Description
/* ------------------------------ INSTRUCTIONS ------------------------------ */
/* DO NOT EDIT THIS! UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE APPLY CHANGES TO THE CSS IN HERE, THE HEADER OR FOOTER! */
/* ----- Check out the full instructions: http://sta.sh/0h0h2gr62n9 ----- */
/* -----Week title ----- */
/* Put Novel Writing Basics Week
at the beginning of the text, NOT into the header, it will show up on the board */
/* Last edit: 09.07.2014 pica-ae */
/* ------------------------------ CSS ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 * {
background:transparent;
border:none;
box-shadow:none;
-moz-box-shadow:none;
-webkit-box-shadow:none;
box-sizing:border-box;
-moz-box-sizing:border-box;
-webkit-box-sizing:border-box;
margin:0;
padding:0;
}
/* ------------------------------ GENERAL ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top h2 img, body div#devskin13775681 .tri , body div#devskin13775681 .gr1, body div#devskin13775681 .gr2, body div#devskin13775681 .gr3, body div#devskin13775681 .list {
display:none!important;
}
body div#devskin13775681 a, body div#devskin13775681 a.external, body div#devskin13775681 .user-symbol {
color:#B73E62;
text-decoration:none;
}
body div#devskin13775681 a:hover, body div#devskin13775681 a.external:hover, body div#devskin13775681 .username-with-symbol:hover .user-symbol {
color:#E43A5D;
text-decoration:none;
transition:color 0.5s ease;
-moz-transition:color 0.5s ease;
-webkit-transition:color 0.5s ease;
-ms-transition:color 0.5s ease;
-o-transition:color 0.5s ease;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .user-symbol, body div#devskin13775681 a.external:after {
font-size:8px;
padding:2px;
position:relative;
top:-4px;
}
/* ------------------------------ GR-BOX ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 .negate-box-margin {
font-size:16px;
line-height:20px;
margin:0 auto;
max-width:1000px;
padding:10px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-box {
background:#dae4d9 url('https://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/184/2/d/bggrad_by_pica_ae-d7p0s6p.png') 0px 0px repeat-x;
border:1px solid #a6b2a6;
border-radius:6px;
-moz-border-radius:6px;
-webkit-border-radius:6px;
box-shadow:0px 1px 5px #8c9688;
-moz-box-shadow:0px 1px 5px #8c9688;
-webkit-box-shadow:0px 1px 5px #8c9688;
color:#5d625d;
font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;
font-size:14px;
line-height:20px;
overflow:visible;
margin-top:174px;
padding:220px 30px 30px 30px;
position:relative;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-genericbox {
}
/* ------------------------------ GR-TOP ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top {
background:#bcc8ba;
border:solid #a6b2a6;
border-width:1px 1px 0 1px;
border-radius:6px;
-moz-border-radius:6px;
-webkit-border-radius:6px;
box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0px #8b958b, inset 0px -1px 0px #f9fbf9, inset 0px 0px 60px #bcc8ba;
-moz-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0px #8b958b, inset 0px -1px 0px #f9fbf9, inset 0px 0px 60px #bcc8ba;
-webkit-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0px #8b958b, inset 0px -1px 0px #f9fbf9, inset 0px 0px 60px #bcc8ba;
height:100px;
margin:0 20px 0 95px;
padding:20px;
position:relative;
text-align:center!important;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top::after {
content:'';
border-top:10px solid transparent;
border-right:10px solid #bcc8ba;
border-bottom:10px solid transparent;
position:absolute;
top:35px;
left:-10px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top::before {
content:'';
border-top:10px solid transparent;
border-right:10px solid #f9fbf9;
border-bottom:10px solid transparent;
position:absolute;
top:36px;
left:-10px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .gr {
padding-left:0!important;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .gr h2, body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .gr h2 a {
color:#3d4d3d;
font-size:28px;
font-weight:bold;
text-shadow:0 1px 0px #8b958b, 0px -1px 0px #f9fbf9;
transition:color 0.5s ease;
-moz-transition:color 0.5s ease;
-webkit-transition:color 0.5s ease;
-ms-transition:color 0.5s ease;
-o-transition:color 0.5s ease;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .gr h2 a:hover {
color:#E43A5D;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .gr span {
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .author {
font-size:0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .author .username-with-symbol {
