Yes, it's true. I love to solder. Next to hammering it is my favorite jewelry technique. Of course it was not always so. I have destroyed many a piece of silver during my early days. Life has gotten much easier since I have broken the code on this process though. Here's a piece that was one of my first soldering jobs. Not only did this take about 10 times longer that it … [Read more...]
Sawing, Filing and Sanding: a Jeweler’s life
These 3 processes are essential to my life at the Jewelry Bench. My least favorite is the sawing. I think it’s because this process is used towards the beginning of the design process. Whereas the filing and sanding are done once the piece is close to completion. Moreover both the filing and sanding have an almost meditative effect for me. I can let my mind relax and dream a … [Read more...]
Tools of the Trade: Ring Shank
Ever wonder how we Artisan jewelry designers make our rings so round?? How do we determine the sizing? I use two secret weapons. OKAY actually these are specialized tools. The first is this ring shank (officially called a mandrel but often referred to as a shank) The mandrel is made of the finest quality steel. It's calibrated along one side so I can determine the size of the … [Read more...]
The Secret Life of a Metal & Hammer Hoarder
If someone had told me 15 years ago that I would be salivating over sheets of metal and hammers I would have [tweet_dis_img][/tweet_dis_img]laughed out loud! Yet here I am ... getting excited over my collection of hammers. This is one of my favorite ones. The surface creates a soft almost satiny texture on my Copper, Silver or Brass metal. But the fun only starts with this … [Read more...]
Corrugated Jewelry? Yes!
If you haven't guessed by now. I love to texture my metal as I create my designs. So when I became aware of the corrugation process, I was intrigued. First of all I purchased the book. Metal Corrugation by Patricia McAleer. This colorful book introduces the metalsmith (that's me) to a new method of creative expression--metal corrugated jewelry designs. I read it cover to … [Read more...]
