Less is more....... most of the time for some things
11th October 2023 - Customer location: Cairns
1.6mm wide twisted wire wedding irng.
Less is more for many of my customers with the fine designs they desire. However as things get finer in metal they get weaker, this is an undeniable reality that jewellers have to deal with in order to create a piece that will last the test of time as best as possible.
This twisted wire wedding ring is just 1.6mm wide. The owner loves the fine look but the trouble with going this fine is that the ring can become weak overall and especially in the groves of the wire where it is even thinner.
So how can we create this ring with the same look from the top and sides but add strength to it?
Solid internal form of the ring.
The solution was to wrap the wire around a solid base that forms the inside for the ring. Not visible once on it adds strength and also makes it sit on the finger more comfortably than if it was the same twisted wire form inside. Harder to make but much stronger.
It is my job to inform customers when I feel a design will not suit their lifestyle or is simply not structurally sound. You can design anything but unless you have an understanding of metal strength and the customers life style you may be designing something that will break.
I see this a lot with jewellery designed by people who are not jewellers by trade. I also often hear the owners of those pieces, after they break, comment that they were never told of the risk of failure when the design they desired met their lifestyle.