My Ring is Done!

...I was SO excited to go to class this week to finish my ring and set the stone.  The finishing included several rounds of sanding and polishing both the interior of the band, the setting and the rest of the ring. Next, I gave it three baths in liver of sulfur to add patina.  A good scrubbing with water, a bit of dishsoap and a brass brush brought out some pretty highlights.

After securing it in my ring clamp and gathering my bezel rocker and burnisher, I was ready to set the stone :).  I worked around the stone in several stages, slowly bringing the surrounding silver closer and closer until the stone was snug and then I burnished the edge of the setting to smooth it out.  A bit more sanding and polishing were required as I made a few little scratched in the silver and unfortunately, that also removed some of my patina on the setting itself. I'll know better next time! 

Even so, I like how it all turned out! Here is the finished ring which I am happily wearing today! I can't wait to make another :)   Stay tuned for some new silver earrings I plan to make at Open Studio this week...