A Look at Silver Jewelry Designs
February 20, 2009 by John S. Brana
Filed under Silver Jewelry
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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