Creating Handmade Silver Jewelry

Making silver jewelry is an art. It is also hard work! Metalwork is not only strenuous, it can be dangerous as well. This type of work requires knowledge of the medium - in this case, the sterling silver metal - and also the tools used to form the raw material into an attractive, wearable object.
Most people don't think of what had to be done to create their favorite piece of handmade silver jewelry. The tools most commonly used to accomplish this are specialty pliers, hammers, a jeweler's saw, metal shears, files, punches and stamps. Of course there are other tools used also ... many pieces require parts to be joined, and in most instances this requires a torch.

Silver can be manipulated by using the tools mentioned above. Compared to iron, steel and many other metal alloys, silver is relatively soft. A flat silver disk can be transformed into a bowl by using simple tools - hammers and stakes. Stakes are rod like steel tools that are secured in a holder or a vise; they have heads that are shaped in different ways; square, oval and round are common, but there are many more. The disk is placed over the stake and struck repeatedly with hammers, moving the disc around to form it over the stake - in the example of a bowl, into a concave shape. The same process can be used to transform a strip of sterling silver into a cuff bracelet or collar!

Most silver rings are a great example of a jewelry object that is made up of several component parts. The setting for a gemstone ring - sometimes called a "head" - is usually a separate component that is attached to a ring shank, the band that goes around a finger. In the example on the left, the ring setting is made of four parts. Bezel wire is wrapped around the set object (blue sea glass) and soldered closed. A wire shelf is soldered inside as a platform for the glass to sit on. Then this assembly was soldered to a backing plate. And finally the ring shank was soldered to the back of the setting. After the ring was completed, the glass was set by burnishing the edge of the bezel over the glass. A simple ring like this one takes a couple of hours to make. For a more complicated design more time will be needed to design and create the finished ring. Many times the setting itself is made of several parts.

A handmade gemstone ring setting may be made with a bezel, formed from thin strip that is wrapped around a stone then soldered into a loop the stone fits into.

The bezel is soldered down to a backing plate. Sometimes a decorative element surrounds the bezel - it could be a twisted or bead wire ring. After this assembly is finished, the ring shank is soldered to the back to complete the ring. The opal ring on the right features a serrated bezel and a twist wire border, with a fancy decorative ring shank. It was made in a similar manner to the ring with the sea glass cabochon but there are several steps added - the decorative border and the oxidized finish, or darkened patina - which makes the pattern in the shank more prominent.

So the next time you are considering a handmade jewelry purchase, consider the work that went into the piece. You'll appreciate it more, and you'll find yourself wearing handmade jewelry often!