Metalsmith Jewelry Making for Beginners

Metal keeps every decision you make in it. A hammer blow, a file stroke, a soldered seam: the piece holds that record for decades, which is exactly why so many people who light a torch once never really stop. If you have wanted to make metal jewelry but assumed it demanded a studio, a kiln, and years of training, this book was written to prove otherwise, starting from the very first saw cut.

From First Saw Cut to a Set Stone

• Saw, pierce, and file edges clean, the way a handmade piece earns its finished look
• Stamp a copper pendant and texture a pair of brass bar earrings meant to be worn
• Rivet a copper cuff using cold connections alone, before a torch ever enters the picture
• Anneal, solder, and pickle your way to a set of sterling stacking rings
• Sweat solder a two-layer sterling pendant once your copper joints flow cleanly
• Set a turquoise cabochon in a fine silver bezel you cut, soldered, and burnished yourself

• Read the gauge system and match metal, temper, and thickness before you cut
• Light and control a small refillable butane torch, welcome on a home bench
• Anneal by reading annealing colors, then pickle away firescale safely
• Finish with sanding, hand polishing, and a controlled liver of sulfur patina