Silver Jewelry | Handmade Jewelry Blog by Jewelry Designer John S Brana

There’s Something About Fine Silver Jewelry

February 21, 2009 By John S. Brana 15 Comments

Fine jewelry silver is actually pure silver or 99% silver. Sterling silver, on the other hand, is an alloy of 92.5% silver mixed with 7.5% copper. Pure silver is usually too malleable to be used in jewelry, unless it is hammered or tumbled to "work harden" the silver to a point where it is just as strong as Sterling Silver. The advantage of Fine Silver, is that it does not tarnish, making care of fine silver jewelry effortless.

Silver and gold are the two most well-known, and popular, precious metals used in creating fine jewelry. Fine jewelry silver is less expensive than gold, which makes it more popular for that reason alone. Many people also prefer the color and look of silver over gold. Gold is typically thought of a warm, friendly color, while silver is more cool and distinguished.

Fine silver jewelry is crafted for both men and women. For men, it consists of cufflinks – the one fashion accessory women have never needed. Then there are bracelets, necklaces and pendants, and rings. As with any fine fashion accessory, many famous designers work in the fine silver jewelry field. Their creations are offered at many fine jewelry stores, although unfortunately the current economic climate has seen the closing down of many of those stores. Nowadays, many designers have websites that showcase their creations.

Fine silver jewelry has been crafted for over a thousand years, so in addition to new pieces, many fabulous classic and antique pieces are available for purchase…at antique stores or on Ebay, for example. It’s all a matter of finding a particular design or designs that you like. If you love fine silver jewelry, you’ll want to educate yourself as to its history. The evolution of the history of design and of the famous designers of all time make enjoyable reading, and will enable you to fully appreciate the craft that goes into the pieces you now enjoy.

Click Here To Get Your Hands On Fine Jewelry Silver Designs

A Look at Silver Jewelry Designs

February 20, 2009 By John S. Brana 16 Comments

How does an artist design a piece of jewelry? Where does the inspiration come from? How is the initial look decided upon? How is the piece crafted once it’s design is final?

Well, let’s take a look at how silver jewelry is designed and find out.

A smart jewelry designer will make no piece of jewelry until its design is finalized. The process starts out by creating a series of sketches of the piece, from all angles, taking into consideration how it will be clasped to a wrist or neck to make sure proper fit. Much of this is learned over time, through trial and error.

The next step is actually creating the piece. At this point, the jewelry designer must be knowledgeable in a variety of technical skills, commonly referred to as metalsmithing. Once the type of metal is selected, the piece can be cast, fabricated, or cold connected (riveted, wire wrapped), and then embellished with surface texture and/or gemstones.

Different types of metal vary in softness and malleability – gold and silver are both relatively easy to work with, gold more so than silver. It pays to be skilled in the basics before tackling a project with either, especially high-priced gold. You can always take a class at your local adult education institute, or even watch videos on the internet which show you how. These videos are of course educational, but when it actually comes to working with metal, you need to have a workroom filled with all the necessary tools, and be willing to practice, practice, practice. Most large cities will have jewelry studios available for rent so that you can "test the waters" before investing in equipment.

Why work in silver instead of gold or platinum? Well, because silver is so much less expensive! Never buy gold jewelry because it’s a good "investment." You will always loose on both ends – the buy and sell. With gold prices fluctuating erratically, why not choose silver jewelry as an option? Not only are you getting a one-of-a-kind vision of the artist, but you don’t have to worry about where gold is going next!

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Men’s Silver Jewelry – Definitely For Everyone

February 19, 2009 By John S. Brana 27 Comments

Some people like gold jewelry, and some people like silver. It all depends on if you like the warmth of gold, or the coolness of silver. If you’re a woman or a man, silver jewelry may very well be your thing. Silver and gold are the two main metals that have been used for jewelry since jewelry first started being worn!

Silver jewelry is actually made from "sterling silver", which is an alloy consisting of 92.5% silver with 7.5% copper. That’s because silver, like gold, is too soft in its normal state to be used – it is too easily deformed. Sterling silver is harder than pure silver. (When it comes to "hallmark quality" silverware, Britannia silver is used – that consists of 95.8% silver). Sterling silver is also sometimes "flashed." That means, its plated with a thin coat of .999 fine silver to give it a shiny finish.

When people think of jewelry, they usually associate jewelry being just for women, but for a man, silver jewelry has recently taken off. Silver bracelets, cufflinks, necklaces, and rings are all very popular. Although silver jewelry is made for both men and women, typically, jewelry aimed at men is more "masculine." Not only is it larger in diameter (to accommodate larger wrists and fingers), but also it’s more massive and sturdy.

