Cuttlefish Cast Wedding Rings

Back in the spring I made these beautifully textured, cuttlefish cast wedding rings. The unique markings are left by the cuttlefish bone that the ring is cast from, making each one an individual.

Yellow Gold:

The casting process begins with melting down casting grain, in the case I used 18ct Fairtrade Yellow Gold which is a wonderful warm, yellow colour:

Pouring the Gold:

Using my torch I get the metal up to a molten temperature, rolling it around in the crucible to ensure that it’s moving freely. I then hold my breath and chose a moment to pour it straight into the mould, keeping the heat on the gold all the way:

Cleaning the Cast Ring:

Once free from the mould the ring is fairly rough and edged with little tendrils of metal which escaped the mould as the heat burned the cuttlefish bone away. I file these off easily and then saw away the ‘sprue’, the funnel of metal where the created by the gold entering the mould:

After that I thoroughly sand the inside of the ring, leaving a smooth interior surface suitable for hallmarking and engraving:

This polishes up to a beautiful gloss and I burnish the outside of the ring to bring out that wonderful cuttlefish texture: