Outer Limits Damascus Steel Wedding Rings with 18K Gold Inlaid Band and Diamond

Andrew Nyce Designs is one of 18 studio jewelers who are participating in an exhibition at The Silver Blue & Gold Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA from March 1 to May 20, 2012. We have both our Damascus Steel and Mokume Gane rings on display.

With homage, and a little twist, to the tradition of “a ring by spring,” Silver Blue & Gold presents Ring 4 Spring, an exhibition of unique engagement, wedding, and just-for-fun rings.

Ring 4 Spring offers an alternative to strictly traditional rings. While yellow gold, white gold, and diamonds are represented, so are Damascus steel, titanium, palladium, and zirconia ceramic.

Originally developed for use in high-tech industries, zirconia ceramic is now the cutting edge for luxury fashion. These rings come in multiple colors and are often inlaid with white and colored diamonds. Damascus steel rings replicate the strength and subtle beauty of the ancient swords handcrafted by Syrian artisans over a thousand years ago. They radiate the power required to forge them and the strength that makes them so durable. Palladium is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal. It is naturally white, so there is no maintenance to keeping it beautiful. Titanium is strong and light, and has long been a favorite at Silver Blue & Gold.

Interesting materials meet innovative designs in a blend of jewelry and art. Ring 4 Spring will appeal to couples looking for an expression of love as unique as their relationship, women and men commemorating life events, and the fashion forward who like to wear their jewelry where they can see it.

Stop by and check out the exhibit if you are in Laguna Beach!

Andrew Nyce Designs is proud to announce that our work can now be found alongside other talented artisans at San Francisco-based Gallery of Jewels. We are very excited to have a retail presence in San Francisco! Our Damascus Steel and Stainless Steel Mokume rings will be on display at the gallery’s Fillmore Street location (2115 Fillmore Street).

The gallery was conceived in 1990 by Dona Taylor and Bill Hoover, the principals. The gallery delivers a fashion aesthetic, purely driven by passion and integrity. The entire Gallery of Jewels staff strives to build long-term relationships with jewelry artists and customers alike.

Gallery of Jewels is dedicated to creating and managing a specialized retail jewelry marketplace. The galleries represent and sell handcrafted, limited edition jewelry by Bay Area, regional and international jewelry designers. The gallery presents each artist individually and collectively achieves an attractive variety of silver, gold and platinum adornments. With more than 100 artists in our portfolio. With more than 100 artists in their portfolio, Gallery of Jewels always has something special for your fashion, engagement, wedding, and commitment needs.

Gallery of Jewels was voted one of the Top Ten Designer Retailers for 2010-2011 by JCK (Jewelers’ Circular Keystone), the jewelry industry’s leading trade publication and industry authority.

Gallery of Jewels

Today, Andrew Nyce Designs was named a finalist in Engagement 101′s 2011 Bridal Jewelry Awards. Rings were chosen during a rigorous nomination process where a committee of experts narrowed down the selections to just eight rings per category. Our rings were selected for two different categories: Men’s Wedding Bands and Wedding Band Sets. Voting begins today, May 2, through May 31st. To vote for our rings, use the button below to go to the Engagement 101 Bridal Jeweler Awards webpage and follow the simple instructions. You will need to provide your name and email, but by doing so, you will be entered to win Engagement 101′s Royal Wedding Giveaway prize which includes matching wedding bands and a tiara.

In the Men’s Wedding Band category, our BOLD Damascus Steel Ring with Black Diamonds was selected as a finalist. Bold. Daring. Confident. This Stainless Steel band with the Starlight pattern and black oxide coating, is set in a 950 Palladium channel with one 0.11 carat flush set square cut white diamond and two 0.1 carat round black diamonds flush set in 950 Palladium bezels. Starlight Damascus possesses a dense pattern with a distinctive star or cross shape.

In the Wedding Band Set category, our Essentials Glacial Mist Mokume Gane rings with channel set diamonds and accent diamonds were selected as a finalist. Glacial Mist Mokume Gane evokes the silvery shimmer of a crisp, swirling mist rising from an arctic glacier. It is composed of layers of 14K Palladium White Gold and Palladium-enhanced Sterling Silver. The Engagement ring has a 1 carat round diamond in 6-prong setting and four 0.015 carat channel set round accent diamonds on each side. The wedding band has 9 channel set 0.015 carat round diamonds.

