I have been wanting to create a new collection of my original skull. The collection is anchored by the most important piece which is the ring. I wanted to keep the old school flavor of the first ones that i made in the late 80′s and early 90′s. The creation of King Baby pieces is an involved and time consuming process. All of our jewelry is designed, hand-carved, cast, and polished in our sunny Santa Monica studio. Today I’ll show you what goes on behind the scenes in our workshop and give you an intimate look at the making of the new Spring 2011 King Baby skull rings with garnet eyes! (K20-5303 & K20-5304)
The finished product!
New Design for a skull ring
It all starts with nailing down the ideas that are constantly flowing around down onto paper. We begin working from detailed sketches and choosing the best designs for new pieces. When sketching we always are visualizing the piece in 3-D so we try to imagine the weight, the feel of the ring on your hand. As you know one of my trademarks is the oxidized contrast of the design and the substantial weight of it.
Production wax of skull rings
Before the rings are cast, the production pieces must be prepared in wax. Each piece is a duplicate of the hand-carved master which is a true work of art. This stage is where we know if we got it right. Proportion, size, feel….
New rings right after silver casting
During the production process the wax pieces are arranged into a tree and cast into sterling silver. This is the raw state of the rings before refining and polishing. Here is the first look of the casting straight from the flask after we pour the silver.
\'Chosen\' skull ring by King Baby with garnet eyes
The final step in the process is polishing to a perfect shine. The contrast of black and bright silver is what creates the trademark King Baby look. The sinister red eyes are the finishing touch on this epic ring. I chose garnets because of the color and size. I really got it right if i do say so my self. I believe we have created a new classic that we will continue to make for a long time. Let me know what you think….