The stones are those that my English grandmother, when she lived in Australia decades ago, collected, cut an polished herself (you can see a post i wrote of that a few years back).

The tiger eye is chipped around the base and I sense it’s a little brittle inside. I’m afraid I’ll damage it during the setting process, so I’ll have to use a claw or tab setting…or resin at the back. Unfortunately these are old and had been rattling round the bottom of a draw in northern England, and in Australia, before they landed in my possession. In the less-hard stones it’s hard to know if and when there are hairline fractures in them. They must be treated with respect and care, as with any vintage item.

I’ve already crumbled one to powder – yes that glorious green one in the linked post! It is salvageable to be used as stone inlay at some point in the future.

The other items on the bench are the recycled/salvaged copper and silver net rings, hand-braided and then fused with silver. They were initially a waiting-for-the-item-in-the-pickle project (can’t leave the hands idling!), but are incredibly popular and I’ve had to top up the supply.

I have made (and will make again in the coming weeks) a sterling silver version – one of which was a wedding ring last year in December.