Decided it's time to get myself the team ring. For me it's more so a reminder of Hawaii which I love, as well as the show itself. I' prefer gold, so the eBay versions were a no go for me.
Have shown my jeweller the image from 'The Lighter Side' page and he's said he'd have no problem replicating it. Going to have it made in 9ct Gold (less scratches) and then I forget what the black part is called, but we decided not to go with Onyx stone as he says it chips and scratches easier over the years. The cross will be the same level as the surrounding gold rim with the black back sunken down a bit to bring the cross out, but also leaving the cross and rim at the same level will stop it from getting snagged, damaged and just worn away on the edges over the years like it may be if it were raised above the rim. I'm having it made to fit my right hand ring finger as I didn't want it on the same finger as my wedding band.
He's said it should take him about 3 weeks, but he's notoriously optimistic so I'm not holding my breath on that time line.
Just my 2 cents, I am in the jewellery business for 30 yrs now:
low ct does not equal with hardness.
Infact, I don't count 9ct to be gold. It's weightwise 62,5% metal with 37% gold. As gold has the double weight than all other metals in the alloy, the effective % is lower than 20.
It may be hard, but it may tarnish very fast, the molded material has often cavities and tends to break and changing the size later will be a real problem.
If anyone is telling you that 9ct. is superior, he has no idea about his job.
Thanks for the info. BondToys. I realise 9ct has less gold in it, but I'm happy with that - I have the same for my wedding band. Will ask him about changing sizes later on though as that will definitely be an issue down the track - he didn't mention the 9ct/scratching issue, I just believed that to be the case for a while, not sure where I picked that up?
The ring will cost A$1,100. Will post pictures when I have it guys, though don't expect too much considering my camera skills!
Just curious why you didnt go wiht the Lighter Side version? anyway post some pics when you get it, would love to see it. I've been thinking of taking the plunge on one myself
Mr. Greene wrote:Just curious why you didnt go wiht the Lighter Side version? anyway post some pics when you get it, would love to see it. I've been thinking of taking the plunge on one myself
I know the jewellers well (my store is next door) and they do excellent work - one of if not the best manufacturing jewellers in the city judging by their clientele base. Just felt a bit safer to me buying one locally than overseas and hoping for the best quality/size etc. Also a bonus this way they clean it whenever I want for free, and can make size adjustments if needed when I lose and gain weight.
The gold frame (sorry if my terminology isn't right) has been done and he's got the black piece cut out. Tried the gold frame on and it's a perfect fit and looks the perfect size for my hand. The next step he said is to send the black stone to the stone cutter to smooth the edges (I think), then once he has it back to set it into the ring at the sunken level and fix the cross on top using the 4 screws.
Yes it's a black stone, but not Onyx - can't remember the name.
He's making the gold cross separately and will then affix that to the top of the black stone - fastening it in place with 4 screws on the underside.
I'm hoping I can get him to take a couple photos of it for insurance purposes as his photos will likely be better quality than something I can take with my camera...
