Rings are one of the most common decorative items in everyday life. Many people want the ring they wear on their hand to be unique, and if they want to achieve this goal, then they can create a ring by hand with their own hands. What are the steps to create a ring? Let me take you through them.
Choosing the size
How to choose the size of the ring is one of the most troubling questions for many people who are new to handmade rings. You can go to a nearby jewelry store for a fitting and determine the right size before building it yourself. How can you tell if the ring is the right size? Generally speaking wearing it on your finger just enough to be able to turn it in a circle, move it up and down a little bit, and not risk it falling off when you wiggle your finger is the right size. If the ring is of a more complicated style, then the standard of reference is that the flesh of your finger will not be pressed into a depression when you wear it.
If you think that this method of judgment is not rigorous enough, then you can also try another method. Make your hand into a fist and feel whether the ring makes you feel strangled, which can judge whether the ring is too small; you can try gently shaking it on a softer blanket to see whether the ring will fall off, which can judge whether the ring is too big. However, you can’t fling it too vigorously during the test to prevent a collision from occurring after the ring falls off, which can lead to damage to the ring.
Many people choose a smaller sized ring to avoid losing the ring. But I would like to say that this practice is not desirable. This is because as we age, there is a risk of our bones getting fatter or bigger. If the ring itself is on the small side, it may not fit. And wearing a small-sized ring for a long time can cause poor blood flow to the finger, leading to swelling.
Choosing the material
The main concern should be what material you choose to create the perfect ring without going over budget. For this, I have the following suggestions:
K gold is the most traditional and preferred material by most people, even the honorable British royal family chooses K gold for their rings. This is because it has many advantages, such as being very precious and stable. So you don’t have to worry about the ring changing color due to oxidation or if you’re allergic to wearing it. Because it’s so precious, you’ll cherish it and won’t leave it lying around or throw it away.
If you don’t like K-gold, sterling silver is also a good choice. Because of its elegant color and favorable price, it is very suitable for young people’s taste and purchasing power. The new generation of young people generally believe that rings in sterling silver are more fashionable, while those in sterling gold are slightly more plain and less unique. I have to admit that my initial opinion was the same, but as my social experience has grown, my aesthetic concepts have changed, and now I love sterling gold rings even more. This is because the disadvantages of sterling silver rings are quite obvious, they are not stable enough, they oxidize and turn black very easily, and they wear out easily. If worn for a long time, they look cheap.
In the UK, the purity of gold is usually represented by a number, ranging from 9K to 18K. The higher the purity the harder the gold is, the less likely the text of the symbol engraved on the ring will wear off and it will last for decades. If the symbols disappear, the ring loses its uniqueness and becomes a meaningless piece of junk. You can imagine how important a metric hardness is.
Depending on your preference and budget, you can decide which material you want to use, because the price difference between different materials is a lot, so I can only provide you with some reference experience, the final decision is still in your own hands.
Men who come to my studio to have their rings made usually choose 18K gold because men don’t change their rings easily, so 18K gold is the best choice for them, which minimizes the cost of care and maintenance at a later stage. In comparison, only about half of women choose 18K as the material for their rings. The choice of material depends on what you want to achieve. If you don’t require a ring with deep symbolic meaning and are only looking for fashion, then sterling silver or 9K are also good choices.
Ring Engraving
Once you’ve decided on the material you want engraved, we can engrave and cut the material. Start by tying a bag under the workbench to collect the resulting scrap powder. Cut the material and then use a grinder to turn the material into thin strips. Depending on the size of the strip you get, make a ring of the appropriate size on the strip. Next, you need to polish the edges of the ring from coarse to fine with various files of different friction and shapes, this step is to reveal the delicate beauty of the ring.
Now the general outline of the ring has been determined. We can personalize the surface of the ring with engraving. First, you need to draw the pattern or character you want to engrave, then paste it on the ring and outline it with toner. In this way, you can start to use a engraving tool to make elaborate engravings on the ring. After the engraving is completed, we also need to solder the two ends of the ring, which is a crucial step, only through it, the ring can be completely connected as a whole. Finally, after polishing and other operations, the ring is complete. If you prefer an open-ended ring, you don’t have to do the soldering. Everything is up to your preference.
