How jewelers make gold jewelry. DIY jewelry

The jewelry beauty that we see on store shelves is born in the minds of designers. Large jewelry exhibitions are held in Russia four or five times a year, and each company must prepare at least two or three new collections.

“There is a lot of competition,” admits the technologist of the model site Dmitry Pavlov. “Imagine that two thousand companies are painting in parallel and you need to come up with something new that no one else had.”

The master does not give out the secrets of inspiration, but he shows how jewelry models are created in a computer program and grow layer by layer from polymers in a 3D printer.

Model is poured molding sand and put in the oven. Gypsum takes the desired shape, the polymer is melted, and the master pours metal into the vacant space. Product prototype the jeweler brings to perfection. Now this master model is placed in a rubber mass - under the influence of high temperatures it hardens, and neat rectangular molds are cut out of it.

rubber molds are sent to the next workshop, where the craftsmen pump them with wax. I watch the actions of the worker from behind my shoulder: the girl quickly fills the rubber and squeezes out either future earrings or pendants. Wax products do not look very impressive. But nearby, a man inserts shiny pebbles into wax rings - not diamonds (cooling my ardor), but cubic zirkonia. But he has a whole jar of them!

“Only zirconium dioxide, cubic zirconia is inserted into the wax,” explains the head of production Mikhail Chmil. – Natural stones and diamonds are set immediately in gold or silver. Due to temperature changes, the metal expands and contracts with the stone. For cubic zirkonia with metal, these coefficients are similar. And natural stones and diamonds have internal defects, they do not hold the temperature and can break.”

The craftswoman collects wax ornaments on a special stand. Future Jewels attached to a pole so that they resemble a Christmas tree. But, unlike the New Year's symbol, this Christmas tree in this form will not get to the buyer.

Through the labyrinths of corridors we come to the foundry workers. There is a steady hum of machinery in the workshop: Christmas trees have been filled with molding sand, and now large machines are melting wax. Tomorrow morning, when the mixture finally hardens, this batch will be filled with metal.

Gold and Silver Lost Wax Caster Yuri Zapara takes out a golden Christmas tree from a vat of citric acid and explains:

“After casting, the metal oxidizes, we put it in a lemon for 20–30 minutes, where it brightens.”

Master washes decorations in water greenish from citric acid, then rinses under great pressure and hands it to me. I see future stud earrings, but gold does not shine either mysteriously or temptingly, so that the desire to pull someone by the sleeve with cries of “I want, I want! Buy-buy! until it occurs.

metal tree they are carried to a specialist who bites off the products from the pole with a tool. It is difficult to replace manual labor with a machine, Zapara emphasizes:

“There is an apparatus with two cutting elements, like scissors. But they are plump, it is hard to crawl to small details. With that apparatus it is more convenient to cast large products that are less likely to stand on a Christmas tree.

Details for decorations are made separately. In a small room, a press extrudes a pattern on metal plates. A full-wall cabinet is lined with shaping stamps, a sample is glued next to each form. I'm looking at patterns. Oh, such waves are on a friend's bracelet, and similar leaves are on a grandmother's ring.

I am interested in the thickness of precious plates from Mikhail Chmil, so as not to distract the master lowering the press.

“The smaller the product, the thicker the rolled product, so that the weight does not suffer in a large product, and strength in a small product. For example, a thickness of 0.15 mm is the minimum that we can afford without sacrificing strength. And 0.4 mm are small products that have enough strength,” says the head of production.

Finished parts are sent for assembly to assembly shop. Here the radio sings provocatively, grinders and small burners hum softly, with which craftsmen solder parts. The hands of many are hidden in glass boxes - this is a means of protection so that gold and silver dust does not scatter around the room.

Jewelry assembler Oleg describes his work (today he makes crosses):

“Here is a substrate of two parts, upper and lower, Jesus is the third part, the fourth is the ear. I soldered it all and am processing it: here the sides were uneven, after casting they were a little rough.

He dusts off the cross and takes it out of the glass bowl to show me. I run my fingers: the processed parts are smooth and shiny, and the eye still seems matte, but my fingers don’t feel any special roughness out of habit.

Difficult decoration

The collected jewelry is sent to tumbling and polishing.

