How to make low budget Jewelry - Silversmithing EASY WAY

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This video is about making a silver ring with a wonderful opal stone I cut into a hexagon/honeycomb shape. It´s like a silversmithing tutorial for beginners and shows how you can start jewelry easy with simple tools. I am pretty sure there are few more serious jewelry making tutorials on YouTube but if you don´t have much money and you want to work at home, this video could be the right thing to have an idea, what tools you need to start your jewelry projects (in this case opal ring making).

Let´s first talk about some safety instructions:

I think the most dangerous thing in silversmithing is, that you work with a torch, what means that you can easy burn yourself or your home. My „funny“ workspace is absolutely not safe!

- Your silversmith worksspace should absolutely be fireproofed. You should use firebricks and not a pot cover

- Before you turn on your torch make sure that no hair or clothing can catch fire and never hold your head over the flame

- Beware of gases. Make sure the room is adequately ventilated

- During filing, sanding and polishing, fine dust can easily enter the respiratory tract. You should wear a respirator during these steps

Some generally tips for silversmithing beginners:

- Buy good tools or you will buy twice

- Read the book „silversmithing for jewellery makers“ from elizabeth bone. It is awesome

- Plan your steps before starting your jewelry project. First try out simple jewelry like a „normal“ silver ring before you create complicated or filigree jewelry

- If you also want to make an opal ring, take good care of the opal stone. It can be damadged

- The stonesetting is a very hard step. And it´s the last step. Your jewelry piece will be ruined, when you fail here

- Silversmithing takes time. For beginners it takes more time ;)

Here are my hints and tips to the steps in the video, hopefully very useful espacially for silversmithing beginners:

Cutting with piercing saw:
- Check the tension on the blade: a loose blade will possibly break
- Support your work with your second hand
- Use the V shape oft he bench peg
- Using wax will help

Filing:
- Watch out that you don´t take to much silver
- Files cut on the forward stroke. Yes, I also have to do this right ;)
- Support your work
- Make sure that the file does not dip at the end or beginning of the cutting stroke. You will create an uneven edge, what can ruin your jewellery project
- If you want to solder two pieces together, be sure, that they fit nearly 100%. Solder will not fill up a gaps

Soldering:
- Don´t use to much solder. Flaten the solderwire to avoid using to much
- Use flux paste like me or better borax
- Solder flows to the hottest parts of your silver ring
- Don´t overheat your silver (stop if it´s dull red). Release the flame immediately, after the solder flows to the join
- Work from hard solder down to easy solder. Watch the different melting temperatures
- the pickle should be warm (not hot)

Forming:
- Your silver must be annealed. If you buy it, aks for the malleability of your silver
- Thats all i know. I am just trying different stupid things. Learning by doing :D

Stonesetting:
- Making a silver ring with a stonesetting is a hard project. I cannot explain how to push the silver on the stone without the risk to damadge it. Happened two timest o me. I am using this small burin that is doing a grat job and then just polishing the edges with the silicon tipp. You should normally not use this silicon tipps with a dremel, because it´s not powerful enough to push the silver. You will need a flexshaft for the right use.

Some final words:

- As a silversmithing beginner you should start with reading a book like I already recommended: „silversmithing for jewellery makers“
- Your first silver rings will not be perfect. This is my fifth opal ring I made and every opal ring became better
- Making a silver ring looks easy but needs time. Don´t rush
- Enjoy your progress in silversmithing and design your own awesome individual jewelry :)

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My first bench looked similar...and, you clearly are a pro with a fantastic sense of humor! Thanks for the laughs through the lesson!

modenam

Love the little contraption you made for the dust particles while you saw.

MakeupMobster

Omg the little polishing setup with the soda bottle and your box and presentation was absolutely genius! Love it

MakeupMobster

Thank you for this video. I laughed my face off and also learned some things. Also as a beginner to silversmithing it was nice to just watch someone work! Please keep making jewellery! :)

plantnoises

I love having a beginners perspective. That’s exactly what I needed. Thank you very much 🙏

mattchrome

I loved it! You have a great energy and it's a pleasure to watch, I kept smiling (edit: I kept crying while laughing lol) :) The rings are beautiful and opals are gorgeus, they're one of my favourite gemstones!

TheArtOfMetalsmithing

Been wanting to learn how to silversmith rings & more. Very helpful watching you...😊

marjorietudor

also...not my heart sinking when you've thrown a charcoal block at the table 😱After having some of mine break just by touching them gently, I was like - DUUUDE hahahaha

TheArtOfMetalsmithing

Hahahah der man ist zurück..endlich.
Geilo wie immer Kai

VRV

I have got to say you are the craziest man I’ve ever seen in my life lol ha ha ha but you get the job done and I like how you broke it down where even somebody like me can understand it so thank you for that very knowledgeable. I’m just a rookie watching your videos. This is the first one I’ve watched, but I will be watching plenty more again thank you. Take care and God bless.

charlesteune