Silver jewellery making is understandably a very popular form of jewellery making, as the possibilities are almost endless and it’s always in high demand. We know that starting your jewellery making journey can be overwhelming which is why, as a part of our how to make jewellery hub we’re giving you some helpful advice, tips, guides and more on a range of jewellery making. Here we’ve put together a guide on all things silver jewellery making to help you along your journey.
Definition
Silver jewellery making is the process of making jewellery out of Silver. It is closely related to making jewellery out of other precious metals such as Gold, although the metals do need to be treated and worked with differently.
5 simple processes in Silver jewellery making
There are five basic simple processes in which you will almost always use when making jewellery:
- Saw the metal, using bees wax, into the shape you desire
- File the metal edge till smooth
- Work the metal, through forging, hammering, texturing, dapping and/or doming it to further shape it
- Solder the metal, join the precious and semi-precious metals such as Silver, Gold, brass, and copper- use silver solder when working in base metal.
- Finish the metal through texturing, burnishing, buffing, polishing and oxidising.
What you need for Silver jewellery making
- A saw
- Brushes to finish your metal
- A basic hammer and/or rawhide mallet
- Metal files: Half-round files, flat files and needle files
- A ceramic or glass pot for your pickle
- Silver wire/sheet/chips/paste
- A mask
Silver jewellery making projects to get you started
Top Tips
Practice on Base metals
Before you start working with precious metals, it is a good idea to practice your techniques on base metals. This should get yourself familiar with the process. Copper and Brass sheet, wire and blanks are a cost effective alternative, which will allow you to practice and perfect your skill without pressure.
Invest in Yourself
Invest in quality equipment for your entire workshop. Cutting cost on equipment is understandable particularly when starting from scratch, but when trying to develop your skills, the last thing you need are tools that easily break or don’t do the job well. Investing in good equipment is an investment in yourself, what could be better?
Store Your Metals Carefully
Silver is very soft, so it can easily be scratched and warped. Most bits of precious metal will be supplied with a protective film, don’t remove this until you use the piece and keep everything stored safely to avoid any unnecessary damage . Silver findings and chains can be stored with an anti-tarnish tag to help prevent tarnish.
Plan Carefully
When you plan your design carefully, you can be precise when using silver. At Cooksongold we can cut to suit your precious metal requirements so that when you make a piece, there is little to no waste.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our article about all things Silver jewellery making. If you have any questions or want to know more, get in touch with us on Facebook and Instagram. Or click here to view our full Beginner’s Guide To Working With Silver. We’d also love to see what you’ve been making so please share pictures of your creations with us too, tagging Cooksongold!
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