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Making a custom Platinum Diamond engagement ring

by chrisparry on March 18, 2008

Table of Contents

intro: Making a custom Platinum Diamond engagement ring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

step 1: Seating the diamond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

step 2: The basic shaping. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 3: The setting is begun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

step 4: The ring shank is cut back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 5: The prongs revealed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

step 6: Making it visually lighter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

step 7: Making a mould . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

step 8: Pouring the mould. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

step 9: The finished mould . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

step 10: A ring is finished. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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intro: Making a custom Platinum Diamond engagement ring
So, I am a professional jeweller.

http://www.chris-parry.co.uk

I also sell some items on http://www.chrisparry.etsy.com

If you are realy bored, you can visit my flickr page http://www.flickr.com/photos/chris-parry/

A client wanted a traditional design for his engagement ring.

This instructable shows you how his ring was created using the lost wax casting system.

To begin with I cut a section of jewellers wax, ( a special wax that has great properties for cutting, sawing and carving) into the basic ring shape. I created a hole the
same size required for the finished ring.

Image Notes
1. You can just make out the scribed lines. These have been put in place using
scries, dividers and carefully measuring.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-custom-Platinum-Diamond-engagement-ring./
 Image Notes
Image Notes 1. The center line for the ring shank is found and two more lines are scribed,
1. The wax is cut back using fine jewellers saw blades. The model is hand filed giving the width of the finished ring shank.
and measurements are taken regularly to ensure all angles are correct.

Image Notes
1. The setting is much thicker than required, as most of it will soon be cut away.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-custom-Platinum-Diamond-engagement-ring./
 Image Notes
1. I have used a flat engraving tool to carve out the middle of the setting,
revealing the prongs.

Image Notes
1. more measurements and some airholes are cut into the model.

Image Notes
1. The piece of red wax, is called a sprue.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-custom-Platinum-Diamond-engagement-ring./
step 1: Seating the diamond.
The 5mm princess cut diamond is set into its postition in the ring.

I decided how high the diamond was to sit, then using small engraving tools, I cut a square hole for the diamond to sit in.

You can also make out lots of faint white lines on the wax ring blank. These will determine which partsof the wax are to be cut away to form the shape of the ring.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-custom-Platinum-Diamond-engagement-ring./
 Image Notes
1. You can just make out the scribed lines. These have been put in place using scries, dividers and carefully measuring.

step 2: The basic shaping.

I have now cut away the major excess parts of the wax, and the ring begins to take shape.

Image Notes
1. The wax is cut back using fine jewellers saw blades. The model is hand filed and measurements are taken regularly to ensure all angles are correct.

step 3: The setting is begun

I have now carved out the setting for the diamond.

Once this was complete, I scribed the central part of the ring shank, so that I could determine how wide the ring was to be.

Image Notes
1. The center line for the ring shank is found and two more lines are scribed, giving the width of the finished ring shank.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-custom-Platinum-Diamond-engagement-ring./
step 4: The ring shank is cut back.
I have now used the scribed lines to cut the ring shank back to the required thickness.

The wax is now beginning to look more like an engagement ring.

Image Notes
1. The setting is much thicker than required, as most of it will soon be cut away.

step 5: The prongs revealed.

The client wanted a four claw prong setting for the diamond.

Here you can see that I have cut back the wax in the mid section of the setting to reveal the four corner prongs.

Image Notes
1. I have used a flat engraving tool to carve out the middle of the setting, revealing the prongs.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-custom-Platinum-Diamond-engagement-ring./
step 6: Making it visually lighter.
The ring shank and setting were too "heavy" VISUALLY. So I created some airholes, to make the ring more delicate.

Image Notes
1. more measurements and some airholes are cut into the model.

step 7: Making a mould

I could have taken this ring directly into the "lost wax casting " process, but I decided to make a mould first.

Sometimes in the casting process, their may be a casting failure, where the item doesn't cast perfectly. By making a mould, I can create duplicates of this ring.

If the first wax produced, fails to make a good platinum cast, I can simply go to this stage and create another wax model using the mould.

During the "lost wax casting " process, the wax is lost in the process when it melts in the kiln. By making a mould I wouldn't have to re-carve the model should a failure
occur.

Image Notes
1. The piece of red wax, is called a sprue.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-a-custom-Platinum-Diamond-engagement-ring./
step 8: Pouring the mould.
I use a simple two part RVT silicone moulding compound when I create my moulds.

You can see that I have half poured the liquid rubber into the mould box. I stopped to take the picture, and the mould box was filled to completely cover the ring model.

step 9: The finished mould

Here is the finihsed mould 24 hours later.

Encased inside is the wax model.

I use a sharp blade to cut the mould open, to remove the wax model.

The cavity left in the mould is a perfect copy of the master wax model.

To produce more wax models, liquid wax is injected into this mould. Within 30 seconds, it cools and the mould is opened to reveal a wax duplicate.

If I wanted to produce hundreds of this design, I would simply use this mould again and again. tat however is for the "high street". I make unique items for each client, so I
won't re-use this mould again.

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step 10: A ring is finished.
The wax model is then sent off to the platinum caster.

Whilst I cast my own gold and silver items, platinum casting requires some very specialist equipment. So the wax is used in the "lost wax casting process" and the
platinum ring is returned.

I then clean up the cast piece, I file, sand and polish it and set the diamond.

Here is the finished item.

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