Carved yellow gold cocktail ring with fancy-cut green tourmaline

We worked with a client to design this carved gold cocktail ring commission based on the rings from our Arris series. The ring was carved by hand, cast in 18-carat gold and is set with a beautiful mint green tourmaline. The asymmetric stone reflects light beautifully due to its angled back surfaces.

This unusual ring was made by hand-carving a model from wax to fit the gemstone perfectly. Carving in wax is a very immediate way of working that allows us to instinctively adjust proportions and refine the designs we’ve created on paper. We use wax for sculptural designs like this to achieve smooth, flowing curves and balanced forms. Below you can see a video of the wax model prior to casting.



Once it was ready, the wax model of the ring was cast in 18-carat gold, then filed and prepared for setting.



Before setting the ring we polished the area beneath the stone to a bright mirror finish. This helps to bounce light up into the back of the stone and is particularly important for stones like this, which have smooth, unfaceted surfaces.

The finished ring can also be seen in the video below. The 18 carat gold is softened with a brushed satin finish and brightly burnished edges highlight and give definition to the form.