Cassette tape engagement ring..

pretty romantic huh?
a design so beautifully thoughtful that the whole time i was making this ring i was filled with joy for the 2 of them! I won't reveal all of his plans but the cassette tape idea was something that Ryan approached me with months & months before he was going to propose to Sharni & it was such a beautifully reasoned & personal design that i loved every minute of making it!
I took some photos along the way so if you're interested in seeing how it was made, here it is :)

very thick silver plate, heavier than what i need so that by the time it's carved & polished it will still be quite deep

i didn't have a cassette tape! so borrowed one from the very talented jeweller, Anna Varendorff (who, coincidentally, is having an exhibition in Brisbane at 'Ari Jewellery' which opens tonight!) The prop also doubled as our soundtrack after i'd measured it.

planning the details..what to include & what to leave out?

ready to solder the wide base pieces

base has been soldered, now scoring lines

soldering tiny side 'wings' - they are the guides that position the tape into the machine. Only after these were soldered on did it look like a proper tape! funny how the smallest things matter..

i used the thick wire to make the settings for the diamonds

soldering settings
ring shank ready to solder

ready for diamonds to be set

ring in hand clamp (clamp makes it much easier to hold the ring during setting)

finished silver & diamond ring!
congratulations Ryan & Sharni!