Commission Diaries No. 1: Evan’s Tiger’s Eye Shield Ring
Custom work is the part of this business people are most nervous about, and I get it. You're paying for something that doesn't exist yet, from someone you've maybe never met. So I'm going to start showing you exactly how it goes. Commission Diaries is a running series: one real piece, start to finish, with nothing left out. First up is a sterling shield ring with a tiger's eye cabochon, made for Evan Gross.
Who Evan is
Evan plays in several bands around Nashville, as well as fronting his own band The Derelict Casino. when he isn't on a stage he's shooting demo videos for Music city Vintage guitars. That means his hands are on camera and under stage lights more than almost anyone I know. We met when evan first moved to nashville a few years ago and we have hung out while playing guitars and sharing songs on several occasions.
This ring is an ambassador piece. It goes where the work is supposed to live: on stage, on a fretting hand, in front of people who notice what musicians wear. Ramble & Riot was always meant for working musicians, because I've spent twenty years being one.
The stone: tiger's eye
Tiger's eye is a quartz that formed around fibers of another mineral. Those fibers line up in parallel, and when light hits them it gathers into a single bright band that slides across the stone as you turn it. The word for that is chatoyancy, from the French for "cat's eye." On a shield face, that moving band does what a shield is supposed to do: it catches the light and throws it back.
Read more about the stone on the tiger's eye page.
The size: 11.5
I have built the shield rings to scale properly based on the ring size. this is due to the curvature of the shield when matched to that of the ring shank — once you get below a size 9, the shield starts to wrap uncomfortably around the finger, rather than sitting on top of the finger. For Evan’s ring, at a size 11.5, I used the standard 1” diameter sterling silver shield and an 18 × 13mm cab. For sizes under 9, i use a 5/8” sterling silver shield and a 14 × 10MM cab.
The build
One. The shield, empty. Rope bezel soldered on, crescents and the solar plexus stamps at 9 & 3 punched and darkened, shank already sized to 11.5. At this point it is a setting waiting for a stone.
Two. The mark. R&R and .925 go on the back before the stone does, because there is no stamping it afterwards.
Three. Three cabs, one ring. The “middle” cab was chosen for its distinct character, with one side being dark and quiet, while the other half comes alive in the light.
Four. In the clamp. The ball vise expands inside the ring shank when it is tightened, keeping the outside of the ring free from obstacles so I can spin the vise as I am setting the stone with the bezel pusher.
Five. Set. I always start as low on the bezel as I can get and work my way all the way around several times, going higher on each pass until the bezel hugs the stone tightly and evenly.
Six. Done, with the bright band sitting right down the middle of the shield.
Start your own
Every commission starts with a conversation. We settle the design, metal, stone, size and timeline in writing before anything is invoiced, and custom pieces take 4 to 8 weeks depending on how involved they are. If you have a date in mind, tell me up front.
Start a commission · See who's wearing Ramble & Riot on stage