How do we make a titanium ring?
The most significant difference between making a Titanium ring and a ring from a precious metal is the hardness of titanium. Titanium cannot be moulded through heat as with gold or silver.
Your titanium ring starts off as a solid bar of titanium and through countless hours of machining takes on the form of a ring. South Africa does not produce refined titanium and it therefore needs to be imported in various forms. Titanium bars are preferred due to its cylindrical shape.
Traditionally a jewellery maker would need to have a certain set of skills in the manufacturing of a ring. As a titanium ring maker you not only need these skills but you need to be an avid machinist as well.
The most predominent machine used in the making of a titanium ring is a high-speed lathe. Due to the fact that a titanium ring is cut from a solid piece of titanium, the ring cannot be resized once made.
Making a wooden inlay titanium ring?
We essentially make the ring in 3 parts. The left side, the centre inlay and the right side of the ring. Once all 3 parts have been machined to absolute perfection, we squeeze the 3 parts togther with high pressure, making sure the ring is secure.
The titanium ring starts off as a solid titanium bar
The sides are measured and machined to within a fraction of a mm.
The wood inlay is cut separately and squeezed in between the two titanium halves.