Nowadays, a lot of people are interested in jewelry making, but those who are starting out often don’t know where they should start. Especially if you don’t know what kind of metal to choose as raw material for your own jewelry making, this article may give you some help. If you are interested, read this article with me.
A good jewelry saw
Cutting is a very important part of the jewelry making process. Because jewelry making actually involves the cutting of many tiny metal parts, a good jewelry saw is very necessary. A jewelry saw is evaluated on its ability to cut through metal quickly and efficiently while ensuring that it does not damage the metal. Generally, jewelry saws are made up of a combination of a blade and a frame. How well a jewelry saw works is also related to whether or not a cutting lubricant is used. Common cutting lubricants include beeswax and burr lubricants. A good jewelry saw can help you get your job done quickly and efficiently.
Practice on some non-precious metals
We all know that when we are just starting out with something new, none of us may be very skilled at it. But jewelry making costs more in terms of time and money compared to other hobbies. So you may feel very chagrined when it turns out that you have used exceptionally high priced raw materials without getting the results you wanted. Compared to precious metals like gold and silver, non-precious metals like copper and brass are perfect to use as practice materials for novices when they get into jewelry making.
Proper investment of money is necessary
If, after you have practiced for some time, you find that the jewelry equipment you originally purchased is no longer sufficient for your needs, then it is necessary to purchase other jewelry making tools as you see fit. For example, let’s say that when you first learned to carve metal, you chose the original carving knife with a hammer. Now, if you find that these two tools can no longer meet your needs, you can choose to purchase a professional jewelry engraving machine as your auxiliary tool.
Precautions for storing metals
Different metals have different storage methods. Silver is one of the more common metals for making jewelry. In order to know how to store silver, we can first understand the special properties of this metal. Silver is a soft material, so it can easily be scratched or twisted out of shape. But in fact most of the precious metal items will have a protective film on the surface. So it’s best not to tear the film off the exterior of the metal before you use it. This may speed up the actual oxidization of the metal. Then, you’d better place these precious metals in the right place to prevent unnecessary damage. In addition, you can also put a rust-resistant label on the jewelry, which can prevent rusting.
A few of the more common jewelry making terms
When you are just starting to learn about jewelry making, you may be wondering about one of the more specialized terms, so here are a few examples of some of the more common terms used today.
- Alloy: An alloy is a metal made from two or more metals. Alloy’s are usually created to combine the benefits or colors of two metals.
- Annealing: Annealing is the process of heating metal with a torch and then cooling it. Generally, the purpose of annealing is to make the metal softer and easier to rework later.
- Carat: Perhaps the first thing you think of when you hear the word carat is that this unit is used to describe a diamond or other gemstone. But in fact, carat can also be used to describe the degree of purity of gold and gold alloys.
- Engraving: engraving is to carve a specific pattern on the surface of the material, generally speaking, the tools for engraving include ordinary engraving knives, lettering machines or specialized jewelry engraving machines.
- Fire Spots: Fire spots occur because most silver used to make jewelry will contain some copper, which when heated will appear as black or gray traces.
- Sterling Silver: If the purity of silver reaches 99.9%, then this kind of silver can be called pure silver. Like gold, if the purity of silver is very high, the texture will become very soft, and it is not easy to be processed or preserved.
- Stamping: Stamping is the process of striking with a punch and hammer, hammering the metal into a mold that has been previously made until an indentation or pattern is left on the surface of the metal. Alternatively, stamping operations can be performed with a rapid press if mass production is to be done.
- Work hardening: Generally speaking, after a metal has been hammered, polished, etc., the texture becomes a little harder. This is why it is called work hardening. However, if the texture of the metal becomes very hard and difficult to work with, you can perform an annealing operation on the metal.
Making jewelry is a long process
When you start making jewelry, you may have to consider that making jewelry can sometimes actually be a very long process. So long that you may not have a specific time plan. But don’t be discouraged, what you put in will have its rewards in the future. You have to believe that even the most professional jewelry maker starts out as a novice who knows nothing. They also have to learn from scratch.