Jewelry making can be an incredibly creative hobby. Whether it be something for yourself or to sell to others, there are various techniques you can employ to turn a design into reality.
Start out by gathering together a comprehensive set of tools – such as pliers, wire cutters and files.
Wire drawing
Wire drawing is a technique employed in jewelry making to produce wire of different diameters. It entails pulling wire through successively smaller dies to decrease its diameter while increasing length – usually using an automated machine known as a “wire draw machine”.
Before drawing, the tip of the wire must first be narrowed using hammering, filing or other methods. Once narrowed, it can then be passed through holes on a metal plate known as a draw plate with different-sized holes suitable for each desired wire size.
The resultant shaped wire can be used to form beads, coils and other pieces of jewelry. Additionally, weaving techniques use wire threads that can be woven into intricate patterns for use as wefting material.
Tradition holds that wire was first created by hammering solid metal rods into thin sheets and cutting them further down, then cutting into strips. However, evidence exists to support an alternative route of creation of wire.
Wire drawing has become an indispensable technique in modern life, used for making jewelry wires, mesh fabric for creating screens, testing sieves and filters, as well as testing sieves and filters. Wire drawing can be accomplished on either a small-scale using hand-held draw plates or commercial scale with machines.
Due to cold working, this process alters the material properties of wire, necessitating careful consideration in selecting a die that complies with material parameters as well as area. Furthermore, one should take note of elongation – or how far a length has increased after being drawn compared with initial length – as an essential consideration in drawing wires for use.
Wire drawing dies come in various materials, such as tungsten carbide (TC), single-crystal natural diamond (SCND), polycrystalline synthetic diamond (PCD), or other types of diamond. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages.
Another key consideration in die lubrication is depending on the type of wire being drawn, lubricants used can range from water or oil-based products for wet drawing to dry lubes for dry drawing.
Metal clay
Metal clay is an accessible and cost-effective jewelry making technique, used for crafting beads, findings and small art objects. Composed of tiny particles of metal such as silver, gold, copper or bronze mixed with organic binder and water for binding properties, it can be shaped using tools or molds just like pottery clay; once set it can be fired to fuse all its constituent particles in an exothermic process known as sintering.
Firing allows for the release of the binders that bind metal particles together into solid silver, gold, copper or bronze pieces, creating various shapes and surfaces which would be difficult or laborious to achieve using traditional techniques. This technology provides for an infinite range of shapes and surfaces which are difficult or laborious to attain with traditional techniques.
Clay is an extremely easy medium to work with and can be formed both by hand and various tools. Once shaped, you can sculpt it or manipulate it by pinching, rolling, texturing and re-rolling until you get exactly the shape and thickness desired.
Once the clay has been shaped and dried, it can be fired either in a kiln or torch kiln for optimal firing results. Please follow the directions on your package of clay for proper firing to avoid warping or cracking during firing.
After firing clay, it may exhibit a white or grey residue caused by scaling effect of sintering process. Brushing can help remove these scales for smoother appearance of finished clay product.
Use soapy water and a steel brush to achieve an enhanced shine on delicate clays which could otherwise break easily under normal handling conditions. This technique works especially well when dealing with delicate pieces.
There is a variety of metal clay available today, from high-fire to low-fire to no-fire varieties, each offering different working properties and enabling users to craft jewelry of various styles and designs.
If you are an advanced metal clay artist, the internet offers many jewelry making tutorials to help develop your skills. Many are free downloads that teach techniques such as hinge-making or texturing pieces; moreover, organic elements can also be incorporated into designs to further customize and personalize jewelry designs.
Enamel
Jewelery artisans use enamel for adding decorative details to pieces of jewelry, from metal and stone pieces, to textile pieces and even paper designs. There are various enamel techniques used in jewelry-making; each technique offers something distinct from its counterpart.
Limoges enamel has long been one of the most widely-used enamel types, having been utilized throughout Europe for millennia. This versatile type can be applied to many metal surfaces including copper, gold and silver as well as mixed with other metals to produce customized colors.
Cloisonne enamelwork is another popular enamel technique that utilizes vitreous enamels, often made on various metals such as bronze and copper and fired at high temperatures for best results.
Cloisonne enamel comes in several varieties, each boasting its own style and aesthetic. This technique can be seen across cultures worldwide including China and Africa and can come in both classic and modern forms.
Christofle and Alexis Falize were two well-known cloisonne enamelers of their time who produced Japaneseaiserie (Japanese-inspired) jewelry in the 1860s, which included spectacular pieces like Christofle’s Japenese-inspired designs. Additionally, both artists had an uncanny knack for using innovative techniques that made their pieces truly captivating and noteworthy.
Plique-a-jour enamel techniques can be dauntingly complex yet stunningly beautiful, creating stained-glass-like effects when illuminated by light. To accomplish this effect, the back of enamel pieces must be coated with either copper foil or some other material before being fired in order to make light shine through, creating the effect.
This advanced technique shouldn’t be attempted by most, yet its beauty makes it captivating to watch and produce breathtaking jewelry pieces. An artist using this method can produce various shapes and patterns using it – circles, squares, triangles.
These brilliant hues can create beautiful and striking designs. Additionally, this type of enamel can withstand repeated applications across a range of metal surfaces without chipping.
An alternative technique known as basse-taille enamel, similar to cloisonne enamel but featuring layers cut into its enamel surface. These cuts produce gradients of colors from dark to light; creating new combinations which would otherwise be difficult. This technique allows users to experiment with color combinations they otherwise wouldn’t achieve.
Stone setting
One of the most widely used techniques in jewelry making is stone setting. This method involves using metal to hold gemstones securely in place, with various styles available that can help achieve this result.
When using this technique, it is crucial that the setting provides maximum protection for the stone while fitting snugly within it.
Jewelers must first choose a setting head. This piece of metal secures gems into position and can be soldered onto either a ring shank or other platform for soldering purposes.
Jewelers must customize each head of a setting to the dimensions and shape required by their stone. Heads may be constructed out of gold, silver, or platinum to meet this goal.
Once a setting has been cut, it must be cleaned and polished in order for it to hold securely the stone in its place. A jeweler must take time and care in inspecting all components that comprise it so as to make sure all works as intended and is holding on securely to its placement.
An important step of this process involves making sure the stone does not shift or rattle when being pressed against the set. If it does move, this usually indicates a problem in its setting that must be rectified or changed altogether.
Some gemstones are more sensitive to metal pressure than others, so stone setters must select an appropriate type of metal for each gemstone they set. Gold, sterling silver and platinum are some of the more popular options.
Claw and prong settings offer two basic approaches to setting faceted stones: they both offer secure yet elegant displays of their gemstone.
Claw setting involves inserting tiny metal claws into the surface of the stone in order to secure its position. Although this method of setting can be effective and long-term, regular tightenings must take place in order to keep these claws tight enough.
As they can sometimes catch on clothing and bend or break, causing damage to the stone itself, this stone needs to be treated as fragile and handled carefully to preserve its quality and prevent it from breaking under pressure.