Making Rings

I am at the inlay stage of making some one-of-a-kind rings for Bellevue Fine Arts Arts Fair later this month, and I took the opportunity to film some of the process so you can see many of the steps that go into just making the frames, before inlaying the micro-mosaics. Let me know if this is of interest. Did you learn anything new about my process?

In this video you will see the sterling silver parts all lined up for the rings, I didn't film the soldering because you've seen that part before...but the polishing steps are in there, greatly condensed. I start with a jeweler's saw, then files, then sandpaper starting at 200 grit, then 400 grit to help smooth out the file marks before moving over to my polishing lathe. On the lathe I use dry abrasive wheels that start at 80 grit and progressively get finer, down to one micron. I do not have running water in my workspace so I have found these wheels work well for me, better than the grease-based polishing compounds that require careful and thorough washing between steps. 

So now the inlay begins....

These will be available in Bellevue, WA for the Arts Fair July 28-30.

Getting closer to the finish: