Roller Printed Silver and Gold Earrings

Just finished these earrings that are made from 18 K gold and sterling silver.

 

 

Fold-Formed Bracelet Prototype

Here is a fold-formed copper bracelet that I made today. I started with a strip (1.5" x 4.0") of 22 gauge copper and rolled it through the rolling mill to reduce it to about 24 gauge. After rolling it, it had lengthened to about 5 inches long. After rolling it, I annealed the copper and then folded it lengthwise. Before hammering it, I cut the folded piece into a half-moon shape that tapered toward the ends of the strip. After cutting to shape, I hammered the edges on the side opposing the fold. I did this hammering/annealing process 3 times before opening it up to its present form. This bracelet would fit an average to small woman. Now that I have dialed in the dimensions of the starting material, I can confidently make this from sterling silver.

New Pitch Bowl

I just got a pitch bowl to start working on some chasing and repousse projects that I have wanted to do for  a while. I ordered the larger, deep pitch bowl from Rio Grande and also the medium green chaser's pitch that they carry that is made by A Copper Rose. I decided to forgo the common plaster or cement at the bottom of the bowl and opted for a rock that I picked up down by the beach where we live. I avoided having to use all 5 pounds of my pitch to fill a deep bowl.

Silver and Onyx Ring

I made this ring for an upcoming fundraiser auction at Maryland Avenue Montessori school here in Milwaukee. The ring is cast and constructed from sterling silver and features an onyx cabochon in a bezel setting.

The top portion of the ring is cast using the bone from the cuttlefish as a mold. Using this ancient casting technique, I was able to create the intricate lined texture upon piece that comprises the top of the ring. You can read more about this technique of casting here on artist Nancy Shapiro's website. 

Roller Printed Sterling Silver and Onyx Pendant

I just finished this pendant for my wife's birthday present. I used sterling silver and ran it through my rolling mill with a piece of manilla envelope and 20# test monofilament pieces to produce the texture, this is called roller printing. The curvature of the metal is a by-product of the rolling mill treatment. The stone is a 10 mm diameter onyx cabochon which was bezel set in a bezel made of fine silver.

Tension Set Forged Silver and Onyx Ring

This ring was made for a family friend as a wedding band. The stone is a 5 mm onyx bead that is tension set.

To make the ring, I started with a smaller ring that I constructed from 4 gauge sterling silver bar stock. I then forged the ring into its squarish profile on a ring mandrel.

The sequence of change in shape is shown in the images below:

Ring with quarters marked and some hammering done

Ring is starting to get more square

Profile of ring after initial forging

After side of ring were hammered flat

When the ring was enlarged to the correct size and profile, I cut the ring at the soldered joint and then removed a slightly smaller amount of metal than the width of the onyx bead. (no images, sorry)

Before I set the stone, I created seats for the stone to rest in with a ball burr on each side of the opening. To set the stone, I slid the ring onto my ring mandrel to spread the opening slightly then placed the stone in the gap and slid the ring off of the mandrel to allow the ring to close onto the bead.

The ring had tremendous spring to it since I did not anneal the metal during the forging process. The heaviness of the setting and the work hardening of the metal is essential to the security of the stone in a tension setting in sterling silver.

Sapphire Ring

This ring was commissioned by a co-worker who wanted a ring for a 10th anniversary.  The ring is constructed entirely of 18K yellow gold and has a yellow sapphire in a bezel setting.

Sterling Silver and Chrysoprase Earrings

These earrings were made as gift earlier this year. The earrings were constructed from sterling silver with a hammered finish and set with chrysoprase stones. The earrings were designed to have hand made french wires that attach them to the wearer's ear, but can be made with a post earring if desired. Email if interested in ordering.

New Earrings

Here are some new earrings I made. They are constructed of sterling silver that was roller printed using Cordura nylon and my Durston rolling mill. They measure approximately 1cm x 1cm.