font-size:0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .author .username-with-symbol .user-symbol {
display:none;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-top .author .avatar {
background:transparent url('https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/0585039b-fa9c-4986-9838-a3e54a7dcef8/ddo7ddf-1247514f-0987-4244-b243-895aa003886a.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzA1ODUwMzliLWZhOWMtNDk4Ni05ODM4LWEzZTU0YTdkY2VmOFwvZGRvN2RkZi0xMjQ3NTE0Zi0wOTg3LTQyNDQtYjI0My04OTVhYTAwMzg4NmEucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.nJ_7oEoYSWP5WqOY9qj-CNRJk-xyJYV_5kibvpqAkJo') no-repeat center;
display:block!important;
padding:5px;
position:absolute;
top:-10px;
left:-110px;
}
/* ------------------------------ GR-BODY ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-body {
overflow:visible!important;
position:static!important;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-body .gr {
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-body .gr .grf-indent {
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-body .gr .grf-indent .text {
max-width:860px;
margin:0 auto;
padding:40px 0;
}
/* ------------------------------ BOTTOM ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-body .gr .grf-indent .bottom {
position:absolute;
right:6px;
bottom:16px;
color:#DAE4D9!important;
z-index:99;
padding:0px 0px 0px 0px!important;
height:27px;
font-size:0px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-body .gr .grf-indent .bottom a {
font-size:0px;
background:url('https://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/184/7/c/comment_by_pica_ae-d7p0s66.png') top no-repeat;
color:#DAE4D9!important;
text-decoration:none!important;
padding:0px;
margin:0px 15px 0px 10px;
text-align:center;
width:24px!important;
height:24px!important;
display:block;
transition:opacity 0.5s;
-moz-transition:opacity 0.5s;
-webkit-transition:opacity 0.5s;
-ms-transition:opacity 0.5s;
-o-transition:opacity 0.5s;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .gr-body .gr .grf-indent .bottom a:hover {
opacity:0.5;
filter:alpha(opacity=50);
_zoom:1;
}
/* ------------------------------ CUSTOM ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 .text h1, body div#devskin13775681 .text h2, body div#devskin13775681 .text h3, body div#devskin13775681 .text h4, body div#devskin13775681 .text h5, body div#devskin13775681 .text h6 {
font-family:'Ubuntu', 'Open Sans', 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color:#E4375B;
font-weight:500;
letter-spacing:0.02em;
line-height:20px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text .white h1, body div#devskin13775681 .text .white h2, body div#devskin13775681 .text .white h3, body div#devskin13775681 .text .white h4, body div#devskin13775681 .text .white h5, body div#devskin13775681 .text .white h6 {
color:#f3f3f3!important;
display:block;
font-family:'Ubuntu', 'Open Sans', 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
letter-spacing:0.02em;
font-weight:bold;
text-shadow:#333333 0px 1px 4px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text h1 {
font-size:32px;
line-height:40px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text h2 {
font-size:28px;
line-height:40px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text h3 {
font-size:24px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text h4 {
font-size:21px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text h5 {
font-size:18px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text h6 {
font-size:14px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text blockquote {
border-bottom:1px solid;
font-family:Tinos, Georgia;
font-size:21px;
font-style:italic;
line-height:28px;
margin:20px 40px;
padding:0 40px 20px 40px;
position:relative;
text-align:center;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text blockquote i {
font-size:14px;
position:absolute;
right:0;
bottom:-30px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text p, body div#devskin13775681 .text .dark {
background:#bcc8ba;
border-radius:6px;
-moz-border-radius:6px;
-webkit-border-radius:6px;
margin:20px 0;
padding:20px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text p strong {
display:block;
font-family:'Ubuntu', 'Open Sans', 'Trebuchet MS', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
color:#E4375B;
letter-spacing:0.02em;
font-size:120%;
margin:10px 0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text .indent {
background:transparent;
margin:0;