Many elite jewelers craft designs for the male market. Hand-crafted designs are the most elegant and unique, while mass-market jewelry – made from lesser materials (usually stainless steel and plated brass) – are available as well. Guys want to wear unique silver jewelry for the same reasons that women do: to get noticed, to be confident, and to be unique.

Click Here To Get Your Hands On Lots Of Man Silver Jewelry

The Skinny on Designer Handmade Jewelry

February 17, 2009 By John S. Brana 2 Comments

2801474001_af2c92f14d What’s the difference between manufactured jewelry and designer handmade jewelry? Well, for starters, mass-market manufactured jewelry is obviously going to be cheaper, usually of lower quality, and also lacks uniqueness and creativity. Have you ever purchased a piece of mass market manufactured jewelry, gone to a party, and seen several other women wearing a similar piece of jewelry?

This definitely won’t be the case if you purchase designer handmade jewelry. Chances are you have a unique piece, or one of only a number of limited edition pieces, and you’ll never have to worry about bumping into someone at a party and seeing that same piece of jewelry on another woman’s wrist or around her neck.

Mass market jewelry is stuff that’s stamped out by the thousands, with little or no human contact. Designer handmade jewelry, on the other hand…is something totally different. Of course it’s going to cost a little more, but you can be assured that when a designer hallmarks their handmade jewelry, they are guaranteeing you a certain level of quality and trust. The designer’s name, brand, and reputation are on the line. This seldom occurs in mass manufactured jewelry.

Handmade jewelry is also much more labor intensive. Numerous hours can go into creating, designing, and fabricating a single piece of jewelry, and that’s why the cost for designer handmade jewelry is usually higher than mass produced pieces.

Maintenance of your designer handmade jewelry is relatively easy. Over time, your silver jewelry will tarnish due to the copper content in Sterling Silver. There are several commercial products you can purchase at your local drug store or hardware store that will restore your silver to a sparkling shine. The most versatile is a polishing cloth or rouge cloth that can be used on gold, silver, and copper jewelry. For those more intricate silver pieces like filigree or chain, all you need is baking soda. First, make sure you do this in a well ventilated area. Place the chain in an aluminum pan, and cover thoroughly with baking soda. Then, pour boiling water, slowly, into the pan. A chemical reaction will occur and the tarnish will be removed. Copper jewelry can be easily cleaned with these cleaning methods. One of the added benefits of buying designer jewelry is that most designers offer cleaning services. Customers of John S. Brana – Handcrafted Fine Jewelry can send their jewelry in at anytime for a free cleaning.

Click Here To Get Your Hands On Designer Handmade Jewelry

Who Knew Handcrafted Jewelry Could Be So…Interactive?

January 15, 2009 By John S. Brana 6 Comments

Always an innovator, John S. Brana launched three new websites this month and even gave a sleek new face lift to his home site, www.johnsbrana.com. Each new site targets a specific customer based on their desire for gold, silver, or copper jewelry and features search and comparison features unparalleled to any handcrafted artisan in the industry. See for yourself at www.handcrafted-gold-jewelry.com, www.handmade-silver-jewelry.com, and www.handmadecopperjewelry.com .

Jewelry buyers may now perform side-by-side comparisons on any number of their favorite pieces to determine just the right style, texture, gemstone, size and price. Visitors may participate in a live community poll to tell the designer specific preferences such as their favorite gemstone, karat or quality of gold, and type of earring they prefer. Those with the most discerning tastes can find exactly what they are looking for by narrowing their search, and if you just can’t decide, customers can add their favorite items to a wish list and be notified if those items go on sale through various RSS Feeds.

"After seeing the fashion and jewelry industries suffer this holiday season, I decided I would make it easier for customers seeking handcrafted fine jewelry to find me," says Brana of his business strategies. "And when they do find me, I want to be sure I’m giving them the styles they want." Brana is known for his handcrafted jewelry designs inspired by the landscapes of San Francisco and has been consistently experimenting with new textures, such as embossing, or adding new layers to his metallic collection of "SOMA" jewelry. New styles are available online now.

For more information and to view all jewelry styles please visit:

For more information and media requests regarding John S. Brana – Distinctive Jewelry, please contact Karri Ann Frerichs at 402.490.2579 or karriann@altitudepromotion.com.

