SILVERSMITHING f or or
JEWELRY MAKERS A Handbook Handbook of of Techniqu Techniques es and Surfac Surfacee Treatmen Treatments ts
Elizabeth Bone
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Contents
Table of contents
INTRODUCTION
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Materials The history of silver The benefits of working in silver Fine silver Sterling silver Buying silver
10 12 14 16 18
Tools and Equipment The workbench Measuring and marking tools Hammers and mallets Cutting and filing tools Bending tools Forming and shaping tools Drilling equipment Heating and soldering equipment Engraving, chasing, and repoussé tools Stone-setting tools Casting equipment Metal clay equipment
20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42
Cleaning and polishing equipment Machinery Chemicals Health and safety equipment
44 46 48 50
Specialist Techniques Married metals Stones and stone setting Metal clay Filigree Granulation
104 126 152 160 166
Weights and measures Hallmarking Courses Suppliers Tradeshows Guilds and associations Further reading and online resources Glossary Contributors Index Acknowledgments
176 178 180 181 182 183
Basic Techniques Annealing and pickling Soldering Cutting Filing Forming Shaping Cold connections Wirework and chains Findings and mechanisms Casting Repairs
54 56 58 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74
Surfaces Texturing Chasing and repoussé Engraving Etching Reticulation Oxidizing and coloring Finishing surfaces
184 186 189 190 192
76 80 84 88 92 96 100
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. h s o t n i c a M e n a J . t n a d . n e n p e g e e r a D u l q ë o S J o : o S t t o o h N P
. d i E a i h t n y C . t e l e c a r . b d i s s E a a r i G h t a e n y S C n e : o d t l o o h G P
Married Metals Overview Silver can be used in combination with other precious and nonprecious metals to add color, pattern, and texture, offering the designer endless creative possibilities. Precious metals are an obvious first choice to work with, but these can be expensive. Nonprecious metals such as copper or bronze are good alternatives and also reduce the overall cost. Be sure to check hallmarking regulations when using combinations of different metals.
MARRIED METALS TECHNIQUES INLAY
Inlay describes the surface of the metal when it has had contrasting metals laid or secured into it. The result is a flat surface with color and pattern differences that looks like one piece of metal. Traditional inlay uses chisels to gouge out a recess in the metal. The recess is then filled with wire or sheet that is tapped into place using hammers and tools. There are five different inlay techniques, which are explained opposite:
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e n i r e h t a C . . s t d n n a a d l l n e o p H r e n t s a u m l c r o d l N : o o g t o d h n a P . r s e l v l i l i S H
Techniques and Tutorials:
SPECIALIST TECHNIQUES
Applied Inlay: a technique where the metal to be inlaid is appliquéd or joined to the surface of the parent metal by soldering. It is then passed through a rolling mill until the appliquéd metal becomes flush with the base metal.
Piqué Work: a seventeenth- and eighteenth-century French technique of inlaying small gold pins into tortoiseshell. Dotted patterns can be created in silver by soldering a contrasting metal wire into a drilled hole.
Solder Inlay: in this technique, solder is flooded into grooves in the silver. The grooves can be made by hammers, punches, roller printing, engraving, or etching.
Jigsaw/Puzzle Inlay: As the name suggests, this technique involves cutting pieces that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle and then soldering them. The advantage of this process is that the inlay can be seen on both the front and the back.
Lamination Inlay: A pattern is pierced from one piece of metal and then soldered or laminated to another. The laminate is compressed until both sheets are flush.
. a d i n G l a r a h a B . e c e i p k c . e a n d d i o n P G e d e n e t c G u : r t o s t n o o h C P
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Piqué Work Tutorial Silver Ring with 22K Gold Piqué Work
THE PROCESS
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The pattern was marked out on the ring with a marker pen and then center punched before drilling holes that were the same diameter as the wire to be used and about 0.020" (0.5 mm) – 3 ⁄ 64" (1.0 mm) deep.
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The ends of the 22K wires were filed flat and small lengths cut so that they sat proud once inserted in the holes. The wires should be a tight fit. The ring was fluxed making sure that the flux went into the holes and the wires were inserted in groups.
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Small pieces of hard silver solder were placed flat against the ring with one edge resting against the base of the gold wire.
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The solder was run so that it made a good join where the wire is inserted into the ring.
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Once cooled and pickled, the protruding wires were cut off with a piercing saw.
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The ring was then filed so that the gold wires became completely flush with the surface. A satin finish was applied with emery paper.
Marker pen
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Drill
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Gold wires
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Hard silver solder
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Pickling solution
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Piercing saw
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Emery paper
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Techniques and Tutorials:
SPECIALIST TECHNIQUES
Drilling a hole creates a burr; file or sand this away before continuing. If the wire is too tight to fit in the hole, carefully file the end until it fits. 1.
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When cutting off the gold wire, remember to collect the dust and offcuts and keep them separate from the silver. These can be used for other married metal projects. Plan ahead: will there be more joints to be made after the inlay? Start with hard silver solder and try to use this for as many joints as possible. Try to protect previous joints.
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Your expert techniques with a silver lining A compreh ensive g uide, Silversmithing for Jewelry Makers details techniques, surface treatments, and innovations specifically designed for all jewelry makers working in silver, and especially focuses on the needs and interests relevant to metal-jewelry artisans. Explore basic skills as well a s specialist techniques, including filigree , chasi ng, anneal ing , engraving, etching, casting, and much more. Plus, profiles of contemporary practitioners are included in every section, along with galleries illustrating a range of beautifully crafted finished works. The handy resource sec tion also fea tures a h ow-to for sel ling jewelr y in the contemporar y acce ssorie s mark et. Experi enc ed jewelr y makers interested in either exploring silver for the first time or taking their silver jewelry to the next level will love this harmonious marriage between expert silversmithing advice and a jewelry artisan sensibility. E l i z a b e t h B o n e is an established jeweler who has been practicing for close to twenty years, specializing in working with silver with oxidized or gold-plated details. Elizabeth is a tutor at the London Jewelry School as well as visiting lecturer for other courses. Her work has been featured in a number of publications including Marie Claire, New Directions in Jewelry, 500 Earrings, and The Metalsmith’s Book of Boxes and Lockets.
Flexibound 7.5 × 9.7, 192 pages ISBN 978-1-59668-499-7 $30 Avai lable Nov emb er 201 1