padding:0 40px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul, body div#devskin13775681 .text ol {
list-style-position:outside;
margin-left:30px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li {
list-style-image:url('https://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/184/7/4/bullet_by_pica_ae-d7p0s6d.png');
margin-bottom:10px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ol li {
margin-bottom:10px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul {
list-style-type:none;
margin:10px 0 10px 20px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li {
list-style-image:none;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li::before {
content:' ';
display:block;
float:left;
background:#f05473;
border-radius:4px;
-moz-border-radius:4px;
-webkit-border-radius:4px;
box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
-moz-box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
-webkit-box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
height:5px;
width:5px;
margin:7px 6px 0 -14px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li ul {
list-style-type:none;
margin:10px 0 10px 20px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li ul li {
list-style-image:none;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li ul li::before {
content:' ';
display:block;
float:left;
background:#5d625d;
border-radius:4px;
-moz-border-radius:4px;
-webkit-border-radius:4px;
box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
-moz-box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
-webkit-box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
height:5px;
width:5px;
margin:7px 6px 0 -14px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li ul li ul {
list-style-type:none;
margin:10px 0 10px 20px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li ul li ul li {
list-style-image:none;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text ul li ul li ul li ul li::before {
content:' ';
display:block;
float:left;
background:transparent;
border:1px solid #5d625d;
border-radius:4px;
-moz-border-radius:4px;
-webkit-border-radius:4px;
box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
-moz-box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
-webkit-box-shadow:#FFFFFF 0px 1px 0px, #a6b1a6 0px -1px 0px;
height:3px;
width:3px;
margin:7px 6px 0 -14px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .text hr {
border-top:1px dotted #8b958b;
border-bottom:1px dotted #f9fbf9;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .button a {
background:#B73E62;
box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F77992, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #c23e66, 0 1px 3px 0 #6C7C6E;
-moz-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F77992, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #c23e66, 0 1px 3px 0 #6C7C6E;
-webkit-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F77992, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #c23e66, 0 1px 3px 0 #6C7C6E;
border:1px solid #AE1837;
border-radius:4px;
-moz-border-radius:4px;
-webkit-border-radius:4px;
color:#FFFFFF;
padding:10px 20px;
text-shadow:none;
transition:all 1s;
-moz-transition:all 1s;
-webkit-transition:all 1s;
-ms-transition:all 1s;
-o-transition:all 1s;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .button a:hover {
background:#E43A5D;
box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F47C94, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #E43A5D, 0 1px 5px 0 #6C7C6E;
-moz-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F47C94, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #E43A5D, 0 1px 5px 0 #6C7C6E;
-webkit-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F47C94, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #E43A5D, 0 1px 5px 0 #6C7C6E;
text-shadow:#AE1837 0px -1px 0px, #ED6581 0px -1px 0px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .note {
background:#ffe566;
box-shadow:#bcc8ba 0px 2px 4px, inset #fff6cc 0px 1px 3px;
-moz-box-shadow:#bcc8ba 0px 2px 4px, inset #fff6cc 0px 1px 3px;
-webkit-box-shadow:#bcc8ba 0px 2px 4px, inset #fff6cc 0px 1px 3px;
margin:20px;
padding:20px;
position:relative;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .columns, body div#devskin13775681 .columns-p {
display:block;
overflow:hidden;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .columns p, body div#devskin13775681 .columns .half {
background:transparent;
display:inline-block;
float:left;
margin-right:1%;
padding:0 0 10px 0;
