1. Hard solder actually becomes easier and quicker to use than the “step” method. No hat trick, just controlling your torch, all my students can do that easily with in the first 30 minutes of learning to light a torch. This includes junior high age students. By using only hard solder there is no reason to ever have to “tie” your pieces together with “bailing wire”, oops, I mean “binding wire”. I have not used it in 25 years, and can not imagine a sitution that would require it. Hard solder will hold every thing in place while soldering. Saves time, more profit. In the same time it takes to try to tie something in place you can have it soldered.

2. Because hard solder polishes and ages just like sterling silver, you can use a lot of it to fill gaps, so there is no need to waste time getting every solder joint to fit just perfect. This insures that the customer gets a quality piece that takes less time to make, so more profit!

3. Hard solder polishes just like sterling, wears just like sterling, and tarnishes just like sterling, unlike easy and medium that begin to oxidize, tarnish faster than sterling. If you like unsightly darkened solder lines then use easy and medium.

4. Hard solder will not undercut as easy and medium solder will. I have had many repair jobs come in (when I did repairs for about 5 years) with solder lines on polished surfaces that were polish in to unsightly grooves. They tarnished, began to show, so they were polished and repolished to the point that the solder joints began to undercut, the solder eaten away. Then the sides of the sterling begin to get buffed and the result is a rounded groove where the joint is.

5. There are only three solder grades, some time in every piece you make, multi joints must be made with the same solder. All I am trying to teach is the more joints you make with hard solder the easier it is to do the piece. As soon as you begin to use medium or easy, you make it harder do make the next solder joint with out something bad happening. Doesn’t this just make sense. If you use hard solder for nearly or all solder joints, it is actually easier to control the temperature of the piece and not harder.

6. The real proof that using only hard solder is easier to use, all my students use the $10.00 propane torch to learn with. Then as they sell jewelry and make a good profit, they can pay for a better torch.

7. Hard solder does not pit as medium and easy do

8. Faster to use, which means to most fabricators, more profit! I teach my students they do not have time to dork around using three solders. In the time it takes to decide which one to use where, they can have it soldered and finished.

9. If a piece gets ran over by a car, the poor slob that must repair it, will not have fall completely apart as he, or she, heats it up. The piece will be easier to repair! That’s a good thing, for the person doing the repairs and the customer!

10. Hard solder makes stronger solder joints. If you want to know why joint the Silversmithing List and ask. The answer is simple and will makes sense to you.

Have been burning, melting, and generally wasting a lot of silver trying to learn how to silversmith, the past few pendants have turned out a-ok though.

Thought might blog about and share a few of the most recent, successful, and favorite pendants.

This first one has a Nipomo and Marcisite gemstone cabochon. Unlike most of the pendants have done, this one is not backed. It is set with a step type bezel tape. This Nipomo has easily become one of my most favorite minerals.

Then this Picture Jasper pendant is backed, and then used a gallery type bezel tape.

This is a neat little Mexican Lace Agate pendant.

Then my first, from scratch ring.. The stone is Obsidian.

Another Mexican Lace Agate. This particular stone was cut pretty much from just below the crust of the rough. The result was a lot of agate with floating orb effect. Love this stuff !

Then this gemmy green Variscite pendant and bracelet set.

Finally this Rhodonite pendant. I did not take any pics through out the process. The backing was textured by running it through a rolling mill. Something that is on my wish list ! They are very expensive, but a member of my forum shared one that only costs 130.00. It is perfect for what I would be using it for. Now the possibility of having one is a bit more possible !

The bail is a step type bezel tape that I ground off the step part leaving just the pattern part. Then used gallery type wire to set the stone in. This turned out to be one of my favorite pieces so far !

Hope ya like em, and thanks for stopping in !

We decided to have a jewelry design contest for existing forum members.  Actually, it is still ongoing as of this blog entry..

Not being a very good artist as free hand drawing goes, it took almost an entire notebook to come up with the final sketch !

Wanted to see if I could actually design a piece using a similar set of stones as the many matching multi stone groups that I offer in my store. So started with that in mind.

One of the my favorite minerals that truly offer outstanding patterns that are ideal for this matching patterned multi stone groups is the Mexican Crazy Lace Agate.  It is easier to loose the flow of the pattern across the setting because the grains change rapidly as I grind and shape the top of the cab. The three three pieces across the top of this one kept the flow of the pattern pretty well.

