Hi as a beginner I would really appreciate any help and advice from more experienced jewellery makers!

I have done a long jewellery making course where I mostly made silver rings, I know exactly what to do if all the right equipment and silver is in front of me but now I want to carry on making rings at home I am getting a bit stuck with buying the right things!

Firstly (and the most important thing I need!) is the actual silver. Does silver only come in sheet, wire and tube? Is the tube always hollow in the middle? This is confusing me as on the course I used tube that definately wasnt hollow but maybe it was scraps from someone else who had made it! I know silver solder comes with different melting temperatures but how do I know what temperature I will need?

I assume pickling the silver after soldering is essential but do you have to use a pickling unit? I cant afford a proper bench polisher, what are the alternatives for polishing? Can polishing be done by hand or is the a smaller more affordable tool that can do this? I have never used a tumbler before, do I need one? I occasionally used a rolling mill, is this a good tool to have as a beginner or is that a stupid question as it just depends on if Im making anything that needs flattening etc.

Sorry for all these questions at once, answers to any of them would be hugely helpful!

Thanks
Antonia