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The process of rolling wire. That chunk of gold that looked like stone awhile back, now looks like this. For the past 3 weeks, I've been rolling wire, but getting the hang of knowing when to spot trouble (like cracks or splinters or warping), and fixing them. So after you roll, your wire, you have to convert the ring size in to the circumference (in mm) with some basic math, but add some wiggle room to the diameter. Then file the ends so that they are flat, and wrap it around a ring mandrel, according to size. The ends have to be flush before you solder it, and there are different techniques, but the most speedy way to get it flush is using your saw blade, not file. If there's space, you might have to use solder, but try not to use it because of slight differing color variations.

The progress of rolling more wire to make rings is a bit tedious, however, the finished design doesn't look machine-made. It almost looks like archaic Greek jewelry with less bells and whistles. Measurements for each piece has to be predetermined (i.e. you want to set a gem, and what type of setting: gypsy, bezel or pave) and exact (i.e. sizing). I measured for a size 7, but was two sizes short because I used a different ruler that didn't have millimeters, so I had to start all over again. Some people who were creating bezels went too thin (e.g. like paper), and had to start over again as well. After taking this class, I really appreciate wire, lol.

Week 4:

Week 5:

I just had to buy more gold because I didn't have enough for the bezel settings. The recent calamity of the stock market drove the price of gold up. I ended up calculating that 6 weeks ago, 1 dwt equaled $42.50 and now 1 dwt equals $46.33, which was the price I purchased on Tuesday, October 7. I went to one gold place, which only sold 1 ounce of 24kt for $950.00 and 5 dwt 22kt for $190, yikes! Anyway, Myron Toback is the place to buy gold at reasonable prices.

Bolt Bus is a new subsidiary of Greyhound bus. For just $20, you can go to Boston, Philly, and DC. It has free wi-fi and power outlets. The power was reliable, and so was the Internet (but I was able to upload about 20 photos onto Flickr—look below for photo), except for a couple of spotty places.

These buses are clean, and the drivers are smooth drivers and courteous. There was a guy running down the block, and our driver, Calvin, stopped for him still, to pick him up. There are a couple of ground rules with noise, but very reasonable. All the buses are new, and after 8 rides (one way trips), you get one for free.