Scarf Rings – New Product Release by John S. Brana Fine Handcrafted Jewelry

November 24, 2008 By John S. Brana 3 Comments

Sometimes I’m amazed at how events develop. Late last month, I was having lunch with an old friend/co-worker from my corporate days at Charles Schwab. He mentioned to me how his wife was going on about scarf rings for Christmas gifts. She had just returned from Europe where they were all the rage…something I had really never thought about designing. Within the next week, I had a joint gallery opening with abstract photographer and silk wear designer Klaus Lange at The ArtPeople Gallery here in San Francisco. So I put two and two together, and knocked out some scarf rings to accompany Klaus’ silk scarves. The artists reception was on Nov 6^th, and the scarf rings were a home run! Not bad for a 10 day turnaround.

Below are pictures of my two current scarf ring designs in Copper and Sterling Silver, along with some of the exhibition photos. Over the next few months, I’ll be working on more designs in Vermeil and Bronze, so stay tuned….

Chased Copper Scarf Ring - John S. Brana - Fine Handcrafted Jewelry

Chased Copper Scarf Ring

Red Wheat Silk Chiffon Scarf by Klaus Lange

Chased Sterling Silver Scarf Ring

Surfer Dude Chiffon Scarf by Klaus Lange

The ArtPeople Gallery - John S Brana - Handcrafted Fine Jewelry Wall Installation

John S Brana - Handcrafted Art Jewelry - Opening Night - The ArtPeople Gallery

John S. Brana - The ArtPeople Gallery - Opening Night

Given Boutique Will be the First San Francisco Retailer to Carry John S. Brana – Distinctive Men’s Jewelry Collection

August 13, 2008 By John S. Brana Leave a Comment

Selections from John S. Brana’s men’s jewelry collections as well as several women’s jewelry pieces are now available at GIVEN, 575 Castro Street, San Francisco. This Castro neighborhood lifestyle boutique is a local favorite for art, home accessories, and, of course, contemporary jewelry. Customers will enjoy unique textures in fine silver jewelry sets including rings, pendants, bracelets and cufflinks from John S. Brana’s Reptile, Redwood and Tonga men’s collections.

“John Brana’s jewelry is a perfect fit at GIVEN,” said Nick Romero, owner of Given which is in its second year of business. “All the work by our store artists share a common theme: creativity, beauty and just a hint of the unexpected combined with unmistakable quality. John’s jewelry has all of these aspects in abundance!" San Franciscans may best know this boutique location as the former camera store and recent set of Milk, a documentary of the 1970’s gay and civil rights activist, Harvey Milk. Romero was most drawn to the raw, geometric texture found in Brana’s Tonga collection of fine silver chunky bracelets, cufflinks, rings and pendants. In addition to eight different men’s styles, GIVEN will also sell several women’s jewelry pieces including a chased link necklace, bracelet and earrings in 14K gold-filled and two hand-sculpted copper cuffs.

John S. Brana began crafting his jewelry collections by hand in his West Portal studio overlooking the Pacific Ocean after leaving a career as vice president of finance for the Charles Schwab Corporation in 2003,. Brana’s creative influences come directly from neighborhoods in and around San Francisco, including Nob Hill, Pacific Heights, Seacliff and Sonoma. To view all styles available by John S. Brana, please visit www.johnsbrana.com. For more information and media requests regarding John S. Brana – Distinctive Jewelry, please contact Karri Ann Frerichs at 402.490.2579 or karriann@altitudepromotion.com.

Introducing the Distinctive Nob Hill Collection by John S. Brana

February 29, 2008 By John S. Brana 2 Comments

When was the last time you strolled along California Street and climbed the steps of Mason? Or, if you don’t live in our fair city of San Francisco, when have you last enjoyed the nostalgic architecture of those neighborhoods built around the turn of twentieth century? Do you notice that bricks are no longer laid in those patterns, or that columns today aren’t poured in such grand stature but with such intricate detail?

That was a time when we didn’t have to remind ourselves to stop and smell the roses. We appreciated craftsmanship and weren’t distracted by technology. With this in mind, John S. Brana sought to capture the elaborate scrolls and turbulent twists of the grill work on entrance gates that dot the neighborly streets of San Francisco’s famous Nob Hill. This is the collection of that not yet lost, but very intimate detail.

After twisting three tiny pure silver or 14 karat gold wires then running them through a rolling machine, John sculpts the inner tendrils into a paired perfection. No two sets are exactly the same. Each design is then encased by a sturdy barrier of flat or half-round sterling silver or 14 karat gold. Dangling a pair from you ears is a delicate daily reminder that if you can’t stop to smell the roses, you can at least take them with you. Necklaces and bracelets are coming soon. Enjoy life’s beautiful amenities!

Karri Ann Frerichs

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New Fabricated Jellyfish Earrings

November 13, 2007 By John S. Brana 1 Comment

Here are two new variations I have been working on to compliment my Jellyfish earring designs. Both earrings were fabricated using Sterling Silver and Fine Silver. Please let me know what you think!

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