of piece.