The making of the Bend over
MANY OF OUR RINGS ARE MADE TO ORDER BY OUR GOLDSMITHS IN OUR ATELIER IN STOCKHOLM. FOLLOW THE JOURNEY TO A REAL DREAM RING – THE CREATION OF THE ICONIC COCKTAIL RING BEND OVER.
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- The making of the Bend over
“Bend over and you might get it” – Efva Attling
Statement rings decorated with diamonds or gemstones (or both) must be the ultimate power symbol. One version of this power symbol is found in our Bend over collection. A colourful collection with a number of rings with a larger gemstone and a band covered in diamonds, curved over the gemstone.
The collection, with its unique design and cocky name, has brought a lot of attention. Efva mainly chose the name to connect the characteristic band that is bent over the gemstone. But as with many other of Efva’s collections, this name also opens up for different interpretations that the wearer may formulate herself. This way, a personal relationship to the piece of jewellery is created by the wearer.
The cocktail rings from the collection are made to order by our goldsmiths in our atelier in Stockholm. Join us in the atelier where our goldsmiths guide us through the production of one of our most popular pieces – a Bend over ring - aquamarine in white gold.
Inside the atelier, the light flows through large windows and it’s fascinating seeing all the tools and machines in real life. The first step when making a ring is to create the shank, which you could say is the ring itself. In a so-called rolling mill, the metal is changed to the correct dimensions, which are usually a bit larger than the final dimension in order to be able to file and grind the ring later on. The goldsmith makes the ring straight by softening and heating it, and then smooths it out with a hammer. Then, one end is sawn off and filed to get a straight side. The piece of metal is measured out to get the size of the ring, which in this case should be 17,5 mm. Then the responsibility mark and signature are stamped on the metal.
To get the piece of metal into a ring, the goldsmith uses a pair of pliers to bend from both sides and then use a hammer until the ends come together. The joint is then sawn and soldered together. The ring is then threaded on a ring mandrel and gets hammered until its round with the help of a plastic hammer.
Now the ring gets filed to get as close to the final dimension as possible. It gets measured and may need to be pressed out on a ring stretcher to get to the exact size. This particular ring has a so-called Bezel setting, and by now making a position in the shank, the head later on can be attached where the gemstone is to be placed. The goldsmith then drills two holes in the shank, in order to be able to attach the band filled with diamonds further on.
Now it’s time to attach the head to the shank, which is done by soldering. Soldering is truly an art, which requires a lot of practice and precision. When the head is attached, it’s time for the aquamarine to be placed. The goldsmith carefully hammers the small metal pieces on the side of the head, called prong, over the gemstone until it’s fixed.
In our pieces of jewellery with gemstones, there are different types of cuts, and for the Bend Over rings, the gem is cut in one of the more popular styles – emerald cut. This type of cut doesn’t sparkle in the same way as in a brilliant-cut for example, but it often has a more dramatic reflection of the light. The beautiful blue colour in the gemstone comes from iron and becomes durable by heating it up to around 400 degrees Celsius. Many people believe that gemstones, depending on the colour, contain certain types of energies and possess different messages that have been used for decades for healing and magical purposes. It is said that aquamarine strengthens
The band that is to be placed over the gemstone is shaped after the large stone. But before the band is to be fitted over the gem, 16 brilliant-cut diamonds must be set in the band. In order for the diamonds to end up evenly, the goldsmith measures out where the diamonds should be placed. Then the positions are drilled, the diamonds get set and the metal is folded and pressed over the edges of the stone.
Now it’s time for the most difficult part of the whole process, namely to fit the band so that it lies nicely against the large gemstone. On each side of the band there are two pins. The band is placed over the large stone so that the pins go through the holes that were earlier drilled in the shank. The pins are then attached to the inside of the shank. Before the ring is sent out to the customer, it’s polished and washed in an ultrasonic cleaner. Since this particular ring is in white gold, the last step is rhodium plating to get the nice white surface. Now the ring is ready to be wrapped and sent out to its lucky owner.
The Bend over collection
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“Bend over and you might get it.” - EFVA ATTLING
Everything you want to know about gemstones
Trendy topaz in blue, elegant brown smokey quartz, powerful purple amethyst, spotless white agate, lovable blue aquamarine and magnificent morganite in pink. Gemstones are really eye-catching and attract attention. We have many collections and pieces of jewellery with different types of beautiful gemstones in several colours. What do you know about these beautiful stones?
