Scaling down the Ouroboros

Sia got in touch to see if I could make a ring somewhere between the ouroboros and the skinny ouroboros ring. A thinner band with less defined scales for her partner, who isn't used to wearing jewellery.

We talked through the options, no1, make a brand new design. Or 2, adjust a preexisting Ouroboros wax; carve it down until the desired shape is acquired. And this is what we went for. There's no need to spend extra time and money when the base of whats needed is ready to go.

Once I had a good idea from Sia about the ring dimensions, I went ahead and ordered a couple of waxes from AA fine Castings in Islington.

I collected the Ouroboros wax and set about carving it down to 5mm wide as requested.

I worked carefully to retain the outer rows of scales, recarving the details along the way.

The casting wax is this pink relatively soft wax, which makes it tricky to work with. It's best to clean it up much as you can, however, due to its softness, I continued carving once it was cast in silver. There's so many ways of doing things, I go for what makes sense for me. The wax was soft and my grip is strong! Casting early saves the wax in my case.

It was also good to work this way so I could check in with Sia. I sent her photos of the wax and then the casting to see if she was happy. We whittled the thickness down a little more in silver. It then went to get its hallmark. Then back to my workshop for polishing.

What resulted was a ring somewhere between the ouroboros and the skinny ouroboros, exactly what was asked. I am pleased to see this design play out in so many forms. It's great to hear your ideas.

Pictured here is the ouroboros ring, next to the custom ring for Sia (raw casts) and the skinny Ouroboros ring.

Side note: There is also the Robus ring iteration aswell, the largest scales ring yet. I should picture them altogether, polished. adds to to-do list

Here's a short process video below. From wax carving to polishing>>>>

Thanks for looking and get in touch if you'd like to enquire about a custom piece.

Isabel

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