“I love the alluring and mysterious sparkle of black diamonds. Because of their hard and opaque nature, they have a metallic, mirrored surface unlike any other gem. When clustered together they are captivating, dynamic and a perfect metaphor for the Wings Collection.

The matte finish sterling silver and black rhodium detail add depth and character to the ring.”

-Karlin

Design

The Wring (wing-ring) features two wings which wrap around the finger and the tips cross in an embrace.

The black diamonds represent the wing’s ‘covert’ feathers and the contrasting satin silver represents the ‘primary’ feathers. Rhodium is used to add definition to the individual feather contours.

Metalwork

The ‘lost wax casting process’ was used to produce the 10mm wide silver ring - the original wax carving was cast into a silver, and hand finished to create a ‘master’. The master was used to create a mould from which wax versions are made, and these waxes are cast into sterling silver (millesimal fineness of 925). Each casting is formed to the required finger size before being rough filed, smooth filed, and emeried. The black diamonds are then set (see below) before the top feathers around the settings are given a lustrous polish and the feathers below are satin finished with a matting wheel. The ring is sent to a specialist metal plating company in Hatton Garden, London, where rhodium plating is applied between the individual feathers.

Black diamonds

The ring features fourteen pavé set round brilliant cut carbonado black diamonds graduated from 0.7mm to 1.1mm in diameter. The stones are sourced from a trusted Hatton Garden based gem dealer, and each is examined for quality and consistency before being set. The pavé (pronounced “pa-vay”) setting technique involves drilling a precise seat for each diamond with a ball burr to allow the stone to nestle in just below the metal surface. A sharp graver tool is then used to cut tiny slivers of metal which curl over the diamond to form miniature claws. The claws are then rounded and flattened into spheres with a beading tool, leaving a bright polished surfaced on each sphere which enhances and complements the sparkle of the diamonds.

Finishing touches

The completed ring is sent to the Edinburgh Assay Office for Hallmarking before returning to Shetland to be given a final finish and polish.

The ring is presented in a high quality satin textured and chamois lined ring box accompanied by a postcard featuring the design story of the Wings Collection.

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