width:48%;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .columns-p p {
display:inline-block;
float:left;
padding:20px;
max-width:420px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .columns-p p:first-of-type {
margin:0 20px 0 0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .columns-p p:last-of-type {
margin:0 0 0 0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .columns .half ul, body div#devskin13775681 .columns .half ol {
margin-left:20px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .interview {
display:block;
font-family:Tinos, Georgia;
font-size:18px;
font-style:italic;
margin:0;
padding:0;
position:relative;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .interview .avatar {
float:left;
margin-top:25px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .interview p .avatar {
float:none;
margin-top:0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .interview p {
background:#FFFFFF;
border-radius:10px;
-moz-border-radius:10px;
-webkit-border-radius:10px;
box-shadow:0 2px 4px #6C7C6E;
-moz-box-shadow:0 2px 4px #6C7C6E;
-webkit-box-shadow:0 2px 4px #6C7C6E;
display:block;
font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;
font-size:14px;
font-style:normal;
margin:15px 0px 0px 70px;
padding:15px 15px 15px 30px;
position:relative;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .interview p::before {
content:' ';
display:block;
background:#dae4d9;
box-shadow:inset 0 2px 4px #6C7C6E;
-moz-box-shadow:inset 0 2px 4px #6C7C6E;
-webkit-box-shadow:inset 0 2px 4px #6C7C6E;
position:absolute;
top:30px;
left:-10px;
height:20px;
width:20px;
transform:rotate(45deg);
-moz-transform:rotate(45deg);
-webkit-transform:rotate(45deg);
-ms-transform:rotate(45deg);
-o-transform:rotate(45deg);
}
body div#devskin13775681 .interview p::after {
content:' ';
display:block;
background:#dae4d9;
border-radius:4px;
-moz-border-radius:4px;
-webkit-border-radius:4px;
position:absolute;
top:26px;
left:-20px;
height:28px;
width:20px;
}
/* ------------------------------ THUMBS ------------------------------ */
body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder {
margin:5px;
vertical-align:middle;
transition:background 1s;
-moz-transition:background 1s;
-webkit-transition:background 1s;
-ms-transition:background 1s;
-o-transition:background 1s;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder:hover {
box-shadow:0 0 4px #B8D1B6;
-moz-box-shadow:0 0 4px #B8D1B6;
-webkit-box-shadow:0 0 4px #B8D1B6;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder a.lit {
background:#E0E8DC;
border:1px solid #FFFFFF;
width:170px;
height:150px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder .wrap q, body div#devskin13775681 p .shadow-holder .wrap q {
background:#E7EDE6;
font-family:Tinos, Georgia, serif;
font-size:14px;
font-style:italic;
font-weight:normal;
padding:10px;
position:absolute;
right:0;
left:0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder .wrap q strong {
margin-bottom:10px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 p .shadow-holder .wrap q strong {
color:#5d625d;
font-family:Tinos, Georgia, serif;
font-size:14px;
margin:0 0 10px 0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .embedded-deviation {
vertical-align:middle;
transition:background 1s;
-moz-transition:background 1s;
-webkit-transition:background 1s;
-ms-transition:background 1s;
-o-transition:background 1s;
}
/* thumbs in feat */
body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder, body div#devskin13775681 .feat .embedded-deviation {
background:#E4375B;
box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F77992, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #E85A78, 0 1px 3px 0 #6C7C6E;
-moz-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F77992, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #E85A78, 0 1px 3px 0 #6C7C6E;
-webkit-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F77992, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #E85A78, 0 1px 3px 0 #6C7C6E;
border:1px solid #AE1837;
margin:5px;
padding:5px;
vertical-align:middle;
transition:background 1s;
-moz-transition:background 1s;
-webkit-transition:background 1s;
-ms-transition:background 1s;
-o-transition:background 1s;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder:hover, body div#devskin13775681 .feat .embedded-deviation:hover {
background:#E74B6C;
box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F47C94, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #ED6581, 0 1px 5px 0 #6C7C6E;
