There are no mistakes!

There are no mistakes, just learning experiences. But boy am I getting tired of all my learning experiences lately. I had another one during a class that I was teaching. (Thank goodness it was my piece that had the problem and not my student's. )

We were making a ring with a large CZ. Cool Tools had some new stones that were pillow shaped with a checkerboard cut on top. They are really nice and I was liking the look of the large 10 mm stone, although the ring wasn't quite what I had in mind when I started. I wanted a big, long ring and this was becoming more square. But the yellow diamond CZ in the middle was just plain dazzling so I was willing to let my original plan go.

The band was textured and I kept feeling that the top of the ring just didn't go with the texture on the band. I tried several things (to no avail) to make the top and band compliment each other. Even though it just didn't feel right I was going to go with it.

The ring had other ideas. I fired it upside down so the top wouldn't slump like my orange ring. But, the band slid on the ring pellet and was really, really out of whack. To straighten it, I used a rawhide mallet and hammered away at it on my metal ring mandrel. (One of those things I've done before with no problem. Seems like that's happening a lot lately.) Slowly it started to come back into line and then wham.... the top popped off. With a little more hammering, the ring cracked at the seam. When I was pasting the top to the band, I drilled the hole too big. I figured there wasn't enough contact between the band and the top. (Guess I was right.... darn! I hate being right.)

It was one of the cases where I knew there might be a problem, but I was just too lazy to make it right.

Oh well, things are looking up. I've made a new top (which compliments the band and is long and narrow) and the yellow diamond CZ has a new home in a hidden bail pendant. It usually works out and often for the better. This time was no different.

Tomorrow I'll share photos of the new pieces. I like them both better than my original.