“Products go through a three-stage process: grinding, rough and fine polishing,” Chmil shows three drums in which rings and earrings rotate in different materials: in small ceramic triangles and in nuts of various grindings.

Mikhail suggests sticking your hand in there and catching something. I choose finely chopped nuts. The palm is immersed in warm soft waves. Jewels slip through your fingers, but here's the luck! I open my hand. Wedding ring. Hm. Hesitating for a second, I throw the ring back into the walnut whirlpool.

But since fate itself sends wedding rings into my fingers, we go to see how they are made. A large apparatus draws out golden tubes of the required diameter and thickness and cuts circles. A few seconds - and another person says "yes" to the registry office workers.

- So simple! - bursts out of me.

Simplicity here is conditional, - Mikhail shakes his head. – Yes, the number of operations is small, and the manufacturing process is fast, but this is one of the most difficult areas. These machines cost more than 210,000 euros in total.

Boasts about technology and Alexander, operator of machine tools with numerical control:

“This is German equipment of the highest class. The parameters of the ring are set, and the device attaches stones to the workpiece, makes a pattern, - the master hands me the result and the source: a princess and a beggar (if such a comparison is applicable to jewelry treasures). “The simplest ring is made in 40 seconds, and the most complex one in an hour and a half.”

gold dust

Natural stones and diamonds are attached to jewelry by hand, and then all products are sent to chemists for gilding, blackening or rhodium plating.

“The products are coated with a layer of rhodium so that the shine is metallic. In silver, the mechanical properties improve, the thing becomes harder, scratches less and does not darken, ”explains Mikhail.

In the same laboratory, the most accurate scales at the factory are located - they are determined with an accuracy of up to the fifth decimal place. With their help, alloys are checked for compliance with standards.

“For analysis, 1 g of metal is taken from each melt, it is dissolved in acid, and a sample is determined from the remains of gold: if this gram contains 0.585 mg of pure gold, then this is a sample of 585. If an error occurs, then the entire batch is sent for remelting,” – Chmil says.

And I really hoped that the defective gold was stored near the factory. But here, every gram is treated with reverence: the metal poles of Christmas trees, shavings and even dust are cleaned and melted down again.

“Here's a bag of gold,” the head of production laughs. Above the bucket of black water, a dark fabric bag hangs on the frame, the precious metal in it would not be seen even by the most experienced thief. “This is dust from the floors, which is collected in all areas. Then defend and anneal to a powder state. As a result of three months, we collect up to 70 g of gold from the floors.”

Golden (in every sense) hands are also washed by local craftsmen in special sinks- good and does not disappear here. Losses are only technological, provided for by production standards.

“Gold exhibits molecular volatility when heated to temperatures above 1,300 °C. But this figure is not frightening,” Mikhail reassured.

Kilometers of chains

In parallel with the production of piece jewelry, they make chains. First of all, gold or silver is drawn into a wire and wound onto coils.

- And how much can fit on a coil of gold - in terms of weight and length? I'm curious.

By weight 6 kg, and by length ... - Artur Tashliev, a purveyor of parts and materials for art and jewelry, calculates on a calculator: - 6.5 km! The thinner the wire, the longer it will be.

I barely heard the last phrase, because a small but greedy dwarf rushed about in my head. For some reason, he liked the idea of ​​measuring gold in kilometers.

Wire spools are sent to chain knitting shop where machines deftly tie precious threads. The machines are set up for a certain type of weaving, but if necessary, they can change the task.

Chain knitting machine operator Vitaly Blazhko calls me to the apparatus on which the semblance of a microscope is installed. I'm leaning towards eyepieces. Small paws quickly twist the wire into even links with a sip-sip-sip sound.

In another workshop, the chains are processed in talc and oil, the links are soldered at a temperature of 900 °C. It is important that the chain has the same width along the entire length. Jewelry assembler Roman Vakulenko, under the light of a lamp, looks through a thin chain, notices a defect and plucks out an uneven link with a tool. The master soldered the gaps himself.

Next stage - diamond workshop. Yes, I expected to see mountains of gems under "A girl's best friend is diamonds!" as a soundtrack. However, only cutters were found here from diamond, with which the upper layer of the chain is removed. The decoration is frozen with cold water on a special drum, and the craftsman cuts off fractions of millimeters so that the surface becomes a mirror.

