The Red Neptune

Last year a friend of mine requested a ring for his girlfriend. He liked the Neptune but wanted a thinner version of it with a red stone: her favorite color.

Here it is: The Red Neptune.

 

The stone is a beautiful ruby, of intense color and a very nice cut.

 

The Neptune is inspired in the corals of the picture: the holes, soft borders and texture. 

The stone makes me think of a submarine seed.

The first step to create a ring like this is to carve it out of a wax block using special files. Carving is something that I enjoy very much. It's like making a small sculpture. Then comes the moment to submerge the wax model in plaster and wait for it to dry. After that, the wax must be melted. This technique is called "lost wax" because there's no way back, you only have one chance. If the plaster mold turns out defective or the metal that is poured in the hole left by the wax has bubbles, you are lost!.

I don't have the required equipment to make this casting procedure, besides, it's so messy and demanding that you need years to master it properly. I prefer to leave it to the specialists. When the casting is ready I get the model in silver and give it the final form and texture.

While working on this ring I learned that it's necessary to count with the best team of specialists there is to get the results I strive for. It's no use to make fine wax carvings if  I can't rely on a good casting specialist or  a good stone setter.

In Bogota, after years of trial and error, I found my dream team:  a great casting specialist, even if he takes his time, and a fantastic stone setter who works impeccably  and understands the spirit of my designs. I haven't found that kind of team here, therefore I can't be quite sure how long is it going to take finishing a piece and I suffer a lot  every time I have to try the work of a new stone setter. Sometimes the language and the differences in the culture of work constitute an obstacle for me. But, I'm learning.

In spite of the delays, the corrections and the heavy snow that kept this ring at a post office somewhere between Germany and Spain for too many days, The Red Neptune arrived to her owner.