Here are a few of my favorite custom tanzanite rings that I made.
This bad boy started with a 12mm wide platinum band. I added two platinum “tree trunks” to support an 18k yellow gold trillion bezel that floats above the ring. I was always amazed how heavy this ring felt. Platinum is considerably more dense then gold.
This irregular shaped trillion tanzanite had awesome color. It screamed in this super white gold mounting.
Tanzanite also looks fantastic in yellow gold.
This would be a tough to repair the channel with the torch. Tanzanite does not handle heat. And it is not a very tough stone as far as setting. Any contact with a metal tool and it will chip the surface.
I protected the stone with watch makers putty to absorb any stray laser beam or reflection and repaired the channel with the stone in place. I built up the missing channel by slowly melting 30 gauge gold wire with repeated laser shots. Probably did about 300 hits. The ring really looked good after burnishing the shank and sanding and polished the ring.
I was commissioned to do a braided platinum wedding band to match an existing engagement ring. I did some practice mock ups using silver wire, so I could get the tightness right to match the existing braid. Then I moved on the expensive material. To braid metal, you must have extra length to have the leverage to bend the wire at the end. I ended up with some expensive pieces of bent up platinum wire that was probably headed to the scrap bin for refining. But instead I ended up making this fun ring by randomly intertwining the wire and adding a few bezels with diamonds and a bezel set tanzanite, all out of the “wasted” wire.
Atlas Jewelers Bench Talk 