A friend of mine would like me to make her a sapphire baguette ring. I’m game to give it a go but can’t seem to find where to begin. Do you purchase a cast ring or do you fabricate? She is a size 5. I saw how to set baguettes on this forum but not how to create a ring. Direction on where to begin please?
Hi Susan
I have baguette-setting information all written in an essay. Kindly write
to me ‘off-line’ about this very easy procedure. I’m going to Ohio on a
teaching-setting trip, so please get back to me a.s.a.p. Hope that essay
helps you and others…:>)
Gerry Lewy
You could do either or both, depends on the design and your skills. Start with a sketch and work through the process of building it in your mind. Look at what is available in findings and mountings. Can you buy the heads in the size you need and put them on an available shank? Do you need to fabricate pieces to fit special stones? There a hundred questions to ask yourself and your friend before you start.
Hi,
May I ask a few questions, please? What style of ring are you two thinking of creating? Would it have a larger, central sapphire in a prong setting, with diamond baguettes set into the shank shoulders? Or are you thinking more along the lines of an eternity band with sapphire baguettes going all the way around? Or would it be the style that has just a few sapphire baguettes (perhaps three) set into the top of a band style ring?
I might suggest looking into what size baguettes are available…and what sizes your friend prefers…and if they are available in calibrated sizes…(or if your friend will be supplying stones she already has?) as you will want to have an idea of the stone sizes you can get your hands on, and design the measurements of the ring accordingly so that the stones fit?
Julie
Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for your questions. From what she described she is looking for a traditional baguette ring with the stone then a little (in this case silver) then the next stone all the way around the ring. She doesn’t have the stones so those would need to be purchased (if you have someone you recommend that would be great too). It sounded like what she described was a little wider but a 5 is pretty small so all of that needs to be determined. Right now I am trying to determine if I can make the ring and how to do it before I commit. I’m confident if I work through how to make it, I can do it.
Many thanks for your questions!
Susan
Thanks Gerry! I’m going to take a look this weekend at what you have sent.
Thank you WadeDesign,
I will work on a sketch but I could do a channel set on the top and fill in on the bottom but she really wants the stones all the way around with (silver in this case) in between each stone. A pretty basic design.
Another contributor sent instructions for a baguette setting so I will review that but any suggestions are welcome.
Many thanks!
Susan
So what she wants is a sapphire baguette eternity band in silver. This would be best done as a wax carving and cast. This is a lot of work to put into a ring that is going to be made of silver instead of white gold. And I would advise against leaving metal between the stones. It will look much better if the stones sit edge to edge all the way around. If you are going to do it in silver I would suggest you buy synthetic sapphire baguettes. You will need to determine the circumference of the ring and divide that by the width of the baguettes you want to use. You need to order them from someplace that can match them for you. Stuller is a little pricey but they can do that for you.
Julie- I don’t want to be too discouraging…'but I m going to step in
here and say that I agree with John Wade. This is a very advanced project
that will take many hours of labor to do. Tim and I are pretty adept at
this sort of thing and it’s very time consuming even for us. We’d charge
probably between $1000.00- $2000.00 just for labor only. No stones or
metals included.
Also I’ve spent much of my career talking folks out of eternity bands.
Especially in silver which would not hold up to every day wear. The stones
on the bottom get really banged up and and broken. Baguettes are
notoriously fragile as well. If the ring is distorted at all stones will
start to fall out. They cannot be sized at all without performing major
surgery. I generally talk my clients that want that look into what we call
a half eternity ring. Just stones visible from the top with a solid shank
below.
John is also correct that the stones in traditional eternity rings are
girdle to girdle with no metal showing. So if you lay out your stones on
your ring and they are girdle to girdle before setting, by the time you
seat and set the stones the diameter has been reduced and the stones will
be too crowded and the girdles will touch thus increasing that they will
chip each other in setting. So they have to be laid out wth a tiny bit of
space between them. That space is determined by what size the ring and
stones are and how deeply they will be set.
If you want space between the stones I’d recommend bead setting them.
To show you the difference between the two styles of setting I have
attached two photos of a channel set eternity ring and a bead set ring.
Both in silver that were done by a very talented student of ours Allison
Daggett. Note how heavy the eternity band is. It has to be to be stable.
That said this ring was done for class practice only. Not meant to be worn
every day. We’re pretty proud of her ajour work underneath too. She also
did the second ring which is bead set. Both rings were done with synthetic
stones and czs. Mind you all that this was her student work. We have great
hopes that Allison will become a contract setter to the trade. She’s that
good. We’re getting too old for this stuff and need young folks to take up
the mantle.
Have fun and make lots of jewelry.
-Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com
Hi Jo,
Thanks so much for your input. Just to give everyone a little background it was a ring that she had (sapphire and sterling silver) similar to the below but with sapphires that she lost. My preference would be to have it solid with the baguettes set like you said for the very reasons you mentioned. Did I mention I was loading my luggage on an airplane in the overhead and smashed my wedding ring that had a baguette (just on the side of the diamonds) and bent the platinum? Below is a sample of what I think she is talking about. More discussion and thanks for your thoughtful responses.These are not my work but something I found online from another designer.
Thanks for the image. To be frank that ring will not last til the water
gets hot. Really. I’d suggest a re design.
Sometimes saying “No” is the best for every one involved. Both you and the
customer. Trust me once you build and sell something like this you are
married to it for the rest of your life.
-Jo Haemer
www.timothywgreen.com
Adding to everything Jo said… finding well cut, calibrated sapphires that are also an exact color match? Whew… not an easy find. You will be spending a considerable amount on the stones so, if your client is thinking the sterling will save her money, two points: 1. replacing the stones as they fall out because sterling is too soft will be an additional major headache; 2. The metal cost is nominal compared to labor and stones so I don’t think that is a logical or effective way too keep costs down. Jo’s suggestion of a half-way addresses many troublesome aspects of this project.
Finally, I wouldn’t and never do quote gem projects until I have stones in hand. There are so many variables; the cost range so broad - I show the client options so they can decide which one they love and they decide the budget with which they feel comfortable now seeing the stone variables.
Cameron
Cameron and Jo,
Thanks for your input. Jo, your student’s work is lovely. I’m sure she has a promising future.
Cameron, thanks for the input on the sterling. Cost was not the issue with this person, it is more she would like to have a ring made as the one she lost. A past beau had made her a ring in sterling with sapphires. She asked if I could recreate it for her. It sounds like the project is impossible for even the most accomplished jeweler so stepping away sounds like the best solution. Thanks to all of of you for your time.
All the best,
Susan
Hi,
Hope I have something to add here.
(All in my opinion…)
Baguette rings are a challenge to be sure. But doable.
First, the math.
You’ve got to have it all to start, seems logical, but without the stones in hand you’ll likely have unseen issues.
Silver is a poor choice for a baguette ring, unless the caveat “wear with care” i in place.
It just doesn’t have the structural integrity needed when supporting thin elongated stones.
As to stones, I highly recommend Shanu gems in NY. Pramod, the owner, has been an AGTA board member and has a deep relationship with the big “T” company with blue boxes…
His stones are color and dimensionally accurate and prices are very reasonable…
As a teaching tool, doing a baguette ring is a great feat to accomplish.
As an income earner… in silver… not so hot for a first project.
I’m enclosing a link (or maybe the video will pop up, still figuring the site mechanics out…)
I wish you well, and am glad you put your design queries out to your community.
The ring below is platinum, and a real challenge , but, all the principals apply.
Best,
Jim
1 Like
Hello Jim.
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful video!
(and I have just subscribed to your YouTube channel)
Julie
If the ring 1 row looks that with a bar in-between each it’s not that
tough. When you say baguette ring to most jewelers it conjures up images of
curves with channel set baguettes of multiple sizes and shapes. The bar
set is much easier than those. Get a couple or make a couple little bar
settings, solder them to a piece of stock and try setting some. Sapps are
tough so that’s good. Seating is the hardest part.
Hi Jim,
Really nice work, both jewellery and art objects.
Your method of making a baguette ring certainly beats piercing the darn thing out!
One question about the ring.
Did you solder the little ‘U’ bars across the ring in with the diamonds in place or did you set the diamonds afterwards?
Or did you use a laser?
Either way you are an excellent setter.
That ring is seven levels of neat.
Beautiful work indeed.
Cheers,
Hans Meevis
Hi Gerry
Is there any chance you could email me a copy as well? Any chance you are coming to the UK to do an advanced stone setting workshop?
-Rachel
Hi Jim,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful answer and some great input. Thank you for the source for stones too.
Sorry I gave the impression that this would be a first project. It’s not like a friend said, “Hey, can you make me a ring?” and I said, “Heck, yeah”. I attended Parsons and had planned on going into fashion or illustration and went for the safe bet of communications design. I’ve shifted to marketing about 15 years ago and picked up jewelry and metal work about 10 years ago because I missed tangibly creating. I didn’t want to paint or draw because there were expectations. I wanted something that I had never tried so there were no expectations of being “good”. I love working in metals and stones and I love the zen of being in the moment. I started selling my work a few years ago to defray the costs and to help with classes and equipment. I’ve done bezels and basket settings, flush settings, and different techniques over the years and the person who wants me to make the ring has actually purchased a ring from me and we have known each other for close to 40 years. I realize it would be a stretch but you don’t grow unless you take on challenges right?
Fantastic video and and absolutely shows construct an eternity ring. Your work is amazing and I greatly appreciate you time and thoughtful answer.
Many thanks,
Susan