Cut out and roughly shaped the backing for both pieces. Then cut and shaped the preforms to match the backing. Leaving plenty of room for soldering the bezel tape.

Shaped and finished up the cabs and soldered up the bezels to match.. It was a bit tricky for me to solder all three of the top settings to the same backing at once. I knew how important it was going to be to be able and heat this larger than normal piece evenly. As a result, it was the first time using the largest of torch tips I have. The much larger flame worked like a charm !

Pieced it all together..

Used both a tumbler as well as some 3M type discs for cleaning everything up.

Not having any experience with creating a nice beaded or maybe braded type neclace to go with it, not exactly sure how or if will create something to match this..

One thing I did learn too is that should have filed down the corners of the bezels just a bit so as when I pushed the tape up against the upper stones, there would not be the little gaps that are showing.  Next time …. !

I know of one such designer. He is a valued member of my Lapidary forum. Extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of jewelry design.
Michael Johnson of Cosmic Folklore Studios goes well above and beyond run of the mill jewelry designers.

Just like when a designer takes the time to work with a lapidary on a regular basis for unique and unusual gemstones, folks who are truly shopping for interesting and unique jewelry designs also know the importance of looking beyond their immediate community. It is the only way we can own the most interesting of handmade jewelry.

Michael teaches and has a large following of students who attend his valued silversmithing / metalsmithing classes at his studio in Helena Alabama.

I watch Michael’s store several times a week in anticipation of seeing newly added designs within Cosmic Folklore Studios. He enjoys creating pendants, necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, and many other interesting pieces.

Michael will tell that it is the Lapidary/gemstone cutter who contributes so much to beautiful jewelry designs. Yes, we do our part, but in the end it is the designer who brings everything together. That is what I like so much about Michael’s jewelry designs. His ability to take unique gemstones and match them up with a variety of metalsmith and silversmithing mediums that result in absolutely stunning pieces.

Maybe you already have a unique gemstone and have a design idea for a piece of jewelry. Or maybe you have an idea for both a type of gemstone mineral and jewelry design, then contact Michael….

I am going to borrow a statement that Michael made about Lapidaries in a recent blog post. As it applies exactly the same when choosing a jewelry designer as well.

“Yes, it may cost more, but it is funny how some people strive to buy the cheapest for the ingredients for their art, when they would never just buy the cheapest car on the lot, the cheapest house in the neighborhood, or the cheapest shoes on the rack.  Some things are just worth the extra it takes to get quality and uniqueness”.

Let me tease you just a bit with a couple of his recent pieces..

Need I say more !

As always, thank you for stopping in and letting me share..

Wanted to share a really neat tutorial on how to set a square gemstone cabochon by one of our forum members, Bob of Bobs Premium Cabs shared with us.

Bezel setting a stone with sharp corners is somewhat more difficult than an oval because if it isn’t done properly the excess metal puckers at the corners.
Bezel setting is often called a “rub” over setting. This is because some people use a burnisher to “rub” the bezel “over” the stone. It is quite difficult to do this because you can’t get enough pressure especially in the corners to fully push the bezel over the stone. Because the surface of the burnisher is polished it also makes it more difficult to control the burnisher.
There is a bezel pusher that has a round wood ball handle with a small square metal rod to push the bezel over. It has such a small surface that it introduces dents and creases in the bezel.
My favorite tool is a bezel rocker. It is a wood handle with a metal blade. See full tutorial here……

Was finally fortunate enough to have a member from our local club come over and walk me through some basic silver soldering. She was a big help. Little things like working the torch properly, using the flux correctly, etc…

Any way, felt the urge to share the results of this Rainforest Jasper pendant. Still have a long ways to go before I can actually offer some up for sale, but getting there!

That has changed. Another recent evaluation shows that I am going to loose some where between 20 and 30% of monthly income.

What was once a casual and non stress business/hobby now has to be picked up a notch !

Where I once was not quite as concerned about expenses and inventory, I now have to pay much more attention to even the minor details. I use to not be quite as concerned about what the competition was up too, now it is key to the difference between a potential sale and a sale.

