Making an Irish gold wedding ring

All images by Olivia Brabbs.

Natural raw gold flakes as they appear panned from Irish streams and rivers.

Preparing to melt down the raw Irish gold flakes.

Intense heat is applied.

The gold is now melting.

The gold has run to form a large grain.

The gold is rolled and annealed many times to form a bar.

The strip of gold is now ready to be worked on.

Getting ready for the next stage.

The strip is then turned up by hand to form the ring.

Adjustments must be made to get the correct size.

Aligning.

Checking alignment.

The joint is then soldered and will be seamless once the ring is filed and polished.

The process is now almost complete.

The ring is carefully filed and emeried to a smooth finish prior to polishing.

The handmade ring prior to polishing.

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