How to Make a Pronged Silver Cabochon Ring

This is a cabochon ring made of sterling silver pieces which are soldered together with jeweler's silver solder. This was my first time making a pronged ring like this. Don't be intimidated by my long winded steps, they are hopefully full of helpful information that can be used to make many other different pieces of jewelry.

cabochon stone, 17 gauge sterling silver sheet, 16 gauge square sterling wire, silver solder in "easy/med/hard", flux, propane torch, fire brick, fine file (my favorite file on my bench is made by "F.L. Grobet Vallorbe" it's a number 5) , needle files, wet/dry sandpaper 300-3000 grit, Jeweler's saw and fine blades, Sparex #2 pickle and crock pot, ring clamp, dividers/compass, ruler, bench and bench pin.

Ideally, you should have a jeweler's bench with a bench pin and a sweeps drawer. The pin is replaceable and allows you to have something to rest the piece you're working on against. It can be cut into and should have at least one notch sawed into it to hold things like wire or strips while you file them.

The "sweeps" drawer, directly under the pin is to collect all the fallen precious metal filings, They add up and after years of saving them, can be sent to a refinery for money or bouillon in return. The point is, save the sweeps. Alternatively, you can work over a sheet of leather that collects filings or even a large bowl. I've been lucky to always have a jeweler's bench.

You need an area to use your torch safely. When soldering you want a dimly lit area so it's easy to see the redness of the metal you are heating.

Sketch your design onto paper, it helps to be precise in this step. I start with the stone I want to use. I make my own cabochons, but you can find them online in all sorts of different qualities and colors.

Using your compass dividers, lightly scratch a line along the edge of your 17 gauge sterling sheet at your desired width by dragging one point of the dividers along the edge.

When securing a blade into your saw, first make sure the teeth of the blade will be pointed in the direction of the handle and secure one end of the blade in the clamps on the saw, then push the end of your saw against your bench pin with the handle end against your chest, secure the other end of the blade into it's clamp. this allows you to have a nicely taught blade, it should "ping" a high note when plucked with your finger. Use a small block of beeswax to lubricate the blade once in awhile.

A jewelers saw is held so the length of the blade runs up and down and that is the sawing motion, as compared to a wood saw's motion of forward and back.

You will break blades, it happens a lot. Keep a loose grip on your saw and slight pressure on the downward (cutting) stroke.

Cut your strip of sterling to desired width and length, mine was about 5mm. wide. This will be the main part of your ring. Be sure to make it long as we will need enough extra to make the two side prongs.

Form a loop the same size as the bottom of your cabochon out of the 16 gauge square sterling wire, cut it with the saw.

You should have one strip of sterling which you cut into two pieces, one long with another shorter piece that will eventually be cut in two to be the side prongs. You should also have an oval (or circle) of the square wire the same size and shape as the bottom of your stone.

File the edges of your long strip until nicely rounded and file both ends to a tapering point.

Filing gives you your basic shape, then you should progress from rough sandpaper to finer grits. I like to cut strips of my sandpaper and glue them onto wooden Popsicle sticks or tongue suppressors, and label them. This gives me much more control. Progress to a grit at least of 500.

Do the same for your shorter strip, then cut it into two. Please see the photos.

You will find the ring holder a much used tool if you will be making much jewelry. It clamps your piece without scratching, as it has leather ends. You force the wooden wedge into the opposing end to secure it. It's so much better than trying to hold small things while filing, and you can angle it as needed.

Take the oval shape you formed with the square wire and solder it into a closed loop. (I did not take a photo of this step) Use "hard" solder, as it takes a higher temperature to melt than the "medium" and "easy" solder's do. The idea is that if you need to build something with multiple soldering steps (this ring takes two steps) you progress from hard to medium to easy solder, each one with progressively lower melting points, so your soldered work doesn't become un-soldered.

To succeed in soldering, you want everything to be clean, shiny metal, without finger oils or other contaminants.

Pieces to be soldered/joined need to be a close fit. In our loop for example, the ends should be flush with each other, ideally with no light seen through.

All pieces should come up to the soldering temperature at the same time so the solder doesn't flow towards the hotter part only. Don't direct the flame onto the solder. Heat the pieces to be joined instead.