I am very grateful that I have a good online presence. So it’s not like I have to build that from scratch.

Pricing is going probably be the biggest issue. I am pretty sure all will be well. It’s just the realization that I have to treat this much more like a business, and really concentrate on things. The online tools are there…

Realizing my own personal changes as a result of stock market issues, and or just the overall recession that we are all finding ourselves dealing with just what other consideration are important.

What about the jewelry designer experiencing similar situations. Cutting costs and expenses. Making every penny count.

What that in itself means to someone like myself who supplies them. It feels like a potential chain effect. Designers are going to be looking for the very best pricing and also the very best quality to go with it.

I also have just started to try my hand at designing my own line of jewelry. My last online order for silver and misc supplies made me pay close attention to what I was buying. What do I absolutely need, what can I make due with a little less of, etc…  So I am getting a taste of what a professional jewelry designer might be experiencing in these tougher times.

I feel that what was a high end cabochon will have to come down in price to be competitive and affordable to designers who are in the same boat as I am.

They are not going to want to cut corners on stone quality. So I am expecting some serious price reduction to make the sales to them.

Truth is, I am ok with that. As a cutter, there is room to reduce pricing on even the highest end cabochons and still profit.

Not sit on gemstones because my ego insists that it is worth something more. I would rather sell those stones and make a little less.

As a cutter, and or designer, are you finding the recession effecting you in similar ways. If so what kind of change are you presently or do you foresee making to be competitive and still profitable for your business.

I would very much like to hear your expectations as a designer who is feeling the pinch as a result of the markets, job loss, and other things that are a result of the recession that our Country is in and how it may be effecting your online business activities.

Maybe your like myself. Finding yourself in need of taking what was more of an online past time or business/hobby into a more serious online business to supplement your income.  Maybe even actually in hopes of  turning it into a serious and primary source of income.

What can a cutter like myself do to help you make your jewelry more competitive to your customers in these difficult times when people are thinking twice about spending their extra money on jewelry.

There are options, including possibly buying in quantity and obtaining discounts that way. Dealing with a single lapidary shop like myself can and will result in substantial discounts. Repeat customers are of great value. We are likely to offer discounts based on repeat business. Purchasing rough yourself and sending it to my shop is another way to save towards gemstone purchases. Bartering has always been highly recommended method of two businesses getting what each needs and can both profit from in the short term.

Thanks for stopping in and reading !

One of my recent pieces started out so well…… I was smiling through the entire process of shaping and soldering the three step bezels for this three piece necklace.

Then came the last two solders for the little bails on the top of the two hanging pieces. That is when disaster set in ! After three or four attempts the metal became so oxidized that they became unusable.

Both of the bails kept falling off, and had to re-heat and try again.

On the last attempt on one piece, it was such a disaster, that I melted part of the bezel !

Your first question to me is probably asking if I used one of the 3rd arms with clamps. That was in fact the root of the disaster. I was trying to hold them in place with a pair of pliers in one hand and the torch in the other. I had overheated the clips on a previous project so they lost the springy ability to clamp.

I was impatient and, well….. the results show it !

I do not have enough of the same matching step bezel to give it another whirl yet. Next Rio order !

Just felt like sharing my recent disaster. Hopefully I can return with a positive update once I get some more bezel tape !

Thanks for reading. Maybe you have a similar soldering disaster to share ?

TaoGem.com

It hardly qualifies me as a Silversmith, but sure felt good !

Over the past few days I managed to silver solder some bezel tape around a couple of more. The one is a Carved Agate Cameo, and the other is an Ocean Jasper with a step type bezel tape.

Any way…. As a result I started thumbing through Google. Not really searching for anything particular, just so long as it was related to Silversmithing.

Suddenly, a page popped up and there it was. The perfect bezel ! As soon as I saw it I realized I was on track towards the style of settings I wanted to learn how to do.

It was on the Fretz Tool site. From the same site, on their tools page, I found something else that was completely new to me. Metalmithing tools ! The tools of the trade that I would be needing at least a few of in order to be able to make similar bezels.

It was like a 100 watt light bulb went off in my head. I have been enjoying what little work I have done with the basic bezel tape, but I instantly was attracted to the bold and heavy look of this bezel. It appears to be about a 20 gauge or so.

