Our men's and women’s silver or gold classic Celtic promise rings can be enhanced with engraved lettering with knot work on the outside. Celtic rings are typically wider and thicker than the competition but still comfort fit to feel just right. We make sure our rings are made to last for years of wear by engraving deeply the motif. These are important things to consider when making a Celtic promise ring band purchase.
In order to recreate the ancient Celtic ring designs we choose to alloy the metals our selfs. To achieve a nice brightness on the rings and still have them look authentic we use a variety of acid salts and stripping agents.
Casting Celtic Rings:
This would be considered pouring or injecting the molten precious metal with centrifugal force using a centrifuge. Into the form it goes
where the wax once was because your Celtic ring was originally carved in the wax. We have many examples of casting projects for your consideration, these are actual customer projects
created earlier from the top to the bottom examples of fine custom Celtic rings
SILVER
PROPERTIES
Pure silver is almost perfectly white, very ductile and malleable. It is the
best conductor for electricity. Unfortunately, sulphure and its compounds tarnish it. Pure (fine(
silver, for most jewelry use, is too soft– it will not hold its shape and will wear away quicky. It is
hardened by alloying with copper. Pure silver is mainly used for enameling and electroplating in
jewelry work.
STERLING-SILVER
Sterling silver is an alloy of 92 ½ % (.925) silver and 7 ½ %
(.075) copper. It is the silver that is used commercially and by craftsmen for jewelry and flatware.
COIN-SLVER Formerly (before 1966) U.s. silver coins contained 90% silver and 10%
copper. Today , dimes, quarters and half-dollars are made from two sheets of nickel with a center
of copper they contain no silver. The Washington Quarter, the Kennedy Half Dollar and the
Eisenhower Dollar (all limited editions) contain 40% silver–two outer sheets of silver and a center
of nickel.
MEXICAN-SILVER Mexican Silver is the name given to the silver used by many
Mexican and American Indian craftsmen. Its silver content is generally above 90%.
SPRING-SILVER Spring silver is sterling silver that has been reduces as much as ten
times its original (last annealed)thickness by rolling or drqwing to harden it. It is used to make tie
and money clips, and where hardness and spring are desired.
ORDERING When ordering silver, the type, thickness, and width or shape must be
specified. Sterling silver is the type usually used. It is sold soft, unless otherwise specified.
Silver may also by purchased half-hard, hard, and spring hard. Half-hard and hard silver
are used for pins and pierced objects that left flat and do not require silver soldering.
PRICE Pure (fine) silver’s price has fluctuated form $1.371/2 (a pre01967 high) an
ounce in 1919 to 25 cents ( a record low) in 1932, to 45 cents in 1936, to #1.00 in 1955, to #.85
in 1972, to $4.50 in 1977, and to over $7.00 in 1979.
The above is the market price for a 1000 ounce fine slver bar (bullion). Silver dealers add
a service charge to the above price for shaping, cutting, and handling small quantities of
silver.
TEST FOR SILVER File a deep notch in the piece to be tested and apply a drop of
nitric acid. Sterling silver turns cloudy cream. Plated ware– the base metal will turn gree. Nickel
silver turns green. Coin silver turns dark or blackish.
Silver when pickled (cleaned in hot sulfuric acid) becomes glittering white; nickel silver
takes on a dull gray finish.
Pure silver, when heated to light red and tehn scooled, remains whie; sterling silver turns
black.
GOLD
Gold is foudn chiefly in the free stat ein the sands of streams or in the veins of quartz rock. Most
gold is mined in the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, South Africa, Russia, and Canada. It is claimed
that all the gold mined since the dawn of history would fit into a 100 foot cube.
PROPERTIES Pure (fine) gold is yellow in color. It is the most malleable and ductile
of all metals. It can be hammered into sheets less than 1/300,000 of an inch thick, and one ounce
of gold can be drawn into a wire 35 mles long. Gold is chemically inactive00it is not affected by
oxygen, sulphur, or acids; however, it can be dissolved by aqua regia, a mixture of 1 par tnitric
and 3 parts hydrochloric acid.
USES gold is used for jewelry, coinage, decorative, scientific, and dental purposes.
