Recycled Gold and Repurposed Rubies
This gorgeous ruby ring was made with my client's 18ct yellow gold and oval rubies.
Three oval rubies set in 18ct yellow gold
History Of The Ring
The original ring - passed down from my client's Irish grandmother - was hallmarked at the Birmingham Assay Office and had a date letter 'y'.
With a little research we discovered that the particular shape of the 'y' indicated 1923. It really felt like a big honour to be working on a ring that was made just over 100 years ago.
18ct gold and rubies ready to be made into something new
Melting Gold and Polishing Rubies
The rubies needed a little tlc as after a 100 years it's no surprise that they had a few minor scuffs. Though not many considering their age!
I quickly got to work melting the gold and forming the ring and stone settings. This meant that while the rubies were off being polished, I could get on with making the ring - soldering, filing and polishing.
My client also tried the ring on to check the fit before I set the rubies. Whilst it is possible to resize rings with the stones in place, it's a lot easier to get the size right in the first place.
Forming the ring and set of three oval stone settings in my client's recycled 18ct yellow gold
The finished ring
The freshly polished rubies pop so beautifully in their new 18ct gold settings!
It was my client's idea to have the smaller rubies set vertically with the bigger central ruby set horizontally and I love it.
Bright pink rubies set in highly polished 18ct yellow gold.
If you're feeling inspired, why not have a browse in my shop or check out other commissions in my gallery.
It would be great to hear from you and if you have some old unworn jewellery hidden away I'd be happy to have a look and send you some ideas for a fresh new pieces of jewellery.
