Monday, April 20, 2015

Struggling with rings

One of the things I really struggled with when it comes to jewellery making was rings. Unless you make an adjustable ring (which I have not got my head around yet) size really dose matter.
One of the first soldered rings I made
The first few rings I made I measured them on a wooden spoon that were 'more or less' the same size as my finger!
My next few rings were made on a blank ring mandrel that I got for Christmas, not in any set sizes, as they were not meant for anyone particular so the size did not really matter, I was just getting to grips with the making part.
Ring made from Jen Cameron lampwork headpin
Did you know that here in the UK they measure Ring sizes by letters of the alphabet ranging from A to Z with half sizes in between, where as in the USA they are measured in numbers, also we measure wire thickness in mm not gauges? So when I started thinking about calculating the length of wire I would need to make a ring in a specific size, taking into consideration the thickness of the wire I would be using it was enough to make my head spin and with the way that I tend to procrastinate over things that was almost enough to put me off making more.
Stacker ring made from Jen Cameron lampwork headpin
I used to be good at mathematics way back at school but that was a very long time ago and now due to over use of technology my brain has got rather lazy, So I was very glad when I stumbled upon this wonderful chart from Art Jewelry Magazine that puts it very simply so that even my fried brain can understand.
Armed with this new information and a ring sizing stick (Because a numberless ring mandrel is rather useless in my hands) I am now on a mission to conquer rings....

Rings in progress
I hope this chart helps someone else as much as it has helped me, and soon I should have lots of rings to show for my persistence! Happy creating!




5 comments :

  1. I did not know how ring sizes are measured in UK. Interesting!

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  2. Thanks for the link for the ring size chart! I stopped making rings to sell as I struggle a bit with sizing too. There seem to be so many different ways to work out the length of the band and none of them were very accurate for me. I tend to just make rings for myself now :D

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  3. I love the way you are constantly growing and learning. Jen's glass looks fantastic in your rings.

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  4. Your rings are so lovely,great job !

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  5. Thank you Niky for the ring size chart link! I printed it out and will keep it in my studio. I struggle with making rings as well, either they turn out too big or too small. Your rings are beautiful!

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