Denise Wallace working in her studio, Courtesy of Craft In America, Inc.
Denise and Samuel Wallace, Woman in the Moon. Courtesy of www.TogashiStudio.com, Kiyoshi Togashi photograph
For fine jewelry making, which requires high temperatures, many artists prefer torches. These vary from small butane units to full-size oxygen, propane, or acetylene tanks. As with any cement, you’ll need a solder with properties specific to the metal you’re working with.
You can purchase soldering kits from retailers like metaliferous.com or amazon.com. Because of the danger in shipping pressurized tanks, you should find a local source for your gas.
Other tools and techniques are useful if you’re getting into jewelry making. These range from coping saws and files, to flexible shaft drills. There are specialty tools as well, like punches and chasing tools, which allow you to carve detail into your work. Many jewelers start off with store-bought versions, but in the tradition of craft artists through history, ultimately make their own. Whether it’s how it fits in their hand, or wanting a tool that’s superior to anything commercially available, it’s the ultimate sign of the ultimate commitment to one’s craft.
Steven Brixner, cast sterling silver and amethyst ring, Courtesy of the artist
Yet another form of metalworking is casting. Generally this is done with a die, or “expendable” forms, like plaster or “lost wax”.
The former allows for multiples to be made; the latter is for a one-of-a-kind piece. Simply, a die cast requires the artist to make an original, around which a mold is made. Subsequently, liquid metal is poured into the die, much like chocolate in a candy mold. When it hardens, you’re left with a fully-formed object, and the mold is available to make additional, identical pieces.
In the lost wax process, the artist molds an item out of a special wax (often bee’s wax). The impression is taken to a foundry, where it is surrounded with a plaster mold and subjected to heat. The wax is melted away leaving a form that can be filled with molten gold or silver, for example. Once it cools, the mold is broken off, leaving an object to be polished.
Of course, whatever form and style you’re going to try, there’s the metal itself. Although there are exotic metals, such as palladium and rhodium, most jewelers work in (by ascending order of price) silver, gold, or platinum. Beginners usually start with silver, because they won’t freak out if they make what could be a costly mistake.
Your project can incorporate wire, rods, or sheets – or all of them – depending on the project; prices fluctuate by market conditions. You’ll also be able to incorporate beads, semi-precious, or precious stones in your design, through inlay or bezels (the crowns that surround the stones). In all, your options are greater in this craft than in probably any other.
Lapidary Sam Wallace talking about selecting stones.
Tom Joyce, metalsmith and MacArthur Foundation genius grant recipient continues a millennia-old tradition of working raw metals into striking public installations - See the Artist’s Bio and Work HERE
We filmed jeweler Jan Yager for the LANDSCAPE episode. Purchase the DVDs or view the programs online
See objects from Craft in America: Expanding Traditions, a seven-city traveling exhibition that ran from 2007-2009, and other Virtual Exhibitions
Want to make a tiara from precious metal clay? Download a lesson plan HERE
Important craft artists are featured in the Book. Learn more
Click to see a list of over 4 hours of video available online
