Sparkly green things!

[distracts]

Somehow all the colored stone jewelry I've gotten in the first four months of this year has been green.

First up, I made this silver ring using this 1.15 ct tsavorite garnet cabochon from Tan:



It looks big in that picture but appearances can be deceiving... it's a pinky ring.





In-progress picture:



Then I had this 6mm chrysoberyl from Chrisa222, and since it is a calibrated size I bought this argentium silver setting from Rio Grande for all of $8.53, popped the stone in and closed it up with pliers (which I figured I was safe doing even though I know nothing about prong setting since chrysoberyl is pretty hard). It turned out quite well, though silver isn't really the right metal for this stone. But for less than $9, I'm not complaining.







And I saved the best for last... when MakingTheGrade posted her green garnet and diamond HoW pendant on DB, I knew I had to get it. The Fiance was looking for a combination Valentine's Day/engagement anniversary present, and this was perfect. My pictures aren't as good as hers, but you'll get the idea:











The tsavorite garnet is crazily green. It's stunning. I've worn the pendant every day since we got it in the mail. I don't think I can overstate how much I love it!

 

[GemFever]

Making your own rings with your stones -- awesome!

And what a lovely tsavorite pendant. Amazing how it shines in that pic with your phone -- it definitely wants (and gets) all the attention

 

[innerkitten]

I like that ring you made! Nice work and nice stone too!

Do you have a torch and stuff at home? I have been doing some silversmithing and would love to have a set up at home.

 

[Lovinggems]

I love the cab pinky ring.

 

[distracts]

Thanks guys!

GemFever, the tsavorite is that super bright green much of the time. It was really hard to capture that in photos because every time I brought the camera close, I blocked out enough of the light to make it look more forest green. IRL much of the time it's crazy Crayola crayon green.

InnerKitten, my home workshop currently leans more toward "and stuff." I'm all prepped for a torch setup (with solderite and charcoal blocks and whatnot) but my DF and I each have half of the garage to devote to our hobbies, and his half has several motorcycles, and we're not sure about the safety of a torch with the gasoline. I have a little handheld butane torch, but it's just good for smaller pieces like jumprings/chains and stuff. I just use that with a 12x12 solderite pad on the kitchen table, and do most of my soldering in class and in the open lab that's on Saturday afternoon at the place where I take (which is convenient because my class is Saturday morning). I have kind of cheated on setting up my workshop since my grandmother was a jeweler and I inherited her stuff. Unfortunately before I got it, another relative had it and it had all been sitting outside and got really rusty and dirty, so I've had a time of it cleaning it up, and have just started really setting up my workshop.

Here's my bench, you can see that it has magnetic strips to hold little tools and a pull-out drawer to catch shavings:



And here are a bunch of tools I need to sort through, refinish, and find proper places for:



We're going to be putting up a pegboard and shelves on the wall behind my bench, plus a table on the right of it for the polishers, a set of drawers under that for hammers and dapping tools, and then a separate table on the other side of THAT for the pickle, if I ever get soldering much at home.

 

[Starzin]

Great trio! I love the cab and you made a nice job of the ring. Lucky you inheriting all those tools from your grandmother, it looks as though you are steadily getting well set up too. Thanks for sharing.

 

[JewelFreak]

I'm so impressed! How fabulous to make your own rings & with such nice stones! The pendant is a great buy -- looks perfect on you! Bet it gets a lot of notice.

--- Laurie

 

[Enerchi]

Distracts- what a talent you have! That's a great looking set up you have!

I'm really drawn to your chryso ring - love that colour and the simplicity of the setting - great work!

 

[sapphirering]

Oh I'd love to have a corner jewelry bench like you! I really like your tsavorite and diamond pendant. I've never been drawn to the color green before until I discovered tsavorite. I don't think I even own one piece of green clothing!

 

[ChrisA222]

That Chrysoberyl looks SO much better in your ring than it did in my gem jar for so long...AWESOME and congrats!!!

 

[T L]

I wish I could make my own jewelry. Cudos to you!!

Nice sparkly jewelry!!

 

[colorluvr]

I missed this thread apparently, so I just wanted to say congrats on your success with your rings. I love that you have your own bench!!!! And the pendant is gorgeous - it's great that you got something you love!!!!

 

[chrono]

I am beyond impressed; not only do you own such tools and know how to use them, you did it very well too. The setting for the cabochon is amazing - unique, simple and well done. Not too shabby with the chryso too. And a lovely buy on the trio pendant.

 

[innerkitten]

I wish I could make my own jewelry. Cudos to you!!

Nice sparkly jewelry!!

TL. You should give it a shot.

 

[innerkitten]

How cool that you inherited your grandmothers interest in jewelry and her tools too! I am ever so slowly collecting tools. But I don't have a torch or a place to use one at home.

 

[innerkitten]

Meant ask. What is the stone in the middle of the pendant?

 

[distracts]

Thank you everyone.

Enerchi - it's not talent at all, but perseverance. I was the worst person in my class when I first started - one of our projects was to make a ring with a bezel-set stone, and everyone but me finished in two classes. It took me eight. I had to completely remake it three times. I made just about every single mistake that could possibly be made - my teacher was constantly showing my work as "what not to do." People who started taking in the second group of classes and began their bezel rings six weeks after I did finished before me! But of all the people in those two sessions, I'm the only one who continued taking classes and making things, so gradually my skills improved.

Chrisa222- Thanks! It was the first chrysoberyl I had ever seen, and I am loving it!

TL - Thanks. If I could learn to do it, though, anyone can!

Chrono - You are too sweet. My work is good enough for me to wear but it is by no means impeccable - but I keep improving and so if I keep applying myself I might actually consider my work worthy of that kind of praise some day!

InnerKitten - The stone in the middle is a mint garnet. It always comes out looking different in the pictures than it does in real life - I think in real life it is much more obviously something other than diamond, whereas in the pictures you have to look at a few of them to get that something non-diamondy is definitely going on there.

 

[T L]

I wish I could make my own jewelry. Cudos to you!!

Nice sparkly jewelry!!

TL. You should give it a shot.

I've thought about it, and I should. I have a tsavorite cab just like the color of the OP's and I would love to put it in a bezel, but everything is so expensive these days to set. I have to admire people that can set gemstones, it's very time consuming and nerve wracking work.

 

[Starzin]

Enerchi - it's not talent at all, but perseverance. I was the worst person in my class when I first started - one of our projects was to make a ring with a bezel-set stone, and everyone but me finished in two classes. It took me eight. I had to completely remake it three times. I made just about every single mistake that could possibly be made - my teacher was constantly showing my work as "what not to do." People who started taking in the second group of classes and began their bezel rings six weeks after I did finished before me! But of all the people in those two sessions, I'm the only one who continued taking classes and making things, so gradually my skills improved.

Congratulations on your perseverance then! You have made a beautiful ring and there's nothing like receiving a compliment and being able to say "Thank you, I made it" - please don't ever downplay this ring or your efforts. You've earned every compliment you get.

I don't know whether you all know this but you can get small size (calibrated) settings called Snap-set (snap-rite, snap-tite) made so that you can put the stone table down on a flat surface and just push it into the setting. It self closes. There are YouTube videos that show you how to do it. These are probably great for small earrings - just buy some earnuts for them. http://beadstore.wigjig.com/BlingKits.html. I've been saving the idea because you can also get them in pendants and without the "stalk" for threading into wire worked rings etc. Can I persuade you to a new hobby TL?