Today, I’m starting a special project. My Father-in-Law has asked me to make two birthday pendants for his nieces’ 21st birthday present – they’re twins (in case, you’re wondering). First thing’s first, I need to choose the best design! My Father-in-Law is a massive Leonard Cohen fan. So he asked me to make two pendants …
I decided to have a go at setting a stone into a piece (probably not one of my better ideas, since I can barely control my soldering, but try I did!). So, here’s an overview of my first time setting stones in a bezel setting! I got a lovely 12x16mm oval turquoise cabochon from Bellore. …
I now have a total of six rings under my belt, so I thought I’d take a look back at my handmade rings. I probably need at least another 20 more to iron out all the kinks! That said, it’s been an invaluable experience and I thought I’d share what I learnt each time… 1. …
Making a Filigree Ring – Alone! After my first class and having all purchased my tools, I started my first solo ring project. I spent some time on the internet (there are a lot of really cool step-by-step projects out there!), and managed to find a set of PDF instructions about how to make a …
Just a short post today and purely because I can’t contain my excitement! I’ve just received these semi-precious stones, which I ordered from Bellore. These are lapis lazuli cabochons and are totally beautiful! I thought the turquoise cabochon I previously ordered was nice, but check these out! I’m thinking that these will work really well …
Today, I’m experimenting with how to make a pendant. I’ve never done this before, so I’m doing a practice run with a piece of copper, rather than straight into silver. Copper is significantly less expensive and harder than silver. For these reasons, many books and websites suggest mastering copper before moving onto silver. First Attempt …
Just thought I’d share a few little tips that I’ve picked up over the last few weeks, while I’ve been experimenting and practising my silversmithing: Use the right amount of solder – too little and the join is still visible; too much and there’s a lot of work to clean off the excess! When soldering, …
Today, I am trying a new jewellery technique and making my 1st attempt at sterling silver etching – I have some black stop-out polish and some ferric nitrate and plan to etch 2 rings today. Wish me luck! For the rings, I am using 4mm x 0.84mm sterling silver rectangular wire. I filed the ends …
My love for jewellery making started a couple of months ago when I attended a beginners’ silversmithing class at the London Jewellery School (http://www.LondonJewellerySchool.co.uk), based in Hatton Garden. This was a great, one day class, which introduced a lot of basic silversmithing skills and the beginning of a love for jewellery making. I attended the …
