Cherry red is too hot for annealing. A dull red in a dark room should be enough. I also read to quench red gold in denatured alcohol for a slower cool-down. OK for small pieces but you don't want a large open container of alcohol around, obviously.
I set it on a steel plate and don't quench...
It is an awesome design. My only suggestion would be to vary the shading a little.
Alternating longer and shorter strokes and/or graduating the shade lines from short to long.
I have used a rotary tumbler with stainless steel media
and I think they have a very gentle action. I don't think it would ruin the inlay.
I actually think they do a better job at "polishing" engraved pieces because it does not remove the fine details like buffing with a wheel would.
That...
You could also use a liner to make a florentine-type of texture for background areas. Also you could use a hammer and small punch to planish the background areas smoother but with a little texture. Getting the background back to smooth is not very easy.
Divide a sheet of sketch pad paper into 10-20 random shapes by drawing random straight lines or crease the paper with random folds. Most of the shapes will have 3,4 or 5 sides. Practice filling the odd-shaped "cells" with scrolls that touch as many sides as possible.
You'll be surprised at your...
I would recommend you start out with some basic engraving practice - Straight lines, concentric circles, graduated shade lines - the type of boring practice that most beginners want to bypass. Also keep drawing and don't engrave a design until you have refined it at least twice. You can touch...
Print your text and tape it to the outside of your ring. Use a needle to poke through the paper and leave a tiny dot on the ring at the ends of the letters. Connect the dots by eye.
Try darkening your background areas as if you had done "background removal" in your finished engraving. This will help you envision that your "negative areas" are evenly spaced and in proportion to your leaves and tendrils.