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Categories: Jewelry Studio Notes, Latest News, Mokume Gane, Wedding Rings | Tags: Engagement Rings, mokume gane, palladium, palladium 500, palladium white gold, precious metals, wedding bands, wedding rings |
Andrew Nyce Designs | November 16, 2011 |
Andrew Nyce Designs is now offering a wide variety of elegant, unique wedding bands and engagement rings utilizing Palladium 500 alloys to replace 14K PW in select Mokume Gane compositions. By utilizing an innovative process, Andrew Nyce Designs’ team of expert Goldsmiths are able to create a vast selection of Mokume Gane patterns with old-world craftsmanship at new, attractive pricing. Andrew Nyce Designs continues to offer select compositions for those wanting higher gold content Mokume Gane compositions.
Andrew Nyce began experimenting with the new Palladium 500 alloy in Fall 2010. The unique use of this alloy, which has recently been introduced in European retail jewelry markets, including Mokume Gane, has yet to be adopted by jewelry designers in the United States. Throughout 2011, the price of gold experienced dramatic fluctuations as it steadily increased. We decided it was time to decrease our dependence on the volatility and price escalation of gold. It was time to introduce a new family of Mokume Gane compositions based upon Palladium 500.
Our new compositions were created by replacing the 14K Palladium White Gold (14K PW) in our Mokume Gane with Palladium 500. For our purposes, the Palladium 500 alloy shares many qualities of 14K Palladium White Gold (14K PW) – it is wear-resistant and retains its vibrant color. Palladium 500 looks exactly like 14K Palladium White Gold (14K PW). As such, the Mokume Gane rings we made using Palladium 500 retain the exact look of Mokume compositions containing 14K PW.
We continue to offer Mokume Gane with higher content Gold (including 14K PW) and Platinum for those who like the look and feel of these precious metals and for whom price considerations are not as much a concern.
Precious Metals Mokume Gane with Palladium 500 is available across all our Collections!
Categories: Damascus Stainless Steel, Latest News, Men's Rings, Mokume Gane, Wedding Rings | Tags: damascus steel, gallery of jewels, men's ring, mokume gane, retail outlet, san francisco |
Andrew Nyce Designs | September 6, 2011 |
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
Categories: Damascus Stainless Steel, Engagement Rings, Latest News, Mokume Gane, Wedding Rings | Tags: damascus steel, engagement set, engagement101, jewelry awards, men's ring, mokume gane |
Andrew Nyce Designs | May 3, 2011 |
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.
Categories: Damascus Stainless Steel, Engagement Rings, Latest News, Men's Rings, Mokume Gane, New Designs, Wedding Rings | Tags: damascus patterns, damascus steel, Engagement Rings, mokume gane |
Andrew Nyce Designs | June 18, 2010 |
 [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]
[Blue Flame Rings set in an 18K gold channel (left) and platinum-enhanced sterling silver channel (right) ]
About 7 years ago, I began making jewelry using a unique process that incorporated an oxyacetylene torch to sculpt the surface of semi-solid silver alloys into ripples and waves. I enjoyed the challenge of this work and created some strikingly beautiful jewelry. However, I became so intensely interested in Mokume Gane and Damascus that I set this third jewelry-making technique aside. Until now. I have returned to the idea of creating jewelry with this process under the name Blue Flame.
Blue Flame Jewelry is created by sculpting silver alloys into ripples and waves using an intense oxyacetylene (blue) flame. The initial step involves subjecting a specially formulated sheet of silver alloy to a pre-oxidation and acid-etching treatment. This treatment creates a thin layer of pure silver on the surface of the silver alloy sheet.
Using an oxyacetylene flame, I preheat the sheet to just below the point where the interior of the silver alloy sheet begins to melt. The surface layer of pure silver, which has a higher melting point, remains solid. The challenge is to prevent the liquid metal alloy from “burning” through the solid pure silver layer. As I move the oxyacetylene flame across the sheet, liquid/solid regions are created which, in turn, create the ripples and waves as the alloy beneath the pure solid silver alternately melts and solidifies. The size of the flame and the pre-oxidation conditions determine the size of the surface features. Waves, ripples, swirls and even writing are possible in various scales with this technique.
Although this technique, also known as reticulation, can be used on gold or silver alloys, I have chosen to focus my efforts in the jewelry studio on silver alloys embraced in a channel of precious metal alloys. My initial emphasis will be on making rings, the first of which will be offered through one of our retailers, Taboo Studio in San Diego, California. The plan is to expand into more of our retail outlets into next year. In late 2010, I intend to offer other Blue Flame jewelry, such as pendants and earrings.
If you have any questions or would like more information about Blue Flame rings, please contact us.
 [Flame-sculpted necklace handcrafted by Andrew Nyce Designs in 2003]
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.
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