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One of the necessary steps in making filigree is the forming of the wire. It is made by twisting very tightly two pieces of very small silver wire and then flattened. Either sterling or fine grade silver wire may be used. Fine is preferred, even though it is a bit more expensive but because it is more resistant to fire scale and needs much less annealing than sterling.... (2002) Complete Story
While researching ancient design I have been fascinated with basic shapes from the Paleolithic, Neolithic, ancient Celts, pictographs and petroglyphs. Did you know that zigzag or wave pattern was the earliest symbolic motif recorded? Neanderthals used this symbol around 40,000 B.C. or earlier. This pattern was used with and on anthropomorphic, bird, fish, and phallic images and objects. The symbol was used on Near East Neolithic ceramics and in reference with the M sign mu, meaning water, in Egyptian hieroglyph and the ancient Greek letter. The coil is another early motif incorporated by early man in artistic expression..... (2004) Complete Story
Rolling can be thought of as a local, or isolated, deformation process during which thickness is decreased, length increased, and width remains unchanged. Drawing is different from rolling in that the pressure of drawing it not transmitted through the turning action of the mill, but instead depends on force directed locally at the area of compression. This means the amount of possible drawing force is limited by the tensile strength of the material, a fact that is particularly evident when drawing thin wires..... (2001) Complete Story
In high volume production operations, many jump rings need to be closed one after another. For such fast paced operations, pliers simply won't do. Factory workers need efficient tools for closing jump rings. One such tool consists of a ring that has a slot head on it for gripping and steadying a jump ring (see photo). To make it, you will need a.... (2004) Complete Story
Soumak is a textile technique which is commonly found in the weaving of rugs in the Middle East. The technique has been around for a couple of thousand years and primarily has been used in cloth. As I learned various techniques of weaving in gold and silver, I adopted soumak as my most successful method for creating or enhancing my designs. Some of my creations are totally woven wire, with very little stone work, and others are integrating the weaving with the placement and setting of gemstones.... (2004) Complete Story