-moz-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F47C94, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #ED6581, 0 1px 5px 0 #6C7C6E;
-webkit-box-shadow:inset 0 1px 0 #F47C94, inset 0 20px 10px -10px #ED6581, 0 1px 5px 0 #6C7C6E;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder .mild .thumb img, body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder a.lit, body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder .mild .thumb img, body div#devskin13775681 .feat .embedded-deviation img, body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder a.lit {
vertical-align:middle;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder a.lit {
background:transparent;
border:none;
width:170px;
height:150px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder a.lit img, body div#devskin13775681 .shadow-holder a.lit img {
display:none;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder .wrap q {
background:transparent;
color:#FFFFFF;
font-family:Tinos, Georgia, serif;
font-size:14px;
font-style:italic;
font-weight:normal;
margin:0;
padding:5px;
position:absolute;
right:0;
left:0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .feat .shadow-holder .wrap q strong {
margin-bottom:10px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .feat {
text-align:center;
background:transparent;
padding:0;
margin:0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .embedded-deviation {
width:inherit;
}
/* ------------------------- FOOTER ------------------------- */
body div#devskin13775681 .buttons {
position:absolute;
left:20px;
bottom:16px;
color:#DAE4D9!important;
z-index:99;
padding:0px 0px 0px 0px!important;
height:27px;
font-size:0px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .buttons a {
transition:opacity 0.5s;
-moz-transition:opacity 0.5s;
-webkit-transition:opacity 0.5s;
-ms-transition:opacity 0.5s;
-o-transition:opacity 0.5s;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .buttons img {
padding-right:8px;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .buttons a:hover {
opacity:0.5;
filter:alpha(opacity=50);
_zoom:1;
}
/* ------------------------- HEADER ------------------------- */
body div#devskin13775681 .header {
background:transparent;
height:375px;
position:absolute;
top:-174px;
right:0;
left:0;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .header br {
display:none;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .header .pe-regular a {
display:block;
background:url('https://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/o/2013/024/0/0/350289350_646745_322748439_464988_header2.png') no-repeat center top;
height:188px;
max-width:800px;
margin:0 auto;
text-align:center;
}
body div#devskin13775681 .header .pe-art-history a {
display:block;
background:url('https://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/184/e/a/pe_art_history_by_pica_ae-d7p0s4y.png') no-repeat center top;
height:188px;
max-width:800px;
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Artisan Crafts Week
This tutorial is designed to introduce prospective jewellers and the curious enthusiast to some of the principle tools needed to turn a designer’s vision into a finished product, as well as to outline the general phases of the manufacturing process.
Before you start:
It’s a good idea to ask yourself how far you want to take your jewellery making endeavours. Do you want to make it a career, a serious hobby, a relaxing pastime, or do you just want to have a go and see if you like it? If you haven’t had any real experience in this craft, then I would recommend first attending a hobby course with a professional goldsmith before making a decision.
If you just want to have a little fun with this as a hobby, it may be more convenient and affordable just to rent a bench in a hobby studio rather than try and set up your own studio or workspace at home. Even if you would like to make a career or serious hobby out of it, it could be advisable to start off by renting. It all depends on the amount of space and money that you have to spare. At a rough estimate, buying second hand tools at a very good price, putting together even the most basic equipment for making gold and silver jewellery is likely to cost well over R10 000 (approximately 700 USD).
Now, to business! For the purpose of instruction I will be dividing the jewellery making process into 8 broad phases and exploring the tools needed at each stage.
First, however, let us look at a few measuring tools which come into play at multiple stages during the making and designing process.