We would appreciate your vote.

[From top to bottom: JET Racer DUO Men's Rings with Quasar and Remington Damascus patterns]

The DUO series of JET Racer Men’s rings from Andrew Nyce Designs bisect the Damascus pattern not once, but twice. The design incorporates two inlaid bands of precious metal [pictured: 18K Royal Yellow Gold]. DUO rings illustrate the ability to abstract a pattern and yet still enable enough cues to allow the wearer to visualize the entire pattern. The eye and mind act in concert to fill in the missing piece of information, in this case the part of the pattern interrupted by the inlaid bands. DUO Jet Racer Men’s rings will be available from our website starting in February 2011.

[left: BOLD Starlight Damascus Men's Ring with white and black diamonds]
[right: Embraced Ashes and Snow Mokume Gane Wedding Band with Ceylon Blue Sapphires]

Andrew Nyce Designs has launched a number of new designs and patterns for Summer 2010 with the theme Something New and Something Blue. Because, who really wants something borrowed or old? Designs this Summer incorporated more gemstones not only into traditional engagement rings, but into men’s rings as well. Black diamonds are a trend we could not afford to ignore. Blue Sapphires are a pleasing complement to both the steely tones of our Damascus rings as well as to the subtle hues of our white-metal Mokume Gane palettes like Ashes and Snow. In addition, we have worked to created some new Damascus patterns and refreshed a few others.

[top: Glacial Mist Mokume Gane Blue Sapphire Engagement Ring]
[bottom: Glacial Mist Mokume Gane 3-Stone Diamond Engagement Ring]

For our Mokume Gane Engagement Ring Collection, we have added a three-stone diamond engagement ring. This refined, traditional setting works well with our lighter Mokume Gane palettes, like Glacial Mist or Ashes and Snow. A Blue Sapphire sitting in the 6-prong setting adds just the right amount of color to make the ring truly eye-popping.

[left to right: Essentials Damascus Rings with Wave Rider, Quasar, Safari, Thor, Remington and Woodcut patterns]

Four new Damascus patterns have been added to our line: Wave Rider, Quasar, Safari and Thor. In addition, we have refreshed Remington (circles and ovals are more distinct) and Woodcut (now with broader lines). Wave Rider is a Special Edition pattern that is available in limited stock. When the stock is used up, the pattern will no longer be offered. The image above shows the new patterns as Essentials Damascus wedding rings. Below, the patterns are shown as JET Men’s Damascus ring.

Our men’s rings are offered in a narrow size range (7 to 13) and wider overall width (8mm and 10mm) than our Essentials rings (sizes 4 to 13 and widths 4mm to 10mm). JET rings come standard with a black oxide coating; black oxide coatings are an option for Essentials rings.

Canyonlands TriGold is a new Mokume Gane color palette composed of layers of 14K Yellow Gold, 14K Palladium White Gold and 14K Red Gold. Canyonlands TriGold evokes the dramatic and colorful landscape of Southeastern Utah.

[Canyonlands TriGold Mokume Gane Wedding Ring Set]

Finally, if you see some design elements of our rings that you like and want to combine it with other design elements into a totally new ring, ask us. We’d be happy to make a custom-designed work of art for you. Who wouldn’t want to see Black diamonds combined with Ceylon Blue Sapphire. The Black & Blue Men’s Ring…a new design for the Fall, perhaps?

[Mockup of a Black & Blue Damascus Men's Ring]

So far in 2009, Andrew Nyce Designs has added three new Damascus patterns to the five other patterns that we offer. Art Deco was introduced earlier this year. The Woodcut and Cosmic patterns were introduced in late Summer.

The Art Deco pattern has bold rounded and linear elements that intersect each with other forming modern motifs. Shown below are two rings with the Art Deco pattern: a JET Men’s ring with a black oxide coating (top) and an Embraced Wedding ring with an 18K gold channel.

Woodcut pays homage to the thick, flowing lines of a woodcut print. The pattern also reflects more Earthly forms such as the furrows in a freshly plowed field. Shown below are two Men’s rings with the JET ring sitting atop a BOLD ring. Both rings have the Woodcut pattern and a black oxide coating.

