Silicone Claddagh Rings

For my project, I designed and made a pair of plastic wedding rings based on a Celtic design called a Claddagh ring, with a woven band that I will be able to cast in silicone in the future. My original goal was to create a stylized silicone ring that is elegant, but still wearable in all conditions.

Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful in creating the silicone rings, however, I was able to design and print the rings I wanted in a professional enough manner that I may be able to finish them in the future. I ultimately gain a greater understanding of my abilities, my knowledge, and how to research ideas and techniques that are still fairly new, and thus hard to find.

Silicone Rings are a fairly new kind of jewelry that is made to be more functional. My husband and I both work with our hands and rings often need to be removed, so silicone rings seemed like a good choice. However, my family is descended from Ireland and I have always wanted my wedding band to be the traditional Irish Claddagh Ring. Unfortunately, all the silicone bands I have been able to find are simple flat bands, and the only customization they offered was colors and occasionally logo engravings. I decided that the best way to balance my need for functionality with my desire for the traditional wedding band was to digitally sculpt a ring and cast it in silicone.

Originally, I intended to cast the silicone rings myself, but sadly my skills were not up to the task. I sculpted the ringfrom scratch 3 times, until I was finally able to print a functional ring. I was able to get the design printed in a nearby 3D printer for very cheap. Then I learned about all the ways to sand and polish plastic to get a smooth finish. And a couple of ways not too, as one ring did melt in the process. Lastly, I made a mold out of silicone for the ring, but as my luck would have it, the release agent that was made specifically for the silicone did not work, and the ring became bonded with the mold permanently. I then tried several other methods to make a mold, but the ring ended up being too small for me to accurately reproduce it with the tools I have now.

I hope that once I am able to find a professional who can either teach me, or direct me to the right sources, I will be able to sell silicone Claddagh rings. I want to people to have more options as there are a lot of jobs out there that require you to remove your ring or wear a silicone one. Wedding rings are a huge part of our culture, and I personally know how difficult it is to sacrifice something so important symbolically for practicality. Once I have a business up and running, then I may be able to sculpt other ring designs as well.

I learned a great deal about many programs and materials that I had never come into contact with before. It was a great learning experience, and a good first step to starting my own silicone ring business. I hope to keep learning and progressing with this project long after I graduate from SUU.

“Things don’t always work out the way you want them to, but that doesn’t mean the path has ended. Keep looking, even if you have to go backwards a little ways. There is always something more to be found.”

-Sierra Stein