Most gold is stored in treasury vaults to be used for balance of trade payments with foreign
contries. Pure gold is very soft and to enable it to resist wear and for different color effects it is
alloyed with other metals.
Celtic Art:
Generally associated with the art of the ancient Celts, featuring most profoundly
interesting woven knots, and intertwined patterns that symbolize the intertwined lives and paths
of the bearers. Animal motifs stressing fidelity, the herons and the hounds, are a charming break
from the mundane...
Channel Set:
The mounting of stones in a deep groove of metal. The ring shown has the diamonds
channel set into the clots, each set by hand by Ray, and designed to be trouble free. Very good
way to set diamonds in rows here!...
Common Sense Diamond Criteria:
We begin to see diamond sellers advocate the silliest narrow ranges for what is really a very
common sense exercise in diamond quality. The many fine diamonds out there that are in the
range will yield you the most magnificient look possible, but don't pay a premium for a fancy
smancy name. You probably want a diamond that she will be thrilled with for a lifetime, and not a
lab rat's premium who's difference can only be enjoyed in a gem lab, so unless you plan on taking
your saron report with you, like your wife's photograph or something, just enjoy that there is a
broad range for maximum beauty, and let the boneheads prattle away as they do in the malls.
Crown or setting: A standardized head or setting, to set the diamond, generally designed to be
installed and set.
Die forming:
The act of forcing metal into a die or mold.
Engraving:
The incising or cutting of a linear design into the surface of a gem or metal.
Etching:
The chemical removal of metal, usually by an acid or chloride
FlatSetting:
My specialty, taking diamonds and setting them by hand in the metal, engraving and
sculpturing the metal as I go. I set this initial wide ring, about 15mm atr the top, with rows of
graduated diamonds, picked as I went along for the best result. Not the stripmall approach here,
just one at a time.
Filigree:
Delicate thread like decoration in soldered, flattened gold or platinum wire generally
pierced as shown.
Grading Diamonds:
This is best done at a internationally recognized gem lab, rather than the
back room of yer local strip mall jeweler, for the very subjective nature of appraisals and grading
done by the seller should instantly involke images of Jim Baker and Tammy Fae... A slipped grade
in clarity or color and cost you thousands, and when it comes time to trade up you have to stand
or fall on the merits of the trade-in, and having an acceptable gem lab certificate can make life
much easier, guaranteed...
Graver:
The tool used by an engraver to incise a design into our Celtic promise rings and is also used in the diamond setting process.
Gypsy Setting:
A setting in which stone is set into the metal. the crown and table is the only
exposed part of the stone(Flush set)
The fine european traditional style of decoration, using gravers and imparting a
design to the metal's surface.
Illusion Setting:
A setting in which the surrounding metal surface is cut or shaped to appear to be
part of the stone, often used to enhance the size.
Inlay:
The placing of any material into the surface of another material.
Karat:
The fineness of gold, equal to one part of 24 in gold alloys. 14Kt gold is actually just
58.5% fine gold, and the rest various alloys and combinations of metals. 18Kt is 3/4 fine gold or
75%, and the richer color is from this increase in fine gold. White gold is a trick, the alloys fool
your eye into seeing white, along with the fact that most manufacturers will also rhodium plate the
white areas to enhance their white and brightness
Lost Wax Casting:
The process of carving a custom wax, and pouring precious metal to occupy
that space, creating that Family Heirloom
Millegrain:
A process to give the appearance of a tiny row of beads, usually on the edge of a
setting.
Mokume':
Laminated layers of different metals to give a wood grain type appearance.
Mounting:
The portion of a peice of jewelry which holds or may hold a stone.
Patina:
A surface coloring on metals which occurs as a result of a chemical reaction or time.
Promise Rings:
Generally this is a band of silver or gold which has been engraved signifying the one or more people by name that make a special promise or commitment of friendship or love to one another, a birth stone or diamond can also be set in this promise ring depending on the amount or budget of the giver or recipient.
Men's Promise Rings:
These are the same as promise rings with the exception of there greater width.
Pave':
This is a specialty in setting the smaller diamonds edge to edge, and blending prong
and diamond together into a rich and elegant paved with diamond field.
