Nbsp | Handmade Jewelry Blog by Jewelry Designer John S Brana

Handcrafted Silver Jewelry – Meant to Last a Lifetime

March 28, 2009 By John S. Brana 3 Comments

Handcrafted Fine Silver Necklace with Chrysoprase Many people shy away from silver jewelry for many reasons. For some, it’s because silver loses its luster over time. For others, they think of silver as simply inferior to gold. Neither of these statements are true if the silver utilized is fine silver. Handcrafted silver jewelry made using fine silver, rather than sterling silver – will last a lifetime without much attention.

At first glance, sterling silver and fine silver might appear almost identical. In reality, though, handcrafted fine silver jewelry is different in one critical way…it doesn’t tarnish over time. This is due to its lack of copper, as opposed to Sterling Silver, which is an alloy of 7.5% Copper and 92.5% Silver. Through the hammering process, Fine Silver becomes just as strong as Sterling, so that Fine Silver can last you a lifetime, and be passed on to future generations with pride and effortless care.

Jewelry that is handcrafted using fine silver is some of the most superior on the market. Not only has the metal itself gone through the hands of a caring craftsman, but the piece of jewelry has been designed and put together by someone who is a true artisan. There is no manufacturing process in this type of jewelry. The designs are original, the production is one at a time, and the work is done with pride and love.

When buying a piece of handcrafted silver jewelry, always insist on fine silver to ensure your piece will last and remain in its beautiful, original state for more than just a few years.

Click Here To Find Handcrafted Silver Jewelry

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

Smythe & Cross – Purveyors of Precious Jewelry Features Selected Handcrafted Fine Jewelry by John S. Brana

November 11, 2008 By John S. Brana 2 Comments

Smythe & Cross

December 3, 2008 - Smythe & Cross – Purveyors of Precious Jewelry, Burlingame, CA, will be hosting a grand opening and open house from 4:00 to 9:00 p.m. at their Burlingame headquarters. Preview collections of fine and diamond jewelry, along with selected pieces of handcrafted fine jewelry by John S. Brana. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served. RSVP required. Contact Altitude Promotions for more information.

14K Gold Chased Anticlastic Cuff

SoMa Collection – 14K Chased Anticlastic Gold Cuff

14K Gold and Fine Silver Tear Drop Filigree Earrings

Nob Hill Collection – 14K Gold and Fine Silver Tear Drop Filigree Earrings

The Heritage Boutique presents Handmade Fine Jewelry by John S Brana – October 11, 2008

October 1, 2008 By John S. Brana Leave a Comment

October 11, 2008 – The Heritage Boutique – Dublin, CA, in celebration of Diwali "The Festival of Lights" will be having a holiday trunk show featuring distinctive jewelry by San Francisco-based designer, John S. Brana, autumn and winter clothing collections by Pria Kataria Puri, and JB Classic Labs. The event will be held at the The Heritage Boutique, 4556 Dublin Blvd., Dublin, CA 94568, between 4 – 9 p.m . Contact Heritage for more information. 925-560-6591

The Heritage Boutique - Trunk Show Featuring Fine Handmade Jewelry by John S. Brana

New Textures Added to the Sea Cliff Jewelry Collection

October 19, 2007 By John S. Brana 2 Comments

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been experimenting with various textures and techniques to perfect my skills at anticlastic raising. This bracelet was done in sterling silver using traditional anticlastic raising techniques. I tried to pay particular attention to minimizing marring by the forming hammer, sanded using 400, 700, and 1000 grit sandpaper, then buffed to a mirror finish.

The next texture I tried was chasing. Chasing is a technique that is used to groove, furrow, channel , or indent utilizing the plasticity quality of metal. In this case, I used copper. Chasing is a relatively slow process, but with lots of practice can result in a continuous surface of metal essentially of the same thickness and texture. This is the exact opposite of the previous technique where you try to minimize marring.

Chased Anticlastic Copper Bracelet

This bracelet uses the same chasing technique, but instead of a chasing hammer, I fashioned a custom hammer by cutting groves into the face of a flat hammer (similar to a meat tenderizer), then fished off the bracelet by raising it.

Texturized Anticlastic Copper Bracelet