Mined and Refined: Amethyst is a set of two rings that can be worn together or separately. The larger one is made from a piece of iron pipe that was hot-forged to the proper size, then drilled, carved, and polished. The silver bezel cup is riveted to the iron ring. It is set with a very pale natural amethyst crystal from a small “Keokuk-type” geode that I collected on the North Rolling Fork River in central Kentucky many years ago. I’ve seen hundreds of these geodes but only one with amethyst crystals and a couple with smoky quartz. Most sedimentary geodes of this type have colorless or white quartz crystals.
The companion ring is hammered sterling silver 14-gauge wire, set with a 6mm faceted light purple smoky amethyst. The point on the underside of the stone had a small but noticeable chip (this is a common flaw in round faceted stones, and is why “brilliant cut” diamonds have a culet, which is a tiny facet that blunts the point). I polished a tiny dome on the point. It removed the chip and gives the stone a visual “hole” in the center, like the pupil in an eye, which looks unusual and adds a bit of interest. Although this is considered a low quality stone (high-grade amethysts are darker and more intense purple), I thought its subtle moody color made it a perfect match for the pale, slightly milky crystal in the iron ring.
These are small rings (size 5) that I made to fit my pinkie. Both stones have sentimental value for me but are not worth much by traditional gem-grading standards. One reason that I don’t make more rings is that I do not feel (at least in my own work) that the end result justifies the amount of time involved. The iron ring in particular was a lot more work than it looks. But it was an interesting project and should be fun to wear.
MINERALARTS: 