Photo etching:
Etching a promise ring process in which the resist is applied to the metals surface by
photographic means.
Piercing:
The intricate cutting of openings into the metal. This style was very popular at the turn
of the century, with the fine detail and the dramatic piercing treasures were created by bench men
and women of amazing quality. These days there is also fine filligree available, and not all is
expensive either!
Plating:
To apply a coating of metal to an object by electrical deppositation. Many fine
manufacturers use a rhodium platinum to whiten white gold, since rhodium is a metal more like
platinum and is dead white. White gold is formed by the alloys tricking the eye into seeing white,
but there is no white gold of course...
Professional Service: In the mid 80's I re-wrote the standards for the Oregon State Bureau of
Labor's Apprentisship Training Division, and sat on the board for supervision, so you might say I
have a Phd in this field, short of spelling and counter-speak I grant, but in building, designing or
servicing fine jewelry we set the standard for complete service and professionallizm on internet.
Prong:
A narrow tab of metal, folded over the girdle of a stone to secure it in a setting.
Retail:
Retailing is all about marketing and location, both of which command huge dollars.
Markups of items under say 10K is generally 300%, or something that was manufactured for $333
would be resold for $1000... Traditionally tiered markups do prevail, but also many
merchandising organizations seek to bolster profits with less than quality goods, which is a trend
that will cost the retail industry dearly in time.
Re tipping:
This is something that I want to advise can be OK, but do not ever let a boneheaded
sale-clerk talk you into re tipping a very worn out crown. A new crown is cost effective and so
much safer, solder is not a substitute for new metal, so always go new crown when you can.
Setting:
A mounting or the portion of a mounting which actually holds the stone. A great example
of a ring that is assembled of settings and a fine shank in platinum is the Andrew Art ring in
platinum.
Shank:
The portion of a ring that actually encircles the finger, excluding the decorative top or
setting. Many so called "Custom Jobs" are built from quality components like these shown
Special Order, Custom Made: Quality work is no accident! For thirty years I have offered my
customers the services of experienced and professional jewelry workers and sound ethical
business practices. We like to think it's important! We don't count on luck or magic. How often
can poor workers pull a rabbit out of the hat until one comes out stone dead? Experienced skilled
workers don't take stupid chances. That's a chance my customers will never have to take, no blue
smoke and mirrors at custom promise rings ever!
Tension Setting:
I think this term was first coined by the customer than finally realized that their $25,000 two carat
diamond was pinched into a non-closed circle, held by a couple thousand pounds of pressure
exerted by a heat treating technique that stiffens and treats the metal... If you really like this
option and look have a ring made with an underbezel that keeps the ring safe and strong... ...and
notice I haven't even talked about what happens if that diamond is caught and pulled from the
open sides, and the sheer forces that can shatter the girdle on a diamond... Not a great idea here
folks, purdy, but not very smart in my humble opinion.
Wholesale Direct:
In summary, wholesale is the condition before the 300% markups, radio ad
jingles and stupid ads in the paper. Retail is quite something else again... {Grin}
Hearts & Arrows:
Ideal Cut Diamond, another fancy shmancy trade term for exceptionally ideal cut
diamond... The fact is that these exist within the standard diamond commercial offerings, and are fairly and
readily available in today's market without the outrageous premiums that others are charging...
When you hit the certificate math and start to understand the range for ideal these fancy smansy
sweetheart trade terms do not yield more brilliance, just a selling point to use as a tool.
...
List of Promise Ring Metal's
WEIGHTS OF METALS Troy weights are used to weigh the precious metals; gold,
silver, and platinum. Copper, brass, and nickel silver are weighed and sold by the
standard(avoirdupois) pound. The troy ounce is about 10 percent heavier than the avoirdupois
ounce.
THICKNESSES OF METALS The thickness of silver and copper and their alloys is
measured by the American Standard or the Brouwn and Sharpe wire gauge. On one side of the
gauge is a group of gauge numbers and onthe other side is the thickness of those numbers in
thousandths of an inch. The wire or sheet is inserted into the slot, not the hole, to find its
thickness.
Gold and platinum workers use the spring gauge to measure the thickness of their metals.