Andrey Kovtun, a chain knitter, shows a chain finished on one side only. The surface without gloss really does not look so attractive, and gold after diamond processing shines invitingly and affectionately.

Then the chain is cut to the desired length, locks are placed and sent along with the rest of the jewelry for branding, verification and packaging.

Knowledge is gold

- Where can you learn all this?

In Kostroma there is a specialized school, courses at the Yerevan, Moscow, Kiev, Odessa factories. In Belgorod, they thought to make a department on the basis of the university, but this is still in the project. Either people with experience work here, or we train them for ourselves. Educational institutions of general profile provide information about all areas of jewelry activity, but superficially. And we do not need a base, but specific knowledge of mounting, polishing, - Mikhail Chmil answers.

An elevator with golden walls takes us to the exit. We were not shown only a safe with gold and diamonds. There must be a huge dragon hiding there.

The editors would like to thank the jewelry factory "Karat" for their help in preparing the material.

Elizabeth Kuravina

Let's move on to the photo report? ;)

The workshop is located at the developing Crystal plant. Since it was already getting dark, it was raining and I was late, I did not photograph it. But it is very atmospheric, so I illustrate the story with a photo from the Internet:

The plant is located near Yauza, across the river from Winzavod and Artplay. Now, when I was looking for a photo, I saw that the plant will be reconstructed: they plan to make a pleasant public space here with cafes, shops, creative offices and other things. Already last summer, fairs and festivals were held there, a lot of people visited the new place. The concept and appearance are reminiscent of the Flakon design factory, isn't it? Competition! :)

But about the factory another time, I want to go back there when the weather is better to explore a new party place;) And now let's get back to the master class, which took place in the creative workshop. It is combined with a small but nice photo studio, so there are a lot of cameras of varying degrees of vintage, paintings and paint-splattered easels. Atmospheric place!

This is how a jeweler's workplace looks like - nothing luxurious, but not only silver is processed here, but also gold and precious stones. Below is a pedal for a grinder.

First we took a small amount of silver and melted it down.

After that, the molten mass was poured into a mold, where it froze, but not firmly. In general, silver is a rather malleable metal and can be worked with for some time without a new melting.

Having cooled the resulting "sausage" in cold water, we proceeded to the run-in. It takes place in two stages: first you need to set the width of the ring (the right side of the machine), and then the thickness (the left side). You insert the sausage into the opening, twist the handle and it crawls through the hole. The running-in occurs gradually, for each of the stages there are about 30 scrolls. That is, you can’t immediately take and flatten the metal in one scroll - then it will crack and you will have to start over.

During the last scroll, you could print on the metal (it's still soft, remember?) some kind of pattern. They offered me a piece of lace, something else - I chose a leaf, because quite recently I had a ring in the form of a twig, and I decided to make this ring on a phalanx. It turned out such an eco-theme :)

After that, with the help of a thread, I measured the girth of the finger and cut off the required amount. It was difficult, because the jigsaw must be kept strictly vertical and ensure that it does not “leave” to the side. They helped me here, since this is an important stage - the saw cuts must be perfectly even in order to connect later.

Then a ring is formed from the strip around the cone-shaped stick with the help of a soft hammer. I am very focused and tense :)

Now it's time to bleach the silver in acid in order to return the original color - it darkens after being melted down.

The next stage: grinding in several ways. First, the side faces of the ring are polished with sandpaper.

Then the outer and inner sides are polished with sandpaper twisted into a drill. The ring must be held tightly, otherwise it may fly into the eye. And this is not so simple, because it vibrates strongly under the influence of a drill - it flew away a couple of times, so I preferred to take a picture of this stage :)

After that, the ring goes through the last stage of grinding on a machine with a rapidly spinning rubber "wheel". From rapid friction, the ring instantly heats up and after each touch to the "wheel" it must be lowered into cold water.

Everything, the ring is ready! It remains only to clean it in an ultrasonic bath - leave it there for 10 minutes. You can relax and wipe the sweat of zeal from your forehead :)

And here is the result!

