Halo of Small Suns

Daniel wanted a ring that would photograph well in Seattle grey light, because his partner takes a lot of pictures. That is a real constraint, not a mood. A 1ct round center surrounded by a tight halo of champagne stones gives off warmth even on overcast days. We kept the shoulders slightly twisted so the band looks different from every angle. This one went through two wax iterations before Daniel was happy with how the halo sat under the center stone.

The halo is sixteen 1.5mm champagne moissanites on 0.9mm centers, tight enough that the stones almost touch. Champagne against a wall of 18k white gold reads warm without going yellow, and that was the whole reason for mixing the two. The head comes 5.4mm off the finger. The shank tapers from 2.4mm at the base to 1.7mm at the shoulders.

Wax one was wrong in a way I should have caught on the screen. I had the halo sitting 0.3mm below the table of the center stone, which sounds right in a drawing and looks like a closed flower on a hand. At 0.3mm the halo vanishes when you look straight down. A week of a 6 week schedule went into that one decision.

Setting the halo took two bench sessions. Sixteen 1.5mm stones means thirty-two beads, and beads on a curve like to wander. One stone, at 4 o'clock, sat 0.1mm proud after the first pass and caught a fingernail. Pulled it, re-cut the seat, re-set it the next morning.

White gold gets a 0.1 micron rhodium plate after polishing, which holds the color white against the champagne stones. The twisted shoulders are masked during plating so they keep a satin line. Ultrasonic, then a 10x check for plating blush at the solder joints under the head.

Final delivery: 6 weeks. Daniel did not complain about the extra week, but I still add it when I quote a halo like this.