Creating Beautiful Rings Part 2: How We Craft Our Rings

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In Part 1 of this series, How We Design Our Rings, we explained the process we use to create contemporary gemstone ring designs and offer specific customizations to customers via our interactive website. In Part 2, we will detail the ring making process we use to take the computer images of our craft rings and turn dreams into reality.

Step 1: Print a Wax Model of Your Ring

When you select your ring design online, customize the gemstone and metal, and proceed through the checkout, your order comes through to our New York office with all of your unique specifications registered in our system—including any engraved messages and special instructions.

We then send the computer aided design (CAD) model of your specific ring type to our 3-D printer, which prints out an exact replica of your ring made from wax. Why would we print out our craft rings from wax instead of having the machine make them out of gold directly? The reason for using wax is primarily to reduce the amount of precious metal that is wasted throughout the manufacturing process and to spot anything in the model that needs changing before setting your piece in gold, platinum, or palladium.

Step 2: Use the Wax Ring to Make a Plaster Mold

To craft your rings, we take the wax prototype and cover it in plaster. This results in a mold that is just as smooth and detailed on the inside as the wax ring we used to create it and provides the internal shape that is needed for casting your ring.

We then melt the wax ring completely and tip it out of the mold before pouring in your choice of 14k or 18k rose gold, white gold, or yellow gold, platinum, or palladium. Within seconds, the gold, platinum, or palladium solidifies and we remove the plaster from around the ring to reveal your beautiful, shiny masterpiece.

Why is it Called “Lost Wax Casting?”

Why is this process described as “lost wax casting?” As opposed to “wax casting,” in which the metal is poured into a wax mold, the “lost wax casting” process involves printing the ring shape from the wax and later melting the wax away once it’s no longer needed.

Step 3: Mount the Gemstones

After removing your ring from the plaster mold, we give it a brief polish to brush away any small pieces of plaster and then it’s ready to be set with the crowning detail—your chosen gemstones! Depending on the number of gemstones needed for your ring design, we will select from our pre-matched collections of cut-and-polished gemstones to ensure a consistent, uniform result.

We set the gemstones into the band using specialized tools and a very fine soldering iron that vary depending on the setting chosen. Here are a few of our top settings and the methods used to secure the gemstones into each type of craft rings:

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Bezel

The most traditional way to secure gemstones (especially large centerpiece stones) when crafting antique-style rings is with a bezel mount. For this technique, a thin piece of metal is soldered around the edge of the gemstone to hold it in place. It is especially popular among customers who want to avoid a secure setting that will prevent the gemstone from snagging on their clothes.

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Prong

When we craft rings with contemporary designs, we often mount the gemstones with folded prongs to allow for maximum reflection of light in and through the stone. Ideal for solitaire and three-stone designs, prongs allow gemstones of diverse shapes and sizes to be mounted easily and can be unbent to remove the stone for cleaning. While prong settings are present in most of our designs, we recommend pairing the more expensive gemstones (diamond, sapphire, and ruby) with a strong metal like platinum or palladium to hold the gemstone firmly in place.

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Pavé

Named after the French word pavé (“paved”), this mounting technique is frequently used in our everyday rings and involves securing smaller gemstones into grooves in the band with tiny metal prongs or beads. We typically craft rings with small diamonds in a pavé setting, as diamonds of this size are much more affordable and combine to create a beautiful shimmering effect.

Tension

The most recent addition to the gemstone-jewelry scene is the tension mount, which relies on machine calculations to achieve a spring-like effect in the band that holds the gemstone in place through force. For added security, very small grooves are worked into the metal in which the gemstone edges can rest. While we do sometimes craft rings with this cutting-edge technique, please be aware that a tension-mounted ring cannot be resized, as this would undo the delicate force that holds the gemstone in place.

Step 6: Final Inspection, Polish, and Delivery

Once your ring is completely finished and each gemstone has been set carefully in place, we use laser engraving to add your personalized message (if you choose this option at the checkout) and give the piece one final inspection to make sure every detail satisfies our meticulous standards.

We then polish your ring until it sparkles and place it carefully in your complimentary gift box for shipping to the address supplied in the order with our free, fully-insured shipping (please note that we do not ship to addresses outside of the United States). Finally, we contact you after the expected delivery date to make sure that your ring has arrived and that you are completely happy with it.

Trust AZEERA for Top-Quality, Conflict-Free Gemstone Rings

The process we use to craft rings is quite involved, but we find it’s the best way to achieve a stunning result for our customers. To learn more about where our gemstones come from and what makes them different, we invite you to read the next part of this series: Creating Beautiful Rings Part 3: How We Source Our Conflict-Free Gemstones for Jewelry. As always, feel free to contact us for more information and enjoy shopping our beautiful rings!

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