An indescribable feeling when you yourself do some thing: now I wear this ring without taking it off - here it is, the power of handmade. So I advise you to go to the master class, it is not at all expensive. Or an option for guys: buy a certificate for MK and give it on February 14 or March 8;)

Thanks to my jewelry mentors who helped me in creating a photo report!

With a little time, skill and craftsmanship, you can make jewelry using a variety of tools and materials. You can use these skills to start your own business or make necklaces, rings, bracelets and earrings for your own personal use.

Steps

Jewelry design

Get ideas. When designing your own jewelry, you first need ideas. This will help you think about what aspects of the design are most important to you and what will best suit your needs.

• Take a look at your collection. Look at your own jewelry, purchased or made by others. You can recreate or take ideas from copies you already have. Maybe you like a certain type of beaded bracelet, or a clasp, or a color scheme. Look through your own collection to see if there is a type of jewelry you need. Look for holes in your collection, such as a lack of casual pieces for everyday use, and consider what you can do to fill that need.
• Look at jewelry in stores. Go to stores that specialize in jewelry or the jewelry departments of large stores to get ideas. The wide selection in these stores will allow you to get more ideas and also help you stay on top of fashion trends.
• Look at others. You can look at jewelry from your friends, in magazines and on the Internet, and ask how your favorite celebrities are dressed. Think about what you like about your jewelry and what items you would really like to have.
• Look at vintage jewelry. Looking at vintage jewelry and its history, you can easily see a large number of styles. Consider what aspects of vintage jewelry you want to use for design ideas that you would like to support.

1. Decide on materials. Once you've decided which design elements you like the most and what your needs and desires are, you'll need to decide what materials are best for it. The selection of some materials will be based on taste, some on availability, and some on need. .

   • Metals. Metals will typically be used in the form of wire, chains, and rings to tie other pieces of jewelry together. The type of metal used will depend on what it will go for as well as personal taste. For example, soft metals bend better and should be used if you need to create cycling. It will be gold or copper - this is your personal preference.
   • Stones. You can use gemstones or gemstones in jewelry making, especially if you are making pendants and rings. The choice of stone is largely based on personal taste, but be aware that some are more expensive than others. To save money, you can use fake stones. When choosing colors, try ones that match your eye color or fit well with your wardrobe. This will make your jewelry stand out and show off a wonderful design.
   • Other materials can also be used depending on what you are trying to achieve. If metals and gems are too commonplace for you, try alternative materials such as wood, resin, plastic, twine, and other less common materials.

2. Make sketches. Before you make your jewelry, you need to express your ideas and then decide on the final design. This will allow you to plan how much or how long each item should be made and make sure you have a plan in place to follow. This will help avoid unnecessary material costs. .

   • Create a sketch on paper. This will help you better align design elements and relative product sizes. You can also use tools like a ruler, stencils, and tracing paper to further refine your design.

   Collection of materials

   1. Buy rings in different sizes. If you don't want to make beads, but prefer to attach jewelry or beads, buying chains and rings will be very important. They come in different sizes and can be further connected with wire cutters or pliers.

      Buy zippers. They are of various types. You will have to choose what is best for your piece based on what type of jewelry you want to make and the size and weight of the chain and beads. Clasps can also be chosen for aesthetic appeal, or they can remain common and undervalued.

      • Clasp "crab". The most common clasps for necklaces and bracelets in recent years are "crabs". They are quite durable and easy to use.
      • Tumbler. It is good for a more rational and modern look of the product. It is especially suitable for rough details. These simple clasps are easy to use but less secure than some others.
      • Barrel clasp. This is a very secure clasp that consists of two tube-shaped pieces that screw into each other. It is best to use this clasp on a necklace, however, it is worth remembering that in order to fasten such a clasp, you will need a certain level of dexterity.
      • Hook and loop. A simple fastener that you can easily make yourself with the right tools. Consists of a hook and loop closure. This is less secure and is best used for heavy necklaces that have the weight to hold the clasp closed.

   2. Think beads. They are often used in jewelry and can be of interest for a simple chain or can be tied together to hang a more ornate pendant. Beads can be cheap or expensive, depending on the material, and there are many to choose from.