By the end of the night I found a few additional sites that I have bookmarked.

I already have a few things like a torch set up, fire block and charcoal block. Files, saw, solder, and other misc tools required to do regular bezel work like my first few.

Some additional metalmithing tools to get started will likely include either an entire forming kit or at least the main pieces. Including a stake or two, a chasing and peddiman hammers. I happen to have the perfect desk to build my silversmithing from work station up from.

This list of potential metalsmithing tools and accessories are endless, but just to get started on these eye popping bezels I think can do with just a few of the basics.

It is coming up on Christmas so penny pinching until the first of the year. At that time I will be able to pick up several items. I am very excited about the appearance of these heavier bezels. I suppose once I get a handle on the bezel, something else will present itself and additional silversmithing tools will be necessary.

I wish there was an opportunity to have someone give me hands on instructions, but just not possible out in the boonies. The nearest city is about an hour away. So will be picking up a few books, CD’s and videos.

Tim McCreight has several books, and some visual instructions available as well. One of the members on my forum suggested to start with his Complete Metalsmith edition. He also suggested a Don Norrises CD “Biginning Metalsmithing.

Ok……., guess I am done rambling for now. Thanks for stopping by and reading through this blog entry. Keep checking back to see how things progress for me while I teach myself some metalsmithing basics.

More to come !!

So this blog entry is simply to show off a few pairs that I have made while including a link to my gemstone store for jewelry designers to check out. Hopefully so as to find something that they can use for their own matched earring pair type jewelry designs.

Also to offer a link to contact me should a designer like to have a special design cut from any number of minerals available.

I don’t usually use my gemstone blog for promoting. But what the heck…. Once in a while can’t hurt!

Making a special request does not mean special costs! There are no “special” shop rates for special requests.

The above matched earring cabochon pairs are just a very few examples of what you will find within my store.

I cut this Wave Jasper Gemstone for a customer. As you can see, this Jasper mineral sure has the potential for some beautiful gemstone jewelry.

The Wave Jasper Slab above is available for special requests. I am happy to cut and shape gemstones from it so that a jewelry designer may create that special piece of jewelry.

Feel free to contact me and make arrangements to cut and shape this mineral to your specs.

I do have a few cabs already cut from a similar Wave Jasper. The ones presently in my store do not really offer the same unique wave or rainbow effect as the slab example above.

The Jewelry Designer

Jewelry designers are people who design special one of a kind jewelry pieces in their own unique style using any number of techniques. The pieces are considered designer jewelry when the design is a specific piece of jewelry even though at times another designer may copy that designers style.

Sometimes the same jewelry designer will use a different style to their work. This can add uniqueness to the jewelry pieces.

Designers Learn Their How To Design In Different Ways

One designer can be taught from another family member, in an apprentice situation or can attend a school so they can learn about the craft. The jewelry designer can learn basic techniques to form body art, and from that they can go on to create their own unique designs that directly reflect the designers attitude, and individual style. If the designer is really good and innovative, they will receive a notice and acclaim the same as any other artist would expect.

Different Influences For The Designer

Jewelry designers can go through many different phases as they find new influences from the world around them. Sometimes it is directly related to the availability of materials and or the reusing of materials in unexpected ways that influence the jewelry designer.

Sometimes, when a particular design becomes popular, they may be requested to design special commemorative or celebration pieces that may be put on display.

Jewelry Designers And Gemstones

Jewelry designers have come quite a ways from the prehistoric examples of jewelry that may at times be found while archeology excavations are described from old texts. For example, jewelry designers have been known to use gemstones for thousands of years in jewelry pieces, and the popularity of the gemstones will probably never change.

Trends And Technology

Jewelry designers also follow trends of the times, and use technology available to them. You can see jewelry from different regions of the world that are all identifiable by their unique style, and the special markings of the designer always stay true to the persons own style. Sometimes the modern jewelry designer can go back to more primitive technologies and materials to design their own unique jewelry designs.

Jewelry designers have always responded to the needs of people for special adornment and commemorative items. You can probably find a designer who is perfect for you. Jewelry has always appealed to people for many different reasons, and these reasons have remained relatively unchanged throughout the ages, and some types of jewelry designs have remained classic through time as well.