Purchase one of our Delicate Twig Wrap Ring Jewelry Components Blanks:
These blanks are unfinished. You can finish them anyway you desire. This tutorial will show you Metal Maven's process for finishing and forming these rings.
This is a close up photo of what the piece will look like when you receive your blank. There will be some dark carbon on the edges and slightly discolored areas on the surfaces that is easily removed with fine grit sandpaper or a Jool Tool.
Add Patina:
Metal Maven used Gosiba patina to darken the engraved areas on the twig. You can use any patina you wish to darken those areas.
Metal Maven Tip:
When using Gosiba on these rings I used a small paint brush to apply the patina and then rinsed immediately with water. Doing this allows you to add patina to certain areas without getting any on the back. This also conserves the amount the Gosiba you use, and you won't be wasting it by pouring a larger amount into a jar and dipping your piece.
Remove Patina from High Areas:
Metal Maven used a "Scratch Eraser" disc on her Jool Tool to remove the Gosiba patina from the high areas. She also used the same disc to smooth the sides and further smooth all the sharp edges.
If you don't have a Jool Tool you can use 800 grit sandpaper, and then 1000 grit sandpaper to remove the patina and further smooth the surfaces and edges.
Forming The Twig Ring:
Metal Maven used a Pepe Ring Bender to form the twig ring. She held the blank at a slight angle as she formed it so that the top two leaves would not overlap the bottom three leaves.
If you don't have a ring bender, you can use a ring mandrel and a rawhide, nylon, or plastic mallet. Bend the ring blank around the ring mandrel and then use the mallet to further form and shape the ring.
Metal Maven Tip:
When forming the ring the alignment of the two top leaves should be directly above the bottom three leaves as shown in the photo below.
Tumble Your Piece:
After forming, you can use a rotary tumbler with steel shot, water, and a drop of Dawn to put a nice finish on your ring. If you want a higher polish, you can buff it with a polishing machine or hand polish using a Sunshine Polishing Cloth.
Finished Piece:
Add Pressed, Stamped, or Cast Embellishments To Your Piece:
Add your own embellishments to your adjustable ring. Metal Maven used a steel impression die to press these sterling silver flowers with a hydraulic press. She then soldered the flower to one side of the ring so that the ring would still be adjustable.
Metal Maven Tip:
Solder your embellishment before applying your patina.