Ring Number Seven, in 20k Gold, Black Spinel and Diamonds

I don’t usually play favorites but I have to say I am totally in love with Ring Number Seven. The composition, color combination and element of surprise make it a very beautiful piece.

When I started looking at stones and options for Ring Number Seven, I considered three options of designs: the first design was with a large Moonstone and two small blue Sapphire cabs; the second design was one with various colored Sapphires ranging from red, pink, purple and orange; and the third design was this beautiful black Spinel trillion that I bought a few years ago at the Tucson show really. This black Spinel really spoke to me, it was beautifully cut in Idar-Oberstein, Germany, the gemstone cutting capital, known for master cutters over hundreds of years. I put it next to a diamond that I had and decided that it would be the design to go with.

I alloyed 20k gold from scratch and started to mill it to get the bezels and shank going. When I finished making the bezels and soldered them together, I realized that the black Spinel was this amazing cut not just on the top, but also at the bottom. I had to make sure the design of this ring was showing off the Spinel to its maximum potential, so I decided to make the bottom of the bezel open and nicely finished to allow the Spinel to be seen when turning the ring over. At a very exciting creative breakthrough moment, it occurred to me that I could also set a diamond on the bottom, to mimic the design at the top. I was sooooo excited about this idea. The wearer could show the top to the whole world, but also have this little private surprise for herself when looking inside the ring. So I started diligently on finishing the ring to make my weekly deadline, and when attaching the bezels to the shank, I realized if I did it the direction I had originally planned the ring shank would end up being too short, so I had to twist the bezel at an angle and totally loved it! There were two unexpected design changes throughout the process that made the ring really beautiful and fun.

Ring Number Seven was a fun but challenging project. It took me the whole week to finish it. I decided to make something easier this coming week like band, or stacking bands, but when you make plans, life happens. As I am writing this blog, my daughter is being induced to have her baby. So that means this week I will be very busy becoming a grandma again. But I have a plan, when I started the FOAK IT! project, knowing that my three daughters are pregnant, two of them due to give birth in March and one in the Summer, I decided to knit a ring, using my grandmother’s knitting needles, since some of the fondest memories of my grandmother are when she sat and showed me how to knit. I need to use a very thin fine silver wire for this, so after consulting with my fabulous fellow designer Cheryl Brooks-Fuhs about what gauge wire to get, I ordered the wire and have it all ready to go. This fine silver wire is more like thread! I will be experimenting and hoping that another beautiful piece will be made, while becoming a grandma and honoring my grandmother’s memory.

Excuse me now while I go to enjoy the labor and birth of my new granddaughter, who by the way, will be named after me.

If you want to see the process as it happens, make sure you follow me on Instagram. Click HERE to follow me.