Silver Jewellery Class 1st Project - Textured Band Ring

I finished my first project for my jewellery class last week - a textured silver band ring. I've made a few copper and silver rings using wire at home but not from textured silver sheet so it was fun to learn.

The photo shows the ring before soldering - I wasn't convinced the join was tight enough but the teacher was happy with it and it soldered fine. I used some plastic netting with the rolling mill to create the texture. I love the rolling mill! I've ordered some skeleton leaves from ebay to use with it in the future as I love the vein texture you get from them.

After some filing and finishing with wet and dry the ring was ready for polishing. It came out lovely and shiny but then I decided I wanted to oxidize it so the teacher showed everyone how to do that with LOS. She told me to leave it for 24 hours before cleaning it up after oxidizing which puzzled me a bit as I normally clean up my oxidized jewellery straight away. I cleaned it up when I got home that night! A spell in the tumbler and it came out shiny with the textured areas darker from the LOS.

It's a bit scratched up now as I've been wearing it - and yes it did fit the finger I made it for!

This week we're planning a new project - amulets/charms. I've already got a good idea of what I want to make (kind of). We're also going to be shown reticulation, fusing and applying gold foil. I'm a happy bunny :D

 

Silver Jewellery Course and New Earrings

Next Tuesday night (25th Sept) I will be starting a 25 week silver jewellery class! I found out about it last year a couple of months too late but this year miraculously remembered about it in time and enrolled a few weeks ago. It was quite expensive but covers all those lovely techniques I either can't teach myself/am too scared to try myself or just really need an expert to show how to do it properly.

I know it definitely covers etching (yay!), soldering, stone setting, enamelling and ring making. Some of it I will know how to do but a lot I won't so I'm really looking forward to getting started. Slightly nervous too but once I've got over the "which building is it/who are all these strange people/where's the toilet" stage I know I'll be fine :D 

Finally got round to photographing a few pairs of earrings today - I was in one of those let's get organised and do the things that actually need doing and not spend all day experimenting with new design ideas moods, and the weather was perfect too.

The pair above are handcut flowers enamelled and wire wrapped to copper washers. I'm going to try the same idea with some soldered copper hoops (when I make them) for a more delicate version ......soon.......... :D

These are two copper discs rolled through my Bigshot with a Vintaj design (deco etch) folder then domed and pinned with sterling wire.

Sheet copper stamped with my favourite circle design then the earrings cut out and finished. I painted turquoise patina ink over the top and sanded back to reveal the design then oxidized and tumbled for just 15 minutes to it didn't take too much of the black off. Dark and a bit different.

New Copper And Silver Earrings

I've been playing with my Bigshot and the Vintaj design folders again. I've decided to rechristen them "design" folders rather than etch folders as the end result looks nothing like an etched piece of metal!

I used 20g copper sheet annealed first to soften it then rolled through the Bigshot. It goes through fine but my cutting pads are suffering a bit and now are both bowed in the centre. Completely useless if I want to use my envelope dies so I guess I'll have to buy some replacement pads soon......

I made a simple pair in sterling silver too. I cut the shape using Xuron metal shears - very impressed with those and they save having to get my saw out and the ridiculous small plastic stool I have to sit on for piercing as the table is too low to use a normal chair!

I also did a bit of simple soldering and made these bead and hoop style silver earrings. Can you tell how much I love these czech glass rondelle beads?!