Designing and Making Jewelry

 

Designing & Making Jewelry isn’t just a 30 Minute Project

CYN BERGSBAKEN JEWELRY·MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020·READING TIME: 4 MINUTES

Designing and creating jewelry is not just a thought and make it in 30 minutes.

1). For me to design and create jewelry, I will be inspired by something, whether in nature, ancient jewelry, seeing other jewelry, or by the stones.

Leaves and Berries earrings with 14 kt Gold-filled.

2). I will write the inspiration down on paper. I will then start to design it with colors, textures, metal, stones, and shapes.  

3). I'm ready to create a demo piece using copper wire. I do this practicing any technique I want to use for the finished product. It's not wise to use precious metal with out trying to make the creation first. The copper wire is quite a bit cheaper than precious metal. So if I make an error, it's in copper. I can practice or re-measure what I need to produce.  

copper proto-type for link.

4). The next step is to start creating the main product. I usually start with the chain. Below shows you measured pieces of Sterling silver that have been filed and ready for me to bend into a link. I bend one piece into the chosen shape for the link design I want. After creating a link, I'll hammer the link to strengthen the link's metal. This hardens the metal to make it strong.

5). After completing all links to the chain, I'll connect them together. The photos below shows a chain that is connected with Sterling silver jump rings. Other chains I've made are connected together, link by link as I make them.

6). A finished chain is set aside to produce the clasp. Same procedure as the chain, except I form it into the desired shape to form the clasp. Again hammering the finished clasp for strength and for beauty this time.

7). Now, from practicing the pendant on copper wire, I hopefully can recreate the pendant in precious metal without mistakes. If a mistake is made, the piece of metal is either placed in my recycle pile as scrap metal or it might be able to be used for a different project. 

8). I'm a firm believer in the beauty and health-support of stones and gemstones and so every piece of jewelry I make will have stones/gemstones and some type of precious metal in it. 

When the pendant frame is done being created, I will add the chosen stones to the piece either by "Wire Weaving" or by sewing with precious metal wire that is very thin. To do this so it looks professional, one needs to do it with much care. Keeping the wires taunt and inline the whole time you are doing this takes practice and patience. If you hold some thin wires too tight, you end up breaking the wire, thus you start all over by taking off all the work you've done and throwing the precious metal wire in the recycle pile for scrap metal.

9). Number eight technique is shown in the heart and the African Violet pendants.

10). When there are no pendants, but I use stones in the chain or dangling down from the chain, I use wire wrapping. I take each individual stone and I will use a wire-wrapping technique that forms the binding and eye to the stone so it can be used in the chain as a link or dangling down from the chain. This is seen in the "Black and White necklace" displayed.

11). I'm done? Not quite yet. At times, I have measuring marks on the metal. I need to remove all of them with Acetone. I measure the piece of jewelry to make sure it's the right length I was looking for. Next, I check all links to make sure they are secure and look right. If something is off, I'll take off the link and I'll either fix it or create a new link to be placed in instead. Next, the piece of jewelry has a designer tag placed on the back of all necklaces and bracelets. The last step is to polish the piece of jewelry and take photos of it.

12). If I sell the piece of jewelry, I'll take many photos of it, edit the photos, upload them to my shop, upload them to my social media sites, and send off a photo to my Mom and daughter. Done!

13). The necklace pieces I make from 100% "scratch" take me about a month to finish. Some maybe a little longer when you follow all my steps I've described. Bracelets take a little shorter time due to their lengths. Earrings are the quickest pieces I can make. Depending on the design of them, I can make my Simple earrings (if no errors are made) in about 45 minutes.
I hope this helps you understand what goes in to designing and creating handmade jewelry. Of course not all jewelry makers will make this kind of jewelry or go to this extreme in creating their pieces. But I enjoy the step by step process I've created. And of course, the end results are fun to see also.

Written by Cynthia Bergsbaken for Cyn Bergsbaken Jewelry, January 13, 2020.
https://www.cynthiabergsbakenart.com

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***All original content is copyrighted by Cynthia Bergsbaken, Perceptive Blogger & Reiki in the Prairie LLC.
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April 11, 2020
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