The Studio of a Metalsmith
Ever wonder how someone makes that beautiful jewelry you wear?
There are lots of tools involved, but the most important thing to have is a great attention to detail. There are various tools for each step of the process, and those may be different for every piece that is constructed.
If a metalsmith fabricates her wares, that means there are tools for cutting, measuring, snipping, soldering, filing, sanding, forming, texturing, or polishing - all for just one piece sometimes! Casting or enameling pieces take the process even further down the rabbit hole, which is why many metalsmiths choose to specialize in a certain aspect of skills.
How do you solder?
Soldering is when a piece of solder (a mixture, or alloy, of metal that melts lower than the main metal) is heated so that it melts and bonds to the surface of the metal - allowing for 2 or more pieces of metal to be bonded together.
This takes pretty high temperatures (up to 1400 F!) so that means we make use of oxygen and gas for the torches. Various chemicals are applied to the metal during this process too, so ventilation is a must.
Special surfaces, called fire bricks, are used to solder on since they are notorious for absorbing large amounts of heat without being damaged. Flux (a white paste) is applied to the area for soldering to allow the bonding to take place.
What are all those hammers for?
Metalsmiths use lots of differently shaped hammers and surfaces to achieve those interesting dimensional forms that some jewelry will have. After all, it’s no fun if everything is flat! Hammers and anvils have to be kept smooth and unblemished so that any dirt or marks on the hammer head don’t transfer into the metal.
How do you polish?
Finishing jewelry and other metalwork is the most time intensive part of the whole process. It’s not enough to simply slap some metal together and call it a day. The finish is what allows a piece to show it’s final beauty, and to accentuate it’s form and design.
Polishing requires a huge array of accessories. Large pieces can be finished on a polishing spindle, but smaller pieces, or hard to reach places, need a tool that is smaller and more flexible - hence the flex-shaft (to the left).
Three different polishing compounds can be used on buffing wheels to achieve anything up to the highest shine possible. It gets pretty dusty, so for these parts it’s a good idea to wear a respirator.
Of course, there are many more pieces to the puzzle of how jewelry is made, but this is a good starting point to understanding the process. Each and every piece of jewelry that I make goes through hand-fabrication of some sort, as I rarely cast anything (pouring molten metal into a mold), so you can be assured that each piece was made individually with care.
I hope you enjoy the jewelry and metalwork that you see on this site, as it is truly a joy for me to make.
If you’re interested in learning a bit more, you can read my artist statement here.
