MUSIBATTY

How   I   Make   A   Ring

7/7/2014

0 Comments

 
A friend of mine came by my studio the other day and excitedly said, show me the machine you make your jewelry with! The machine? I asked, puzzled. You mean these? I replied, and showed her my hands. Her visit made me realize that in sharing my process, I have been guilty of the curse of knowledge. In their book, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, authors Chip and Dan Heath describe this curse by saying that the more you know about a specific subject, the harder it is to explain it to someone who knows nothing about it. 

Since I too enjoy learning how others do what they do, I decided to document each step of my jewelry making process for those of you who have never seen it before. My method for making a ring is simple and probably medieval, but I love how immediate it is, and how anyone who wants to learn to make jewelry can do it with simple tools and a small investment. 
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
I begin by drawing the outline of a ring pattern I previously made on a sheet of 100% recycled sterling silver. To discourage toxic mining, I only use silver that is extracted from photographic proceses.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
After I cut the basic outline with metal shears, I saw the final shape of the ring using a blade that is so thin, it usually breaks. You can see the delicate broken blades to the right of the adjustable saw frame. As I saw, I pass the blade through candle wax to ease cutting.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
I use my hammer to give texture to the silver sheet, and to stamp my logo and  sterling silver mark in the center, using custom steel punches.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
I smooth the rough edges of the cut-out ring using files and sand paper. I then re-heat it with my torch, to make it maleable enough to wrap around a cone-shaped metal tool, called a ring mandrel. I use a rawhide mallet to help me hammer and shape the ring without damaging its surface.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
The ring mandrel has measurements that help me determine the ring size.
Once the ring is fully formed, I continue to work on the design elements that will be soldered on the front of the ring. 
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
To heat silver, I use a small butane torch like the one used by Chefs to make crème brûlée. Sterling silver always fuses into a ball whenever you heat it long enough. I use scraps of sterling silver sheet to make small balls which I will then individually solder onto the ring band.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
I flatten each silver ball with a hammer. Then I use tiny bits of solder (a silver and copper alloy that melts at a lower temperature than sterling silver) to fuse each silver ball to the surface of the ring, using my torch.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
To complete my design, I cut two strips of sterling silver wire that I will solder alongside the central row of silver balls.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
I place the ring band on a heat resistant firebrick surface, and carefully solder each ball and length of wire using my torch. 
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
The soldered ring, before I give it its final patina.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
To darken or oxidize the ring, I soak it in liver of sulphur diluted in hot water. This smells like rotten egg, and is my boyfriend's least favorite part of my work, since my studio is inside our apartment.
MUSIBATTY
I rinse the darkened ring in cold water mixed with sodium bicarbonate to stop the oxidation process.
MUSIBATTY
To finish the ring, I polish the raised design with fine steel wool and a file board. I leave the rest of the ring dark. With wear, the ring band will eventually abrade and lighten, but the recessed areas will always remain dark.
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
MUSIBATTY
The ring is now complete.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    MUSIBATTY

    welcome

    I am Jennifer Musi, the jewelry artist behind MUSIBATTY, and this is my blog archive.

    ​Here you can find posts from December 2013, to May, 2016.

    ​I will no longer update this site. Please click on the link below to see my recent work.
    ​
    New Website

    MUSIBATTY

    @musibatty

    On Social Media

    Connect

    Instagram
    Pinterest
    Facebook

    Respect

    I made this blog to share my work with you. I believe in generosity and I want to live in a world where we all inspire each other.

    ​All of my designs and photographs are copyrighted. If you would like to reproduce them in any way, please 
    email me first. 

    Archives

    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013


    categories

    All
    Creativity
    Drawings
    Events
    Inspiration
    Interviews
    Jewelry
    Lookbook
    Paintings
    Press
    Sculptures
    Studio
    The 100 Day Project
    Travel
    Work In Progress


    online   shop

    Shop Here

Recent Posts

Source
Crystallized
Windswept
Wilderness
Stay Connected

Instagram
Facebook
Pinterest
Email

Copyright © 2009 - 2021 MUSIBATTY | Full Metal Beauty. All rights reserved.