The wider Cosmic pattern mirrors the vast emptiness of space punctuated by striking and beautiful interstellar bodies. Shown below is a JET Men’s ring with the Quasar pattern and a black oxide coating.

All of these patterns are available for any ring within any of the Andrew Nyce Designs Damascus Collections.

Jewelry Studio Notes (a technical discussion of Andrew’s work on new Damascus patterns)

Woodcut and Art Deco are both produced from the same starting material. We use a stacking arrangement consisting of alternating layers of 316L and 304L stainless steel. This assembly is bonded using a proprietary process. Then, the material is forged into a round bar of a predetermined diameter, twisted, forged into a square and then machined into a round bar. The Art Deco pattern is found on the surface of the round bar. If, after the twisting step, the round bar is forged flat instead of into a square, the result is the Woodcut pattern.

The Cosmic pattern is similar in appearance to both the Wood Grain and Celestial patterns. The starting materials for Cosmic are parallel layers of Damascus that have been twisted to a 70-degree starting angle, forged into a square shape, and then machined into a round bar. Both the Cosmic pattern and subtle variations of the Cosmic pattern are found on the surface of the round bar. From a production standpoint, the Cosmic pattern is an undistorted Wood Grain pattern.

Andrew Nyce Designs announces the launch of a new Collection for our Damascus Stainless Steel rings. For those who prefer a classic, uncomplicated look, the Damascus Essentials Collection is a simple, yet elegant design. The distinctive Damascus pattern is the star of this design and can be seen from all sides of the ring. The Essentials Collection of Damascus rings is a counterpart to our Mokume Essentials Collection.

Rings in the Essentials Collection mirror the look of our JET Damascus Men’s line. However, Essentials rings come in a broader range of widths (from 4mm to 10mm) compared to the JET rings (8mm to 10mm), which are geared toward the wider aesthetics of a men’s ring. Essentials rings also do not have the black oxide coating, which is standard on most of our Men’s rings. The ring profile is typically domed across the top to maintain the rugged beauty of this collection.

The following design options are available for rings in the Damascus Essentials Collection:

Adding a Liner
An inner liner adds to the strength and longevity of the ring and creates a two-dimensional contrast that complements the steel blue-gray of the Damascus band.

Adding a Black Oxide Coating
A black oxide coating creates a striking contrast for the etched surface of the Damascus pattern.

Please note that it is possible to order an Essentials ring with edges only. You must fill out a Custom Quote Form in order to select this option. Edges enable the Damascus band to stand out by framing it either in warm, vibrant colors (yellow or red gold) or cool, distinguished colors (white gold, platinum or palladium). Framing the band with gold, platinum or palladium only adds to its rarity, making it more of an expression of your personality and character.

[left to right, Damascus Meridian with hand-textured inlaid band, Damascus Meridian Ultra, Mokume Meridian]

Andrew Nyce Designs formally introduces our Meridian Collection of Mokume Gane and Damascus Stainless Steel wedding, anniversary, and commitment rings. The defining feature of this Collection is an inlaid band of gold, platinum or palladium alloy that encircles the surface of the ring. This precious metal meridian neatly bisects the distinctive Mokume Gane and Damascus Steel patterns. Meridian rings were inspired by our JET Racer Damascus Men’s line.

A meridian is an imaginary arc on the Earth’s surface connecting the North and South geographic poles. All locations along the same meridian have the same longitude. A meridian also can be defined as pathways through the body along which vital energy circulates. Both of these definitions speak to the concept of connectedness, whether it is between locations separated by vast distances on the Earth, within our own bodies, or on the surface of a ring. The Meridian Collection takes this concept of connectedness and wraps it around your finger.

In making a Meridian ring, the starting point is a plain Damascus Steel or Mokume Gane band. A narrow channel is formed along the centerline of the band using either hand tools or a mini lathe. Then, a precious metal alloy square wire is fitted into to the channel and soldered in place.

There are two styles available for Damascus rings: Meridian and Meridian Ultra. The standard Damascus Meridian ring has an inlaid band that is proportional to the overall width of the ring. Meridian Ultra has a narrower inlaid band compared to the standard Meridian style. Only Damascus Meridian rings have the option of a hand-textured inlaid band. There is one style available for Meridian Mokume Gane rings.