Wedding band/Technical question

[MakingTheGrade]

I ordered a pair of mokume bands for my wedding a year ago for D. Emslie, and long story short, it''s been a year and I haven''t gotten the right set due to some errors.

Anyways, when I got the set, the men''s ring was sized wrong and also had these little "pits" in them (see pictures). I don''t really understand the mokume process, but is that normal? I sent them back (it needed resizing anyways), and he said he could fix it with laser welding but is that going to be a permanent fix?

 

[whitby_2773]

hi makingthegrade

i dont know the answer to your question, tho i cant imagine being very happy about a ring with those marks in it! but i have a jeweler in MA i''ve worked with a few times who specializes in mokume gane who i''ve had many conversations with, and i''ll send him a photo of your ring and ask him if you like. his name is Chris Ploof (wwwchrisploof.com)

let me know if this would help you out at all, and i''ll get on it

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Thanks!
Yeah, I was SO disappointed when I saw those marks! I really don''t know what causes them, if it''s normal or if it''s a flaw in the jeweler''s technique :/

I think I''ll wait until I get them back and see. Hopefully they come back looking ok...
I do admit to being curious as to what causes that though. Air bubbles? lol

 

[whitby_2773]

ok making the grade - question sent to Chris Ploof

www.chrisploof.com

hoping he gets back to me in the next couple of days - will post his entire answer on here when he does.

fingers crossed!

 

[pyramid]

I believe those marks are what is termed as porosity and has been discussed on the forum before. Do a search on the word. Yes they are air bubbles and found a lot in cast items, however is mokume gane not made in another way? I think it would fix them on the surface permanently if he laser welds them but this would not fix any which may be further inside the core of the band which may or may not be a problem depending upon the size of them.

An independent appraiser would be able to advise you on this.

 

[whitby_2773]

ok MakingtheGrade - here''s the response i just received...and can i just say that Chris is, in my opinion, a leading edge expert in mokume gane and really knows his shizzle in this regard...


Hi Kareyn,

Nice to hear from you again!

I''m happy to help. Here goes:

What you are seeing is probably an early failure in the laminate that was
repaired by flowing solder over the failure. OR, the maker could be using
solder to make his laminates. Both would keep it from being true mokume
gane, which is diffusion bonded materials, not solder bonded. The failure
would typically be caused by improperly bonded material, or material that
was not annealed properly during the reductions and patterning stages or
just poor technique in general. Once repaired this way, it is then finished
being shaped into a ring and soldered or welded into the ring shape. This
can cause the pitting to develop during the final soldering, most likely due
to open space with trapped air under the original solder repair being
subjected to soldering temps. Laser welding will be a permanent cosmetic
fix, but the real fix that would create a product with integrity is to do it
right from the first time, not gloss it over with a laser weld.

Chris


Chris Ploof
Chris Ploof Studio
401.725.RING (7464) EST
www.ChrisPloof.com



-

 

[coatimundi_org]

Thanks for posting that Whitby!

Yup, that''s porosity, and Mokume Gane should not have that. I would return any piece of jewelry that exhibited porosity in the metal.

 

[musey]

Sorry I don't mean to drive this off-topic... but I just wanted to say, MakingTheGrade, that when I saw your other thread with your wedding band pics it has made me fall in LOVE with mokume gane. I've seen it before of course, but I really love the pattern and color mix of your bands. Just gorgeous, I love it.

Sorry to hear about the pitting issue with your husband's band

yours isn't exhibiting anything similar, is it?

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Thanks for all your help guys!
Unfortunately, I''m not allowed to return the rings since they were custom ordered :/ I guess the cosmetic fix will have to do, there''s no real point in me having it out with the jeweler over it since there''s nothing I can do since they''re already paid for.
Ironically, I actually ordered these from David because he sounded so professional and knowledgeable in his Pricescope posts, guess I should have done my homework better.

Thanks again though!

 

[whitby_2773]

you''re welcome, coati i know you always like to learn about new things to do with jewelry making etc

MakingTheGrade, i have to say - i''m with musey on this, just in that it was wonderful to see a MG ring, even if not as well made as you''d have liked. would you consider returning your ring, and buying one from someone different? the idea was perfect - maybe the execution was just a little off...

i''ve looked into MG by george sawyer also, but in the end fell in love with the seamless style of Chris Ploof, who developed this style. his is the only MG jewelry i know which doesn''t have the largish dot which is where the join normally occurs as he has developed a method which gives a seamless pattern. i think it''s magic!

either way, i do hope you stick with an MG style; it''s truly special jewelry!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/3/2009 3:32:51 PM
Author: whitby_2773


MakingTheGrade, i have to say - i''m with musey on this, just in that it was wonderful to see a MG ring, even if not as well made as you''d have liked. would you consider returning your ring, and buying one from someone different? the idea was perfect - maybe the execution was just a little off...

At this point, I would LOVE to just return the rings, but I can''t since his policy is no returns for custom orders. :/ Bah, I must say, all my negative and stressful experiences with this jeweler have seriously taken all the fun and love out of wedding band shopping..

 

[whitby_2773]

but you can take solace in knowing that you have the most beautiful dress in the whole world! i saw it on the other PS site - it''s divine!

head up, missy! you''re going to look gorgeous!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 3/3/2009 4:24:29 PM
Author: whitby_2773

but you can take solace in knowing that you have the most beautiful dress in the whole world! i saw it on the other PS site - it's divine!


head up, missy! you're going to look gorgeous!

Aw thanks! I know it's not a huge tragedy, I'm just a little disappointed since I had such high expectations for the wedding bands since I'll hopefully have it forever. But hey, I have my health and my fiance, the rest is just icing

Thanks for the dress compliments, now I just have to make sure I can get my dress altered so it doesn't fall off my chest! I don't know if this is the thread you're talking about
https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/unusual-wedding-dress-thoughts.108868/
But you can see why I might be a little worried about accidentally flashing my goodies (not the classiest thing to do at your wedding).

 

[iheartscience]

Honestly, I would have it out with the jeweler since you''re not happy with the bands and another MG jeweler confirmed that the band should not have those pits in it. He should at the very least redo your husband''s band, if not just refund you the money.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I really have no leverage though other than to insist it''s a inferior product. I just don''t want to get myself worked up just to have him laugh in my face or refuse to redo it.