Adventures in Metalsmithing // Part 2

I know Wednesday is hump day, but I actually look forward to it every week. Guess it was a good decision to sign up for metalsmithing class then!

We finished up our cutout flower project. Last time I posted about my adventures in metalsmithing, I had sawed out the flower petal shape:

Since then, I’ve learned to solder one piece (i.e. the center of the flower) to another (to the petals piece), and also learned how to dome the metal to give it that ‘bowl’ shape. I also learned how to patina the metal, which turns the bright copper to a more aged brass color. By the way, the mixture that causes the metal to antique like this REEKS! It smells like rotten eggs.
The final product?
Here’s what the domed back looks like.

The project I’m currently working on is a ring with a domed stone (aka cabochon) set in it. We were allowed to pick either copper or silver as the base material. I decided to go with sterling silver, and learned that the price of silver materials for jewelry making fluctuates daily, since it’s based off the daily price of silver bullion. Same goes for gold and other metals. So if the worth of any of those increases, the price you pay for raw materials also increases. I had never thought about it that way. It makes me kind of terrified to mess up, since I’m working with expensive materials.

Anyhow, we started off with the following materials:

And so far, I’ve ended up with this piece, which will ultimately hold the ring’s stone.

You’ll notice that the piece looks green and dirty. This is because I ran out of time last class, and didn’t get a chance to throw it in the pickle and brush it clean.

I’m looking forward to finishing up my ring these next few classes. It’ll be fun to wear a truly handmade piece out!