Of Balls, Rings, Sounds and Optical Illusions.

I carved this ring out of Ferris purple wax.
Sometimes, when the ‘master pattern’ is complicated, I make a silicone mould out of the wax.
Just in case I screw the cast up. Which happens more that I would like to admit to my mummy.
But this one was biff- bam, thank you ma’am.
OK, not really, but it was not really difficult to carve, so I took a chance and cast it straight into gold. Hans kans ( chance, in Afrikaans ) they call me.

Came out nice.
This is my best gold ball laminated stone I have cut and made, set in a one-off ring.
I really like this type of work because it is on the edge and you not finding it in Walmart or Joe Pogenpoel Jewellers in Lynnwood Road in Pretoria. ( I swear, that’s a real name)
The ring has movement because of the ball, but it also has sound.
It you shake the ring the little ball makes a clicking sound.
How cool is that? Did I ever think of that?

This one also makes a sound.
This one was far more difficult to make.

Firstly, I made a white gold cup that I polished to resemble a reflector. ( the bottom part)
Like one of those solar reflectors that they heat water with in the Californian dessert.
Like that.
Then I set the stone with a thin band of gold so that the entire pavilion was still exposed.
Right in the focus where the water is boiled.

And then, because the pavilion still shows the ball from the bottom, it is reflected up past the stone, looking like dozens little trembling gold balls around the center trembling four balls, which are/is only one ball.
Bang! Done.
A ring that has gold, movement, sound and an optical illusion.
Beat that, junior. (G)