Titanium Claddagh Ring, Help With A Hematite Claddagh ?

Q: I am trying to find out if anyone out there makes Claddaghs out of Hematite. I have a girlfriend who is alergic to most metals (anything that oxidizes) and is terribly fond of Hematite as a stone. I was hoping to find someone who could carve a whole ring out of hematite. I know gold, platinum, and titanium would also work as a ring, but I'd rather much prefer hematite. Is this even possible? Is there anyone willing to try it? Does anyone have any othegr suggestions? Please e-mail me (berge...@brandeis.edu) if you have any information, comments, questions, offers, or any thing else to say, as I do not normally read this newsgroup, but it's sort of a last resource for me right now, and I can't seem to get answers anywhere else.

A:Gemstone rings are not really sturdy. They often break if they are hit against something hard. You would be paying for a custom carved ring and then have it broken much too soon. Perhaps she could have a platinum ring made with the heart done in hematite (the stuff sold as hematite is reconstituted hematite really) as an inlay. [That's too

bad, because hematite is mostly iron. It's mined as an iron ore. I doubt she'd want to be in contact with it on a prolonged basis. ] [Platinum and gold don't oxidize- is she allergic to them? You could put a carved hematite in a gold setting more successfully- hematite is too brittle to last long as a ring.] don't know what a Claddagh is, but I purchased several Hemitite finger rings from the owner of Thermal City Gold Mine in North Carolina a couple of years ago. I'm sure he would still have some. I don't have his address. He is located near Vein Mountian, N.C. I think they have a web site, or try GPA

A: Org. I think there is a link.