Our silversmiths at work, part II

Part IIWith the bezels finished it is time to prepare the shank. For this job
Pak Sugeng uses a different gauge wire that has been shaped to be round
on the outside and flat on the inside. It is also thicker than the
silver strip used for the bezel for added strength. Pak Sugeng measures
out the desired ring size and grinds and polishes the shank to exact
dimensions: Now
the separate geponents of the ring have been prepared it is time to
put it all together. Pak Sugeng carefully places the bezels upside down
on his workbench and solders the shank to them:We're
still far from done though. Now the pearl and opal have to be refitted.
If we would just drop the pearl and opal into the bezels they would
sink too far so Pak Sugeng creates a support inside the bezel for the
stones to rest at the exact right height. He measures the height of the
support by placing the stones in the bezel to see how far it sinks.
From there he cuts thin strips of silver to put inside the bezels, the
2nd picture show the thin little rings he made for the stones to rest
on. It looks deceptively simple but it amazes me every time how he cuts
these thin strips from eye-sight alone: With
the support rings in the bezels he can place the stones on top of them
and press the bezel walls in to firmly hold the stones into place. Once
he has finished putting the stones into place the ring is ready for a final polish to bring out the shine in the silver. And there you have it, a beautiful finished ring. Well done, Pak Sugeng! This
ring took about 1 1/2 hour to make. Like any skilled craftsman, Pak
Sugeng made it look easy, though I am sure it is anything but that. I
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please do not hesitate to ask us.Mark