Jewelry

Silver Solder

Posted in Fire, Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: What is in silver solder? Is it all basically the same thing?

Flat Bezels

Posted in Fabrication, Jewelry, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: How can I make bezels that are flat, not bent? And how do I get them flat after I’ve soldered them?

Dies for Coins and Medals

Posted in Casts and Molds, Fabrication, Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry, Tools

Q: How are the dies for coins and medals made? Is this something a jeweler can do without a lot of expensive equipment? Can etching techniques be used?

Dapping Silver Sheet

Posted in Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry, Tools

Q: How should I sink some smooth depressions into the surface of a silver sheet? Do I need a dapping punch and block?

Polishing In Deep Places

Posted in Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: Some of my brass jewelry has crevices and depressions that are impossible to reach with any brushes or buffs I’ve tried. How can I polish down into these areas?

Drilling Pearls

Posted in Jewelry, Organics, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: I would like to enlarge the holes in some freshwater pearls. Any suggestions about how to do this?

Faberge Engraving Machine

Posted in Fabrication, Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry, Tools

Q: What kind of a machine did Faberge use to engrave the gold under the enamel on his famous eggs and other irregular shapes?

Polishing Sterling Silver Castings

Posted in Casts and Molds, Finish and Clean, Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: What steps should I take in order to get a good polish on sterling silver castings?

Brazing for Platinum

Posted in Fire, Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: I’ve used an oxygen/natural gas torch to solder silver and gold and for brazing. I know that one needs the extra heat of oxygen/acytelene for welding steel—is it good for platinum as well?

Adhesives for Sea Shells

Posted in Fabrication, Jewelry, Organics, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry, Tools

Q: I make jewelry from sea shells. I have been using hot glue to stick them onto metal findings, but it’s messy-looking and it tends to peel off. Are there any adhesives that would work better than this?

Goldstone

Posted in Jewelry, Lapidary, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: What is goldstone? Is it suitable for use in fine jewelry?

Granulation with Silver

Posted in Fabrication, Fire, Jewelry, Metal, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: I have been trying to do granulation with fine silver and cannot get all of the beads to stay on the base plate—what should I do?

Photography of Jewelry—Scanning or Slides?

Posted in Imaging, Jewelry, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: How can I get good pictures of my jewelry for my website? I can create pretty good digital images just by lying them face down on a scanner, but when I try to shoot slides with a camera, they always come out blue. Is photography worth the hassle?

Plating on Non-conductives

Posted in Jewelry, Metal, Organics, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: How does one plate metal onto non-conductive items, like leaves and shells?

Tightening Prongs on a Setting

Posted in Fabrication, Jewelry, Lapidary, Rowe’s Q and A on Jewelry

Q: How do you get the prongs of a Tiffany head to hold a stone tightly? And how can you clean up prongs without catching and distorting them?

The Wax FAQ—Sculpting in Wax

Posted in Alt.Sculpture FAQ, Casts and Molds, Concrete and Plaster, Fabrication, Jewelry, Sculpture, Tools

Andrew Werby covers the use of wax in sculpture, including the types used, direct construction techniques, casting, welding and smoothing. This article covers the following topics: sculpting waxes, carving wax, casting slabs, melting, handworking and tools, lost wax, armatures and addtitions.

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