3 Stone Ring Proceedure

Ring Shank - A turned wax blank is a quick and accurate starting point providing both size and cross-section. I have chosen a "knife edge" cross-section to lighten the otherwise wide ring appearance.

Head - Block out a piece of wax for the diamonds. Beginning with a perfect rectangle you can scribe a grid work of reference lines on the top. Shape the bottom to correspond to the finger size of 4 1/2. (Allow enough thickness for a saw blade when separating top and bottom bezels.) Trim wax exactly to the diamonds dimensions. Then taper slightly all dimensions to where the center on the ring would be. Saw and file the openings for each stone. Saw and separate top from bottom. The taper on this opening or airline gallery will contribute greatly to the need for finesse on this ring. Cast all 3 parts into platinum.

Prepare enough metal for the entire prong system by pulling round wire through draw plate to desired mm thickness:
1.2 mm for center stone
0.7 mm for trillions at center
0.5 mm for trillions at shank

Tack the upper and lower bezels together. Determine angle of prongs. File seats for prongs. Solder prongs into position beginning at the center. Before installing the end prongs fix head to shank, registering one to the other exactly. This is particularly important for platinum soldering. At this juncture file, rubber wheel and pre - polish all of your parts. A good draw plate will leave a polished surface on the prong wire. Now, solder both parts together. Situate and solder the remaining 4 end prongs. For aesthetics, I have filed what I call a "transitional taper" on the shoulders of this ring to help blend the diamond layout into the ring shank. The addition of a small bead aids in this transition but also adds protection to the points of the trillions. Remove any scratches, rubber wheel, then final pr -polish. This ring is now ready for setting.