Ring with Sterling Silver Bezel Set Stone

 For Christmas my husband bought me a sterling silver soldering kit.  It came with a book and all the basic soldering supplies to get started.  This is something I have wanted to learn to do for a long time.  To say that I love jewelry would be a huge understatement...

I started reading through the book and working up a list of sterling I thought I might need to buy to get started. 

 Then I decided to go through my own jewelry and see if I could repurpose some things I had.   I wasn't sure how it would go and I didn't want to spend alot and end up needing to scrap it.  

The band was a plain sterling band I've had forever.  So I cut it down the front center, opened it up and then cut each side open to create the prongs.  The flat piece of sterling for the base was also a large ring I had bought that I cut loose and hammered flat.

The red "stone" is resin I think.  I loved the color but the ring itself was just a cheap metal.  I cut it out with my jewelry saw.  The bezel wire that goes around the stone I had to buy. It's fine sterling and it's very thin and soft.

 The sizing is something I'm trying to figure out.  Especially with larger rings, but this one fits me how I hoped it would.

 My husband spent the day with me helping me get everything set up -- It was our Valentine's date.

I have to say it wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be.  Flux, solder, pickle ---it sounds intimidating.  But it all made sense once I started actually doing it.

 It is so cool that you can take pieces of metal and create this...and it is strong once it has been soldered.  Watching it melt down and become one piece then filing it into shape....

Burnishing the bezel itself is also fascinating, watching the metal just crimp down and then smooth out and polish like this...

A whole new way to create, take ideas and watch them come to life...