      • Beads can be of all colors and various materials (plastic, glass, wood, shells, bones, stones, clay, polymers and many other materials).

   3. Use stones to shine. You can spruce up your jewelry and use real or fake gems. Make sure that if you plan to use stones, you have the appropriate tools with which you are going to secure them to your piece. Gemstones can be comparatively less expensive or very expensive, depending on size, type and quality.

      • The main precious stones used in jewelry are diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, amethysts, opals, topazes.

   4. Buy a lace. In order to tie beads, pendants and pendants together, you need some kind of material that is respectively strong and flexible. Depending on the weight of the product and its clasp, you can use wire, elastic cord, twine, fishing line, or any other materials.

      Buy wire for the base. You will need a larger gauge, much less flexible wire to make a lot of the binding components of a piece of jewelry. These can be chains, rings, bundles, bars, etc. Make sure the wire is strong before buying, it must be suitable for your product.

      Buy the right tools. You should have several tools to make a medium set of decorations. If your product requires working with any metals, you will need certain tools. Make sure they are high quality and sharp. Blunt instruments are a common way to injure yourself.

      • Buy a complete set of pliers. Many different types of pliers are needed to create various pieces of jewelry. These include pliers, round nose pliers, chain pliers, tongs, and bent chain pliers.
      • Scissors and cutters. There are tools to suit all your cutting needs. Scissors should be used for fishing line and elastic thread. Always use wire cutters to cut wires, if you try to use scissors, you are likely to get hurt.

   Basic Skills

   1. Straighten the wire. This is the first step in creating your own jewelry. If your wire was bent when you cut it, it will also be bent when you use it to make the decoration. It is very difficult to straighten the wire after it has been cut.

      • Start by unrolling the coil a length of wire. Using special pliers, pull the length of the wire until it is straight. You can rotate the wire or hold it at a different angle to make sure it's straight on all sides.

   2. Cut the wire. Use pliers that are specifically designed for jewelry making. They allow you to achieve two different goals for the wire - one side is left flat, the other is bent at an angle.

      • Find out which side of the cutter is used for cutting and use it accordingly. Be careful when using these cutters as they can be very sharp.
      • Do not use blunt incisors - this is a sure way to hurt yourself. If the cutters are not sharp enough, they can slip off the wires.

   3. How to bend wire. Bending wire to sharp corners is another essential skill for jewelry making. This is easy to do with pliers, preferably with a curved chain. You just need to take the wire and bend the pliers into your finger until the desired angle of rotation appears.

In the editorial office of JUVELIRUMA, we discussed for a long time what to come up with Valentine's Day - February 14.

What do you usually think about on this day? Probably, they decide what to give such a warm and special gift to their soulmate. Everyone knows that a cute piece of jewelry is always a suitable "candidate" for a gift, but this has long been told..

And then an idea came to our mind: the best way to convey your feelings is by making a gift with your own hands. So let's find a place to help make your own jewelry?

Step 0. Prepare and define the task

The editors delegated two employees to the project - Sergey and me (Olga). Sergey and I agreed that we would try to find a studio that conducts master classes in our northeastern district of Moscow. And if everything works out, then Sergey will make the decoration (for his soulmate), and I will do the usual - photographing.

Thus, we found the Rostok jewelry studio, whose managers agreed to accept our “film crew” and include us in the next master class on Saturday, January 25th. We were advised to dress "in what is not a pity" and have a change of shoes and cookies with us :).

We did not know in advance what kind of decoration Sergei would make. But they themselves formulated such goal: to understand how realistic it is for beginners without experience to make something beautiful and of high quality on their own, which will not be a shame to give to loved ones.

Step 1. Briefing

Sergei and I (he is on the left in the photo) arrived at the studio around 11 am. Inside the studio (a medium-sized room with work tables along the walls) there were already 3 or 4 people, obviously "oldies". They were completely absorbed in their work, and at first no one paid any attention to us. We were followed by two of the same "newcomers" as we are - also to the master class. When the group gathered and looked around, teacher Lyudmila approached us - a pleasant woman with a quiet voice. She found out who's name was (and then she never made a mistake, even when the people increased significantly), and said that now there would be a safety briefing.