Use small amounts of solder. very small amounts. It's hard to remove excess if too much has been used. Only use what is needed to fill your joint.

To do this, cut a very small square of hard solder using scissors. Make sure to hold the edge of the tiny squares of solder against your finger as you cut them or else they will fly away and never be found. I cut a tiny piece about 2x2mm.

Use a small paintbrush, dedicated to soldering, to paint flux onto the points of the sterling you want to join. Flux is a somewhat magical and completely necessary component to soldering. It keeps the metal from oxidizing in the flame and allows it to flow freely.

Also flux your solder, I like to pick up the square of solder with tweezers and dip it into the flux then place it onto the piece to be soldered. It's important that the solder touches both pieces to be joined.

A torch flame has different temperatures. The tip of the blue pointy cone is the hottest part of the flame, do not use that part for soldering. Past that, it starts to be yellowish and "bushy". Use the bushy part of your torch's flame to heat the piece until the solder flows. Solder will be attracted to heat, that's why it's important to try to heat all areas to be joined evenly so the solder doesn't "jump" to the hotter part. When the solder melts it will look like a shiny "flash" of metal. Remove the torch immediately after the solder flows, there is no reason to continue heating it after it has flowed.

Once you've soldered that loop and pickled it, arrange it on your fire block as seen in the photo. The pointed ends pf the prongs pressed into the block around the loop.

Add flux to the points at which the prongs will be soldered and use "medium" solder chips this time. This is a lower melting solder which keeps the previously soldered area from melting and un-soldering.

Sometimes (often) the small chips of solder "pop" off of the piece when it's initially heated, so it's important to lightly play the heat of the torch flame back and forth across until the flux dries and turns white, securing it like glue.

All pieces need to be "pickled" after being heated with a torch. Pickle removes flux (that turns to glass when heated) and cleans the metal. I use an old slow cooker which I caulked with silicone sealant all the points where corrosive pickle solution could get in and eat away the wiring components.

I use "Sparex # 2" pickling salts which is sodium bisulphate I believe. Follow the directions from the manufacturers. Pickle is dangerous and corrosive. You don't want to get it on your clothes or skin. When quenching hot metal, either DON'T, or make sure your eyes are protected from spray. Also, make sure your pickle pot has something under it to protect whatever tabletop it's on from splashing and sprays.

Pickle solution lasts for years without replacement. It does collect copper ions, which turn the solution into a sort of electro-plating solution. Which means keep steel tools, wire, etc. out of the pot. If steel is accidentally (or purposefully) added to the pot it will electroplate everything in copper. When the steel is removed, the solution functions normally and no plating happens. IE. it doesn't ruin the solution. This is why copper tongs are used to retrieve your piece from the solution, or hang it from a copper wire.

You can see in the photos the piece after being pulled out of the fire block and then after taken out of the pickle. See how clean it gets after a few minutes in the hot pickle solution?

Push your cabochon into place and bend the prongs over it, securing them against the stone. I used the wooden bench pin to do this. Make sure they are tight against the stone, wiggling them back and forth slightly (against the pin) helps get them the last little bit up against the stone. I think it's always better to bend things with your fingers if it's possible before using any tool. Tools can scratch surfaces which means more work removing scratches.

use a felt buffing wheel with a little rouge to buff your piece to a polish. Just touch the stick of rouge to the spinning wheel.

Follow these essential warnings;

Be very careful to not let it heat up enough to crack your stone. Use goggles. Don't put the ring on your finger, use a "breakaway" or pinch grip that, if caught will just pull the piece from your grip, not your fingers from your hands. Only use the bottom 1/4 of the buffing wheel. Keep any points or edges that would be caught by the spinning wheel pointed down, away from the direction of spin. Secure any long hair and roll up loose sleeves. Do not wear gloves. Do not polish any chains on a buffing wheel, they will get caught and ripped from your hand in an instant.

Wash your new ring with an old toothbrush and dish soap. Good Job!

I have read many books on the subject and the best, most comprehensive one by far is called "The Complete Metalsmith" by Tim McCreight . I'm not affiliated with him at all, I just recommend that anyone interested in making jewelry, reads and owns a copy.