- Calculator
- Scale (with precious metals, the exact weight is very important in determining the end price)
- Rulers class
- Circle stencil
- Steel Vernier calliper (for precise measurements to 0.1mm)
- Brass Vernier calliper (precise measurements and checking the symmetry of settings, etc)
- Ring size mandrel (measuring the size of existing rings and rings being made)
- Sizing rings (used for measuring finger size to find a comfortable and secure fit)
Phase 1: Melting
Silver and gold can be bought, at an increased price, ready to use as plate and wire. However, most jewellers purchase their metal by the gram from wholesale suppliers and then make their own plate and wire. This is generally a bit more cost effective and gives the jeweller more control in the making process. The first step then is to melt the metal granules and pour out bars of metal which can then be worked into the required forms. The equipment needed for this can be seen below.
Moving roughly from left to right:
- Blow torch
- Heavy duty heat resistant gloves
- Goggles
- Water (for quenching the metal before handling)
- Borat powder (removes oxidants and some other impurities from the molten metal)
- Bees wax (for lubricating the ingots)
- Crucibles (one for each metal/alloy: silver, yellow gold, rose gold, etc)
- Tweezers (for handling the bars of metal whilst still hot)
- Tongs (for handling the crucibles during melting and pouring)
- Closed ingot (adjustable, ideal for short and broad metal bars)
- Open ingot (best for long and thick bars of metal)
- Firebrick
- Marble or granite base
Phase 2: Rolling and Pulling
Once the metal is in bar form, it can be stretched and compressed to different thicknesses of plate and square wire using a roller. Gold and silver are precious metals and they harden when stretched or bent and become malleable again after being reheated (known as ‘annealing’ the metal). The process of rolling is time consuming, but slow and steady is the best policy here.
To make round wire, square wire is made to the desired thickness (or somewhat thicker) and then pulled through a steel block with multiple apertures for different thicknesses of wire.
- Vice clamp and anvil
- Wire pulling block
- Wire gripper
Phase 3: Sitting down to work
With plate and wire made, we then come to the jeweller's work bench. A semi-circular cut out in the desk creates the work space, with a leather ‘pocket’ suspended beneath it to catch the offcuts, metal filings and also prevent the piece you’re working on from hitting the hard floor WHEN you drop it by mistake. The actual work surface is the jeweller’s bench peg, which consists of a hard wooden wedge and a small anvil clamp to secure it to the table. Another key tool is the hand saw and the fine jeweller’s saw blades (they can snap VERY easily!).
Other work bench tools include the following:
Pliers
- Narrow
- Broad
- Half round/flat
- Round/flat and Round
- Wire cutters
Jeweller’s metal files
- Square
- Round
- Triangle
- Safety back
- D-shaped
- Rectangle
Gripping tools
- Parallel pliers
- Block clamp (specifically for holding rings without damaging the band)
Rough files
- D-shaped
- Rectangle
Phase 4: Soldering & Annealing
As you use the pliers to bend and shape the plate and wire, it may be necessary to anneal the metal again to make it easier to bend or to prevent cracks forming in the metal. When separate pieces or components need to be joined together (for example, when we bend a metal bar into a ring and need to join the two ends). Solder is an alloy of the metal being used, which melts at a somewhat lower temperature. The molten solder flows into the joints between pieces of metal towards the point of greatest heat, but is hampered by dirt. We apply flux cleaning fluid to the place where we want the solder to flow. After soldering we quench the piece in a mild acid and then in a base to clean it, before rinsing in water. After annealing a piece we allow it to cool down for a time before quenching it in water.
- Base
- Acid
- Water
- Fire brick
- Solder cutters
- Solder pick (used to pick up the little blobs of solder from the charcoal block)
- Small blowtorch
- Lighter
- Silver solder (small pieces are cut off from the main block)
- Tweezers (for handling and securing the pieces while soldering and quenching)
- Charcoal block (for melting the solder)
- Marble or granite base (placing the metal on the marble cools it down faster)
Phase 5: Precision Shaping
There are some other tools used to create definite, fixed shapes which are very difficult to achieve otherwise. This includes rings, tubes, spheres, cones and other precise geometric forms. Rings and bracelets are made by hand using pliers, but hammered around cone shaped steel mandrels to stretch them into a perfect circle. Other shapes such as cones (used for crown settings), cylinders (used to make hinges for lockets), half spheres and so forth, are all made using steel forming blocks and punches in a range of sizes and shapes.
