Years ago, I made a little round silver box with a garnet on the top of it to keep embroidery needles in as due to a special project I was making, I suddenly had many of them. The joys of being able to make your own silver things!!
In this box I also keep a tiny note (which used to have my needle stuck in it when I had only one needle). It was written to me in green pencil by my son many years ago when he was quite small – it just says, in his best handwriting, “i love you”.
As part of the goldmithing course I did in 2012 I attended a weekend casting workshop. We did some lost wax casting (more on that later), and also some cuttlefish casting. Yes, really using cuttlefish! Or more correctly, their little (or not so little) cuttlebones. I hasten to add no actual cuttlefish were harmed in the making of this jewellery – their life expectancy is around one to two years, they die soon after mating, and you can quite often find their cuttlebones washed up on the beach.
The procedure for cuttlefish casting is to cut the ends off the cuttlebone and cut it in half. Grind down the two surfaces until they are flush. Carve a funnel in one end of the two halves, and carve your design just below that. Bind the sides together to form a mould, smelt your silver and pour it in!
I cuttlefish-cast the bottoms of these two pieces, then set bezels with bails attached into the cast pieces to create pendants. One is set with malachite, the other with paua shell.
I had to hand these pieces in as part of my final presentation, and then they were sold from my online shop.
Pharaoh Cuttlefish
Cuttlefish are members of the cephalopod family, like ocotpus, squid and nautilus. They emit a brown ink to help them evade predators. This ink, known as sepia, was once prized as a dye. Cuttlefish have green blood, due to haemocyanin, which carries oxygen and contains copper, unlike humans who have iron-containing haemoglobin filled red blood. Cuttlefish have beaks. Cuttlefish have chromatophoric cells, which enable them to change the colour of their skin instantaneously. Aren’t they wonderful! And coincidentally in keeping with my (unplanned) marine themed year!!! Thanks, little guys!!
As far back as the 15th century, we have been wearing birthstones. A more traditional list by month:
January – Garnet
February – Hyacinth
March – Heliotrope
April – Diamond
May – Emerald
June – Chrysoberyl
July – Onyx
August – Carnelian
September – Chrysolite
October – Aquamarine
November – Topaz
December – Ruby
I love that we had gemstones called heliotrope and hyacinth!
Credit to my fellow Etsians KK Gemstones, rubytrail, gemsforjewels, jenniferlovebeads, gemsbyneha, ABeadConnectionand PureSpiritCrystals for their beautiful gemstone photos. Be sure to check out their Etsy shops!
The second thing I ever made was a pendant, using a banded agate cabochon. I learned (belately!) one of the very important lessons goldsmithing teaches you, which is not to cut corners; near enough is NOT good enough. I made the pendant well, and was pleased with the quality and the way it looked, but when I made the bail, I did not take enough time over it and so was never happy with it. Of course that one element of the piece which was substandard meant that the whole piece was not satisfactory!
I came very close to getting rid of the piece all together, but at the last minute, my husband helped me look at it through fresh eyes, and I realised that all that it needed to be a quality piece was a well-made bail! (Surprise, surprise…) I removed the old one, designed this new spiral one, and now the pendant is in my shop waiting for a new home!
January – Garnet
February – Amethyst
March – Aquamarine
April – Diamond
May – Emerald
June – Pearl
July – Ruby
August – Peridot
September – Sapphire
October – Opal
November – Topaz
December – Turquoise
These are the traditional gem birthstones, by month, as listed by the Britain’s National Association of Goldsmiths in 1937, mostly shown here in their beautiful raw form. Stay tuned for other birthstone posts!
Credit to my fellow Etsians KK Gemstones, CrystalSeen, AMD, Beaditbeadstore, Little Crow Gems, FabbyDabby Stones , Coyote Rainbow and Allison Eastman Beads for their beautiful gemstone photos. Be sure to check out their Etsy shops!
The lastest project for my goldsmithing course was to cold forge a sterling silver spoon. Creating fine metal jewellery is called goldsmithing, and creating fine metal tablewear is called silversmithing… which creates some confusion!!!
Lots of hammering, some bending, doming, soldering and polishing later, and it was done.
I started out thinking I would make a metric teaspoon, then decided that was too difficult. I measured the volume of the bowl of the spoon out of interest, and guess what? It’s a metric teaspoon!!!
I first started smithing in Canberra in 2005 when I did a short evening course in silver jewellery at Dickson College. The idea of being able to create ‘proper’ jewellery excited me, and I was really thrilled to start learning the processes involved in jewellery making! The first ring I ever made was using a moss agate cabochon – I learned metal bending and soldering, made the shank and the bezel, and set the stone. I was so thrilled!
I gave this ring to my mum. When I look back at it now, I can see plenty of flaws, but I also appreciate it as the starting point of what is proving to be a long and very happy journey!
Ok, so this piece is not for sale – but I did create it! This seashell is the physical component of my latest goldsmithing course project brief. Lots of wire bending and soldering made this an interesting and challenging piece to create.
It started life as a sketch from my mind, and went through some incarnations on paper, as a freehand art drawing:
Also as a technical drawing:
One of my very favourite creations!
Raw Silver
Silver, fabulous silver! Silver is one of the ‘noble’ metals, meaning it is resistant to corrosion and oxidation in moist air. It is also a ‘precious’ metal – a rare, naturally occurring metallic chemical element of high economic value.
Silver is the 47th element on the periodic table. The chemical symbol for silver is Ag – from the latin word for silver, Argentum.
Fine silver is 100% pure silver. The sterling silver that I work with is made up of 92.5% fine silver and 7.5% copper. The copper is added to strengthen the silver, as fine silver is too soft to hold a refined shape. Silver is the second most malleable and ductile metal (the first being gold). The specific gravity of silver is 10.4.
Fine silver melts at 961 degrees celsius. Sterling silver melts at 893 degrees celsius, and it is annealed at 648 degrees celsius. Zinc is added to silver to make silver solder.
Silver is the metal with the highest heat and electrical conductivity. It is used in jewellery, tableware, industry and for coinage.
In keeping with the nautical theme I seem to have going, a diving bell a la Jules Verne is another piece that I made. Ok, so it’s not really a diving bell. But close one eye and it could be!!
I created this pendant for the goldsmithing training course that I am presently undertaking. The brief was fairly simple – make something incorporating a hollow ball! Great fun.
