Jewelry Making Material

Q: What material is good for making rings? I've heard fimo is alright but does anyone know of anything else?

A:At first, this appears a silly trivial question. But it does, on thought, bring up some more serious thoughts.... The obvious no brainer answer is "how 'bout silver and gold and platinum..." This is, after all, a jewelry making newsgroup, and those metals are what many of use use day in and day out, exactly to make rings and other jewelry. but you can also, if you think about it, explore almost any other material known to man that meets the needs of the ring you're designing. Here's the key. The material has to not only be good for your design, but then should function in the ring as it's designed. So the choices of material depend as much on the design you've chosen and the desired function as on the specific use as a ring. Fimo might make, for example, a funky low cost decorative ring. But it's unlikely to serve well as a setting for an expensive diamond. Jade stone can be carved into a servicable band ring, if it's heavy enough to survive. but a very thin band probably wouldn't survive here. The stuff is, after all, a non-elastic material, and can be broken much more easily than metal. Wood, as well, especially the harder or more decorative ones, can be used for carved bands, but be sure the specific wood does not happen to be toxic for long term skin contact. Some exotic woods are. The same could be said for some metals, which might be workable, but which are not safe for skin contact. Copper, is questionable, and nickle is a really poor idea. Radioactive materials as well wouldn't be good choices... (grin) For low cost, how about fiber materials of various types? Macrame style work in wire might be electrical wire, in varying colors of insulation, for example... Or tightly wrapped or folded constructions of japanese paper cord might be surprisingly durable and pretty, for little cost. Ceramic rings would be brittle, but also might be cheap enough to replace, if you've got the means to fire the clay... Plastics offer almost endless possibilities. You can cast epoxy and polyester resins, cut and glue various types of acrylic shapes (plexiglass), or carve into blocks of delrin (dye it later with Rit dye, if you want colors) Heck, I could go on for quite a while here. The bottom line is that there are really no limits to your imagination and possibilites, if you set aside notions of what are traditional materials. If a material can be worked, there are probably ways to turn it into a usable ring...

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