Making a custom guard ring

Jewelry Discussion
1

I would like to start a new discussion thread on the topic of custom
designing a guard ring for a diamond solitaire which has a shank
with more design “flow” or “curve” to it than the typical straight
shank ring. Anyone have any tips or tricks for designing the guard
ring to conform to the solitaire?

TIA for all responses
TIA for all ideas

2

Mike, I usually use my ring mandrel that I heat up with my torch
(warm to the touch), with the ring on and build up wax around the
mandrel and the ring. A little powder on the mandrel will keep the
wax from sticking. Once the wax is built up to what I need, I can
start to carve the design that I want. If you want to keep all 3
pieces together while you are working you can bridge them together
from the inside after you take them off the mandrel. This seems to
work pretty good for most guards that I do.

Best of luck
Bill Wismar
www.wismargallery.com

3 
  I would like to start a new discussion thread on the topic of
custom designing a guard ring for a diamond solitaire which has a
shank with more design "flow" or "curve" to it than the typical
straight shank ring. Anyone have any tips or tricks for designing
the guard ring to conform to the solitaire?

I wrap my mandrel with a strip of paper, slip the engagement ring
over it, and trace the outline of the ring (all the way around it)
with a .5 mm mechanical drawing pencil. Slip ring off, unroll paper
from mandrel, and there’s your contour line.

Hope this helped…
Jeff Regan, @ReganJewelry

4

Hi Mike,

I hog out the wax to the same size at the existing ring then place
it on a mandrel, then I heat the ring up a little with a gentle
flame and butt it up against the wax for a perfect fit, then finish
carving the wax.

Marta in HOT Sacramento