Rea Ashlie - Artisan Jeweler

Maw Sit Sit Ring

2010-08-13T03:37:00.000-07:00

A silver ring I made featuring a beautiful piece of Maw Sit Sit.

I have always been very fascinated with the Maw Sit Sit gemstone. I guess the name was the very reason that got me hunting for the gemstone many years ago. Maw Sit Sit is mined from a place in Myanmar called Maw Sit Sit (hence the name). Originally, Maw Sit Sit was thought to be a variety of jadeite. It was first identified in 1963 by the late Dr. Eduard Gubelin, who also gave it its name. Maw Sit Sit is formed from a composite of different elements, but the primarily ones are chromite and jadeite. Good quality Maw Sit Sit exhibit intense green with black mottling. Because of its rarity, it is usually not found in mass market jewelry.

Smokey and Coral

2010-06-26T22:31:00.000-07:00

Two new items I made this week.

The first one is this rather huge pendant measuring 45mm in length. It features a flawless smokey quartz cabochon set in a fancy bezel cup. I personally like things that are not cluttered, with clean lines and highly polished.......

......which is why this second item I made is so not me. But this ring is made with a message in mind. I was watching a documentary abut the destruction of coral reefs around the world. It prompted me to try and create my little own "coral" in the form of a ring. I added a pearl to the ring to complete the picture.

Pearl Rings

2010-05-16T04:30:00.000-07:00

I was quite inspired to make some pearl rings after I recently sold some on my store. The first I made is a 18K gold ring. I like gold, but it is really tough working it. Long before I started working with gold, I always thought gold is soft. Well, I was wrong. Pure gold is soft, but 18K and 14K is hard, really hard. I always have to anneal the ring several times if I am hand forging it.

The gold ring is made from a piece of 2mm thick gold wire. With the way prices of gold are heading nowadays, I wonder how much longer I can afford the luxury of working with it. Let's keep our fingers crossed.....

Lily Pearl Ring
I was at a local park last week and saw some of the most beautiful water lilies in a large pond. I decided to make a ring of it. I made the pad from a silver disc, one that has been domed sawed and pounded away with two different types of hammer. The ring shank is made of a single piece of 16 ga wire.

Quite proud of my work this week. Let's see what inspires me next week.

Prehnite Ring

2010-04-29T00:03:00.000-07:00

I made a new ring yesterday. It features a beautiful winter lime green colored prehnite cabochon.

This ring is available for purchase at the following link:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/45812955/prehnite-ring

Candies ...... Anyone?

2010-04-24T03:57:00.001-07:00

Don't they look like candies? I just acquired a parcel of sapphire cabochons. They look gorgeous, don't they?

New Items

2010-04-12T04:35:00.000-07:00

I made some new items over the weekend. Well, not exactly entirely handmade by myself. I got some rings my friend cast in his studio. They were some old rings that were lying in the corner, so he made molds and cast them. I was fortunate to have visited him last week and got a few items from him.

Though I did not hand make the items, I spent considerable time polishing them and setting the stones onto the ring. I think they look quite good. What do you think?

Peridot Ring

2010-03-26T19:53:00.000-07:00

I love peridots. For some strange reasons, I have a soft spot for peridots. And because of that, I have actually bought quite a lot of peridots for my collection.

I made a ring from my latest acquisition. My suppliers brought me, amongst other gemstones, a parcel of really beautifully cut peridot cabochons.

And from this parcel came about this ring:

This ring is available in my Etsy store:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43584091

The Birth of a New Ring

2010-03-20T23:47:00.000-07:00

I am finally updating my blog after such a long time. The following are a series of pictures which shows the steps it took to make my newest ring.

The item list:
1) Gemstone: Carnelian Cabochon
2) Scalloped Bezel Wire
3) Silver Disc
4) Round Silver Wire (2mm)

The scalloped bezel wire is formed and soldered. The base of the bezel has to be filed so that it sits perfectly level against the silver disc. The bezel is then soldered to the disc. The edges are sawed off and edges are filled even.

With the bezel formed, the next task is to form the ring shank. As I had decided to make a patterned shank, the round metal wire has to be annealed first......

......before it is rolled through the rolling mill........

..........to get the pattern transferred onto the silver wire.

The rolled wire is then annealed before it is formed on a mandrel into a ring.

The ring is soldered.

It is then put into a solid mandrel and formed again. I use a rawhide mallet at this stage of the process to prevent leaving marks on the ring.

The ring is positioned carefully onto the bezel cup and held with a third arm. Flux and solder is placed onto the joint.

Solder.

Finally, the ring is taking shape.

A final fitting.

Thank goodness the stone fits perfectly well.

It is then pickled in a warm alum solution to remove the oxidation. After this, the ring is polished and tumbled.

The stone is being set. I use a rolling bezel pusher and an agate burnisher for the job. The ring is polished again and buffed.

The completed ring.

The ring is on sale in my store at Etsy.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=43157960

New items

2008-06-21T00:51:00.001-07:00

The rose ring has been a pretty much best seller everywhere - I decided to add a pair of stud earrings to the rose collection

More New Items and an Experimental Background

2008-06-12T03:23:00.000-07:00

"Aah aahh aaaahh owww oooohhh"

Three's Never a Crowd

Enjoy!

New Item Bonaza!

2008-06-05T22:44:00.000-07:00

I've been in a creative mood recently, and made a couple of things

and more to come!

New Items

2008-03-05T19:04:00.000-08:00

The Passmentarie Band

2008-01-06T01:26:00.000-08:00

The term passementerie refers to narrow trimmings applied as borders on clothing and furnishings. Trimmings could be functional – e.g., to strengthen buttonholes – but they were also ornamental. Braid on the outside of trousers, for example, made the legs appear longer. Fundamentally, however, passementerie emerged as a signifier of rank within the military and, therefore, a signifier of power. In fact, the military uniform was integral to the aesthetic formation of the masculine image. Stiff wool and crisply tailored uniforms reinforced an erect posture, while gold embroidery accentuated a broad chest and long, powerful legs.

The patterns on this wire reminds me exactly of this.

I've Been In a Ring Mood Lately

2008-01-04T05:10:00.000-08:00

I've been in a ring mood lately and today, I just went nuts and did nothing but rings. I'm quite pleased with the results, especially with the 14k gold rings. I think I will make more of these.. rings are very addictive to make..