I've been practising making rings.
I love rings better than any jewellery. They seem even more than other pieces to be mostly for the wearer's enjoyment. Small treasures you have in and on your hand, the texture and feel of it within easy reach. They can be played with and rotated as you think. I love them.
Of course they are also one of the hardest things to make, because they have to be a particular and precise size.
When making rings with metal clay, there is so much scope for creating embellishments and exciting textures, but it is not easy to plan what size they will have when they come out of the kiln.
My solution is to make lots of them. It's fun anyway. I keep a meticulous log of firing temperatures and ring sizes before and after. I am getting closer to a good understanding of the results my kiln gives me.
When I am more confident of a consistent result I will be offering made to size rings.
For now I will be putting the finished rings in the shop as one-size-only ready-to-ship. All these rings are one of a kind and unique, so more special to the receiver I'm hoping, and I get to make lots of different designs while I practise.