The gauge is divided into 72 sections called douziemes. One douzieme equals.0074 inches; 12
douziemes equals 1 ligne which equals .0888 inches. The micrometer, especially by precious
metal supply concerns is also used to measure the thickness of gold, silver, and platinum. The
micrometer can measure the thickness of a metal to one ten thousandth of an inch.
If a rolling mill is not abailable, several silver sheet metal thicknesses should be stocked.
Wire thicknesses 10, 14, and 18 are popular. Wire may be purchased in many shapes including,
rounc, square, and half-round. Circles of almost any diameter and gauge can be ordered at a sligh
additional cost.
SILVER
PROPERTIES
Pure silver is almost perfectly white, very ductile and malleable. It is the
best conductor for electricity. Unfortunately, sulphure and its compounds tarnish it. Pure (fine(
silver, for most jewelry use, is too soft– it will not hold its shape and will wear away quicky. It is
hardened by alloying with copper. Pure silver is mainly used for enameling and electroplating in
jewelry work.
STERLING-SILVER
Sterling silver is an alloy of 92 ½ % (.925) silver and 7 ½ %
(.075) copper. It is the silver that is used commercially and by craftsmen for jewelry and flatware.
COIN-SLVER Formerly (before 1966) U.s. silver coins contained 90% silver and 10%
copper. Today , dimes, quarters and half-dollars are made from two sheets of nickel with a center
of copper they contain no silver. The Washington Quarter, the Kennedy Half Dollar and the
Eisenhower Dollar (all limited editions) contain 40% silver–two outer sheets of silver and a center
of nickel.
MEXICAN-SILVER Mexican Silver is the name given to the silver used by many
Mexican and American Indian craftsmen. Its silver content is generally above 90%.
SPRING-SILVER Spring silver is sterling silver that has been reduces as much as ten
times its original (last annealed)thickness by rolling or drqwing to harden it. It is used to make tie
and money clips, and where hardness and spring are desired.
ORDERING When ordering silver, the type, thickness, and width or shape must be
specified. Sterling silver is the type usually used. It is sold soft, unless otherwise specified.
Silver may also by purchased half-hard, hard, and spring hard. Half-hard and hard silver
are used for pins and pierced objects that left flat and do not require silver soldering.
PRICE Pure (fine) silver’s price has fluctuated form $1.371/2 (a pre01967 high) an
ounce in 1919 to 25 cents ( a record low) in 1932, to 45 cents in 1936, to #1.00 in 1955, to #.85
in 1972, to $4.50 in 1977, and to over $7.00 in 1979.
The above is the market price for a 1000 ounce fine slver bar (bullion). Silver dealers add
a service charge to the above price for shaping, cutting, and handling small quantities of
silver.
TEST FOR SILVER File a deep notch in the piece to be tested and apply a drop of
nitric acid. Sterling silver turns cloudy cream. Plated ware– the base metal will turn gree. Nickel
silver turns green. Coin silver turns dark or blackish.
Silver when pickled (cleaned in hot sulfuric acid) becomes glittering white; nickel silver
takes on a dull gray finish.
Pure silver, when heated to light red and tehn scooled, remains whie; sterling silver turns
black.
GOLD
Gold is foudn chiefly in the free stat ein the sands of streams or in the veins of quartz rock. Most
gold is mined in the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, South Africa, Russia, and Canada. It is claimed
that all the gold mined since the dawn of history would fit into a 100 foot cube.
PROPERTIES Pure (fine) gold is yellow in color. It is the most malleable and ductile
of all metals. It can be hammered into sheets less than 1/300,000 of an inch thick, and one ounce
of gold can be drawn into a wire 35 mles long. Gold is chemically inactive00it is not affected by
oxygen, sulphur, or acids; however, it can be dissolved by aqua regia, a mixture of 1 par tnitric
and 3 parts hydrochloric acid.
USES gold is used for jewelry, coinage, decorative, scientific, and dental purposes.
Most gold is stored in treasury vaults to be used for balance of trade payments with foreign
contries. Pure gold is very soft and to enable it to resist wear and for different color effects it is
alloyed with other metals.
Contact mike@utahgs.com Toll Free 866-763-5873 for orders.
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