Visited the Diamond Valley Gem Fair over the weekend!!

Rock Heaven!!

Admittedly, this is one of my favourite things about going to these fairs, the scones and cream and homemade jam

Sometimes you just have a bad day in the studio, one where you make more work for yourself...

 I almost got the sample to the point where it was ready to mould!!!

 And then disaster struck, two wrong moves with the file and two of the setting arms came off, utterly devastated!!

Back to square one!! Oh well, i vow to make it better this time

 Me, a piece of sterling silver wire, a blow torch and a tourmaline.....

(and my messy workbench!)

I'm basing the design and setting of the ring on the natural shape that the tourmaline grows in and also the finished step cut of the stone.

 Here's the finished Mock up/test piece/notes

 The tourmaline stretches across the finger, so you cant see the setting from directly above, only the stone.

I spent a glorious afternoon making more little samples to send in to be fired!

A few years ago i discovered a whole heap of pigments, glazes and oxides in my grandfathers shed, so I'm feeling inspired to have a little experiment with them and some porcelain, It will be interesting to see how the colours come out after firing......