ring -a -ring -a roses...

I love rings! And have a very-almost enviable personal collection of some 40 odd silver rings.


Sharing pictures of some rings, not all, that I made with a very generous heart (a complete lie!!) to sell...


Silver.....

with amethyst

with spice topaz

guy ring - made for my boyfriend that time

with citrine

Stones and silver.....

amethyst shivlinga

cz topaz onyx

onyxes

 Silver gold plated.....

with (now extinct) rice pearls and baroque pearl

with peridots

inspired by lotus - love the shank!

inspired by lotus - shank of this one is the shape of the top of the above ring

had to! had to! add these.....

Got any interesting silver rings you love?! If you share yours... I'll share them here along with my personal ones... mail me!


happy finger-ring!

industrial design.... exploring on

I started the other way around. Put the final products in the 1st post, trials in the 2nd and the ones I love the most... explorations and experiments... for this one! 


As soon as I got my brief, I reached Amrapali's export factory called 'Rajiv Arora'. Later they opened up another factory right besides the export one and its called 'Amrapali'. This one is for the local market's production. But nothing beats the charm of 'Rajiv Arora' factory! 

the 'un-holed' ball

Although I had worked briefly with silver and other metals before then, at the institute, this was completely new! There were 3 girls in the design department. They kept on telling me things... possibilities and the impossibles. The first thing thrown at me was... You cant make complete ball of silver! It may burst... so you have to puncture it and the go about your work. Now that was a challenge for me... and the result was the piece in the picture above. Holes were made later and stones were set into it. But there was an 'un-holed' ball 1st!

the jaali ball

Next statement was... You can never set stones before the soldering! It always has to be after. This one required some thinking and some bit of researching about properties of various stones. The result was a jaali ball with a stone inside it (picture above).

golf-ish ball

As I started playing with stones and silver, I was told... To set 2mm stones (in flush setting) the silver sheet has to be of at least 21-22 gauge. No less will do. The tone of 2 gurls in particular was challenging in an unfathomable way or so I thought. For the rest of it I'll say, I always have been the questioning kinds. I feel very strongly that... every-bloody-problem has a loophole! I explored stamping around the same time. And the result (answer) was 23 gauge silver sheet with 2mm stones in flush setting (with stamps behind the stones)... This idea is brilliantly relevant today! thanks to the soaring silver prices. Its 51.50/- INR per gram as I type.

silver coin with copper stamps (and the black marks)

My first brush with stamping (picture above). They dint poke me after that or maybe I was too excited about newness around to notice. I felt like a little girl (with a sweet tooth... that I really have!) left alone in a candy store...

Tried to make the above piece look as if the stone was tearing up on to the surface. Failed miserably at that! But I created this crushed foil like texture with my own hands and soldered it on to another thin flat sheet for strength. So no casting or repousse was employed. 

pendant - settings etc.

double sided pendant - exploring curves

ring - gold plated copper inlayed (not really)/ tricked in to silver

double finger ring

Fished out this stone during a market visit that time. Freaked out at the brightness of pink. Many of these were made by me... not all the way to the end but a lot of processes. I fell in love with these pieces so much that I offered them to keep my remuneration and let me take these pieces back. They took it. And a 'Happy Ending' it was...

industrial training.... in black & white

a set of 2 triangular silver condiment dishes

As a student my industrial training happened at Amrapali Jewels of Jaipur. Those who know about it, would agree it is the Mecca of Indian jewellery. Year after year they belt out perfect pieces favoured by stylish people world over. And yes! I was fortunate enough to train with them.

silver condiment dish from the 'droplets' series

 

photo frame from the 'droplets' series

When I went there I was not sure what was going to emerge or what would I discover. And I am glad and lucky I was there......... would be the understatement of my entire life!

another silver condiment dish from the 'droplets' series

a tiny photo frame with sandblasted technique from the 'droplets' series

 

My brief for those 6 weeks, from my institute, was to just explore and learn. And from the company was to make gift articles in sterling silver that would easily fit in my hand. And I have small hands! 16cms in length to be precise.

ashtray inverted

 

silver ashtray from the 'droplets' series

 

This post would become too too large with way too many pictures if I added all my explorations and my products in one go. So I have decided to break it up... maybe in 3 posts to keep it clean and exciting.

close up of the sandblasted photo frame

Decided to end with a dash of color. Promise to be back with some very exciting things...

Have a birthday party to attend!

Off the hook..... and posts

CN 4

How many of you dislike the hooks attached on top of every possible earring made by man? Dont they look morbid? I think they do. There are two options... hooks (u-shaped wires) or a post (the straight stem like tiny rod with a screw). These days even gold posts come with snap fit screws, so no threading and twisting is required. Dropping and searching time still does not get saved!

CN84

CN26

CN 14

There was a time I dint design or make silver jewellery. I bought. But my heart was set against them. It looked to me as though these hooks and posts were mass produced and put on top/behind every earring made on Earth!

CN 107

CN 12

CY 10

Posts were especially a pain! Have funny nose squirming memories. Every morning I had to walk half a kilometer to get to my school bus. I was perpetually running late. So I would shove my tiny earrings (with post and snap fit screws!), my rings and my watch in my skirt pocket and run out of the house. Tried to put on every thing before boarding the bus. AND.... almost every other day, I use to drop my earrings' screw! I searched mud each time with the bus right ahead and many exasperated heads hanging out! Bothersome yaadein!

CN42

CY 28

CR 28

So when I started designing I decided to try and do off with these hooks or posts in as many designs as possible. I extended the design in such a way that the hooks would be incorporated in it and the piece could simple be slipped on.

CN 50

CN3

CR 4

I would not say they all look sad. Sometimes they best compliment a design too. But I felt deprived that time. I have never liked compromising! And for my wardrobe or home...... never ever!

CN17

Made a few in the beginning and dint stop.

CR 20

 Incline towards them still...

tactile textures...

snake chain texture pendant

I fell in love with precious metals while I was learning all about them. The numberless textures that can be done over them amaze me further. The look and feel of each one is prodigious. Those all who love metals will exactly know what I am saying.

punch tool texture - CY 2

crinkled texture - CM 4

As students we were meticulously taught the difference between a texture and a pattern. However, the difference between a texture and a finish... was left for us to decipher. I am sure my friends from college will read this and smile.

pinched wire texture - CN 47

planned hammered texture - CN 66

Commonly, textures are created by employing dapping, hammering, pinching, scratching, crushing, by using textured rolling plates, etc. But  anything that can be scribbled on paper, can be transposed as a texture onto silver. Feel guilty while saying that I have not been very experimental with textures. But I have tried a few... and still keep getting mesmerized!

random hammering - CN 95

Do you love textures?