How to Make a Fake Diamond Ring
A fake diamond ring doesn't necessarily mean a cheap or shoddy-looking piece of jewelry only suitable for casual wear. Making jewelry such as a fake diamond ring calls for designing, band material and stone selection and an exact fit. The various band material options are gold, titanium, platinum, mokume gane and silver. Natural crystals such as goshenite, a form of beryl, white topaz and quartz or synthetic gemstones such as cubic zirconia or moissanite provide many of the characteristics of diamonds. You can buy the fake diamond in its rough shape or in a worked state, such as faceted or rounded. You'll need basic metalworking techniques to create this metal band to which the fake diamond is prong-mounted.
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Things You'll Need
- Lead disk 3 inches across with a half-circle groove across the middle
- Ring mandrel
- Mallet
- Paper
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Transfer paper
- Jeweler's file
- Jeweler's pliers
- Jeweler's saw
- Pointed jeweler's tool
- Tweezers
- 1 sheet of 18-gauge sterling silver
- Silver solder
- Jeweler's torch
Instructions
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1
Wrap a length of paper around the finger chosen to wear the ring. Adjust the length so it is snug but easy to remove and mark the points where the paper meets. Measure between the points for the ring's length. Fold the paper to different widths and test them on the chosen finger until you find the ring width you prefer.
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2
Use the width and length dimensions from step one as a frame to draw the ring design. Allow for the size and shape of the fake diamond. Trace the design outline of the chosen paper band onto the transfer paper. Draw a line through the middle of the design on the transfer paper.
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3
Transfer the outline of the band on the transfer paper onto the silver plate.
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4
Cut out the design along its outline from the silver plate using the jeweler's saw.
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5
Place the cut-out design on the lead disk so the center line is parallel to the length of the half-circle depression. Hold the thick end of the mandrel and place the other end over the cut-out design so it is parallel to the half-circle depression. Use the mallet to hammer the cut-out design until the ends roll up to meet each other.
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6
Use the jeweler's file to reshape the ends of the cut-out design to form a flat joint. Hold the ring with the tweezers and solder the joint.
Place the ring on the mandrel and finish shaping it into a ring by hammering the ring with the mallet evenly all the way around.
Remove the ring from the mandrel, flip it over, return it to the mandrel and continue hammering. The turning aids in maintaining a ring shape.
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7
Use the transfer paper to add any additional designs to the ring band. Draw your desired design onto the transfer paper, then etch the transferred design into the ring surface with the pointed tool. Cut out the design using the jeweler's saw.
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8
Create 1/8-inch-thin strips of metal for prongs. Determine the length of the prong needed based on the height of the stone. The length is from the top of the band to the top of the stone.
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9
Cut out the prongs with the jeweler's saw and solder them to the band around where the fake diamond is to be mounted.
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10
Use the jeweler's pliers and move the prongs away from where the fake diamond will sit. Place the fake diamond in the center of the prongs and push the prongs against the stone using the pliers. Bend the end of each prong, again with the pliers, over the top of the diamond.
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Tips & Warnings
The ends of the prongs hold the top of the stone and are bent over the top of the crown of the stone. The prongs secure the stone while allowing light to pass through. The number of prongs depends on the size of the fake diamond. The general rule is three or four when the stone is 3 karats or less. Add more for larger stones.
References
Resources
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