- Heavy hammer
- Lightweight jeweller’s hammer
- Leather mallet (shapes the metal against the work surface without denting or deforming it)
- Ring Mandrel
- Bracelet Mandrel
- Wooden ‘anvil’ (a good surface to work on, it absorbs shock and doesn’t damage the metal)
- Cylinder forming block
- Doming block
- Cone forming block and punch
- Doming punches, a complete set
Phase 6: Back to the bench
At various points during the making process, a pneumatic drill is likely to come into play. Whether drilling holes for the saw blades to cut out complex shapes, or carving forms into solid metal, adding texture, removing excess metal and solder or doing the finishing work of cleaning, brushing and polishing the finished piece, a drill can be a huge time saver and vital tool. There are many, many dremel bits which can be used in jewellery, too many to look at in this article, but the basics include
- Polishing discs and brushes
- Buffing brushes
- Rubber abrasive discs (various grits and shapes)
- Metal Drill bits of various sizes
- Cylindrical burs
- Wheel burs
- Cup burs
- Spherical burs
Phase 7: Finishing work
This stage can be very time consuming, especially for sterling silver. Sterling develops fire scale during soldering or annealing; the upper layer of the metal turns dull with an almost purple tint to it and has to be removed before polishing to bring out the familiar shine of silver. The jeweller’s files are partly used to remove this, but for the most part with gold and silver the final finishing work is done using emery paper, which is much like sand paper and comes in a range of grits. Once the whole piece has been cleaned down to at least 1000 grit, it must be stamped with the hallmark of the metal used and the hallmark of the jeweller (optional).
- Emery sticks (wooden slats wrapped in emery paper of various grits, 400-1200)
- Hallmark stamps (Sterling silver = 925, gold is stamped according to carat, e.g. 9ct or 18ct, and the country where the piece is made, ZA = South Africa)
Next the piece is buffed and then polished using a polishing wheel. There are machines called ‘tumble polishers’ which take over this step, but the result is never the same smooth mirror surface that hand polishing can achieve.
- Polishing wheel with buffing brush on the right and polishing brush on the left
- Extra buffing brush
- Inside polishing tool (for polishing the inner surface of rings)
- Polish block and jeweller’s rouge block for the buffing brush
After polishing, excess polish must be removed from the jewellery without scratching the metal. The ultrasonic cleaner is used for this: it holds a hot water bath in which jewellery is suspended and then passes ultrasonic waves through the water for several minutes, loosening and breaking up accumulated polish and other dirt. Soft brushes can be used to GENTLY remove any polish left behind after the cleaning cycle. The piece is then rinsed, dried and given a last polish with a polishing cloth to remove any residue or fingerprints.
Phase 8: Cleaning up
Silver, and more specifically gold, are costly precious metals and the off cuts and filings collected in the leather pouch of the work bench can be melted down and reused! Once different metals or alloys are mixed though, we have to send them in to a refinery, which will only pay a portion of their value, so we always sweep up after ourselves and keep our scraps in labelled bottles till we have enough to melt down into a new bar of metal.
So that’s the bare basics of hand making gold and silver jewellery and the tools we use for the craft. Hopefully this has helped you to understand what you need to work with silver and gold and has also given you a better appreciation of the amount of work and skill that goes into the pretty little things that we like to wear.~
As a last sneak peak, here is the making of one of my most popular designs, my interpretation of the Tree of Life, from the first sketch I made through to the assembling of the tree in silver chain. Followed by some of my other designs with which I am particularly well pleased.
Some of my other work:
Ralen-Lykos — Making Gold and Silver Jewellery: The Basics
