This ring was commissioned as a gift for a 35th birthday in July this year. Ruby is the july birthstone, which happens to be my birthstone as well. The person receiving the gift already had one of my 18k yellow gold
and diamond bands and we wanted something that she could wear with it. After having a our initial consultation I drew a few designs and we were able to narrow them down to our one favorite look.
We decided on two pink oval rubies and 3 small white round diamonds to flank them. After ordering and receiving the decided upon gemstones I started the wax carving process. I started with a hollow tube of wax and used a saw to cut off what I needed plus a little bit extra. I carved the ring into the correct ring size for my customer and the created the stone settings and otherdetails by scraping, filing, and drilling holes in the wax.
Once I had my model in 18k yellow gold, I began the polishing process. My next step was to set the stones and put on the finishing touches. Finally, I took some photos and sent it off!
I was also lucky enough to get this picture from their owner of my two stacking rings together.
This was my first time working with rubies and I really love the way they turned out. My favorite shade of ruby leans toward the pink side. There are a variety of shades considered to be ruby but not just any red or pink corundum (corundum is the mineral name for ruby and sapphire) makes the cut. There is debate between different countries about what makes a stone a ruby as opposed to a pink sapphire. This article from my alma mater the “Gemological Institute of America” will you give you some more in depth information on what makes a ruby!