Recycled 18k Yellow Gold and Cognac Rose Cut Diamond Snake Ring

This ring was so much fun to make! I started by melting together all of the 18k gold odds and ends that I had been saving in my workshop. I then rolled out the newly created piece of gold into a long square shape using a rolling mill, which is kind of like a pasta machine for metals. I then I drew that piece of gold through a drawplate, which gradually stretched the gold into a thinner and rounder shape. The next step was to make the snake"s head, which I did by melting one end of the gold wire on a charcoal block with a jeweler's torch until the size and shape seemed "right". Once the metal was cooled and cleaned, I further refined the shape of the head by filing the gold. I then tapered the other end into a tail, first using a hammer to forge the gold into a taper, and then using a file to smooth out the hammer marks.
I then made the bezel specifically for this rose cut diamond, also out of recycled 18k gold. The last steps were to wrap the snake into a ring, wrap the tail around the bezel, solder the whole ring together, and set the diamond. The entire process took several hours, and I hope you like the results as much as I do!

Details:

Size 6, and not adjustable.

The band is 1.8mm thick, or just between 14 and 12 gauge, or a little over 1/8 of an inch, depending on which measurements you prefer.
The diamond is set into an open-backed bezel, and is about 4.5mm across and weighs approximately 1/3 of a carat. It is a rich, warm brown color, and is semi-translucent. The color reminds me of whisky, of cognac, of strong black tea, and of root beer.