We pass the briefing: with a burner - be careful, do not grab the wires with wet hands, take hot metal with tongs:

Teacher Ludmila, a jeweler with extensive experience and just a patient person:

All the beginners decided to practice making the classics of the genre - simple silver rings. We, after conferring with Lyudmila, settled on the suspension. We wanted our first decoration to be necessarily with a stone, and pendant with stone is considered less labor-intensive product than a ring with a stone.

The one on the far right is our planned type of pendant (a simple but figured frame - cast, with a cabochon inside). A ring and a loop for the chain should be attached to the caste:

Step 2. Choosing a stone to insert

We agreed in advance that we would purchase an ornamental stone from the "studio" collection. Lyudmila brought us three boxes and offered to choose what we liked best.

Sergey is busy making a difficult decision:

Stones to choose from:

As a result, quite quickly was chosen " moss agate"- in our opinion, the most beautiful, milky-white stone with an unusual natural pattern:

Step 3. Smelting the "material" - scrap silver

Melting metal is probably the most spectacular process. And in my opinion, the most risky. This is where you need to be extremely careful and follow the safety instructions exactly. Just remember that silver melts at about 960 degrees..

In the melting process involved: petrol or gas burner, fireclay crucible(a cup made of a special kind of clay), mold(something like a rectangular spoon with grooves), container with water(for instant cooling of the smelted metal), and various auxiliary tools like long tongs.

Workplace with petrol burner:

A little bigger: here we first got an association with medieval dentistry :)

Lyudmila ignited the burner with an ordinary lighter, and directed the fire to the crucible with silver scrap. It was necessary to melt the material until it turned red and turned into a liquid state.

The process is amazing:

The metal melted. Lyudmila took the crucible with tongs and, without ceasing to warm it up with a burner, began to pour the resulting alloy into the mold.

The mold was lowered into a container of water, and then the following silver bars were shaken out of it:

The piece of silver that we got is in the hands of Sergei and mine. Looks ugly at first.) It is from it that we will make a frame for the pendant:

Step 4. Rolling

This stage turned out to be quite lengthy. But, unlike melting, we completed it entirely on our own. The essence of rolling is to give an initially shapeless silver bar a given shape with certain facet sizes. That is, we make a full-fledged “blank” from a bar.

Rolling apparatus with grooves (streams) on the sides, and a smooth surface of the shafts in the middle. Streams give the workpiece the shape of a bar with a square section, smooth surfaces make flat "ribbons":

Sergey sent the bar to the first stream. Further, his task was to turn the workpiece 90 degrees (back and forth), and send it back to the stream in the same direction. The screws on top were tightened after each pass. Then the part was moved to a "shallower" stream, and the process was repeated. And so - until the edges of the desired size are obtained.

The control of the rolling apparatus resembles the operation of a manual meat grinder. A line quickly forms behind the meat grinder operator:

Pass results - different stages:

When the desired size (in millimeters) was obtained, the workpiece had to be fired (to increase ductility).

The output is a thin silver “ribbon”, from which we will make the basis of the cast:

Rolling is a slow process. While Sergey turned the handle of the “meat grinder”, I turned my head accordingly and observed what was interesting around.

Someone's tools and drawings - design office:

The girl casually burns or melts something - as if she is standing at the stove and stirring the food ..

The participant of the master class, who joined later, melts the material:

Most important moment:

The ring is soldered (about the soldering technique - later), as well as working with a jigsaw:

The surface of the ring is processed by chasing (to obtain a chasing ornament). The ring is tapped with a wooden mallet - to level the surface:

Stage 5. Cast formation

Finally, the rolling was over. You can proceed to the main stage of work. Here we could not do without Lyudmila - our skills and techniques for the first time were clearly not enough.

In general, the process is quite simple in essence, but complex in execution. The silver "ribbon" should frame our stone, repeating its contours. The metal must “remember” the shape (if this does not work, then it is subjected to additional firing).

It helps to correctly bend the corners here is such a tool with semicircular tips:

Stage 6. Soldering cast

Pieces of the “ribbon” that are extra long are cut off from our frame for the stone, and then the edges of the cast mold need to be soldered to each other. Soldering is done with burners(we used its standalone version right at our workplace), as well as solder(our alloy with the addition of tin), flux(yellowish liquid to remove the surface film), bleach(citric acid) and water(for metal cooling).

Casts are dipped in flux before soldering. Further, in order to solder the edges to each other, they are connected closely, heated with a burner until reddening, while heating the solder, and then the solder is grabbed with a thin “knitting needle” and brought to the crack between the edges. The hot ball of solder rolls into the slot, filling its surface with itself.

The most difficult moment is to make the ball "jump" to the right place:

After that, the product is dipped in bleach, and washed with water. The first part of the work is ready:

However, we have only done half of the cast so far. From such a "frame" the stone will fall out. You need a second contour, like an inner rim, that will support the stone inside the frame. To do this, Sergei burns a new piece of the workpiece, and rolls it to the state of a thin bar-wire.

The second cast outline, nested in the original frame:

We cut off the excess. Lyudmila corrects the shape of the triangle with semicircular pliers:

The difficult moment is soldering the inner circuit to the outer one. Here we again cannot do without Lyudmila. This operation will require a lot of solder - there are quite significant voids between the circuits.

It was and became: both cast circuits before soldering and after:

In fact, the frame for the stone (the base of the pendant) is ready. Next, we have to make and solder a ring and a loop under the chain.

Since Lyudmila personally supervised all the students, sometimes we had to wait quite a long time for her. We used this time to look around.

In the meantime, people have noticeably increased, everyone is enthusiastically doing something:

Step 7. Placing the stone in the cast and fitting

But before proceeding to the ring and loop, we need to achieve the perfect fit of our moss agate inside the cast. As expected for the first experiment, the stone did not want to fit, and I had to work with tools (correcting the corners) to fit the stone.

Ludmila helps with the adjustment of the cast, including using a wooden mallet:

Cast acquired the ideal shape for the "reception" of the stone:

Step 8. Making and soldering a ring and a loop (ear)

This task seemed to us not so difficult - the silver wire had to be simply bent. The main thing is to master the right tools - pliers with the tips of a suitable shape so that the ring becomes round and the eye becomes angular (round pliers are called round pliers).

And with the task of soldering one part of the metal to another, we have more or less learned how to cope. More precisely, understand the principle. The most difficult thing was to decide which corner (and whether) to attach the ring. As a result, we chose the corner on which the decoration “hung” in the most interesting way, with the left corner creeping away asymmetrically.

As a result, Sergey successfully soldered the ring to the caste. Then the ear was inserted into the ring, and its ends were soldered to each other.

On the left - "was", on the right - "became". The soldered tips of the ear, however, had to be aligned a little more with a rasp:

Step 9 Sanding

By this point we've already spent in the studio more than five hours(including a short tea break) and a bit tired. On the other hand, we finally joined the atmosphere and stopped feeling like completely newcomers. The open fire from the burners around ceased to evoke at least some emotions, it became clear which units make which sounds, and to questions like “what do you have in a jar?” began to confidently answer - "bleach".

In any case, the hardest part was over. And in the next hour we had to put in order the silver details of the structure. For example, sand our cast with sandpaper (the shortest and most uncomplicated step):

Step 10. Making jagged edges on the cast

To make the pendant look a little more interesting, we agreed with Lyudmila's suggestion to make "rough edges" near the frame. To do this, with a file, Sergey cut out recesses around the entire perimeter. With the help of these notches, later, when the stone is in place, the edges of the frame will be bent so as to hold the stone inside.

Step 11 Polishing the Cast

At this stage, for the second time, we were visited by the association with the dentist's office. The drill, which was used for polishing, was set in motion from the apparatus - one to one like a "tooth" drill. But our setting for the stone began to gleam dully and generally for the first time took on a “trademark”:

Step 12. Setting the stone in the setting and fine-tuning

A pleasant manual stage, in which you see the results of your work very quickly. Characters - plug and hurry daemon and trowel.

With help " daemon”(otherwise -“ boot ”) - a rod with a tip in the form of the letter G - Sergey pressed down the sections of the cast between the notches so that they adjoined the stone.

The photo on the right is the result:

However, the metal itself on the "pressed" areas looked uneven, and it had to be straightened. For this, we applied trowel"- a tool similar to the body of a fountain pen:

During the time spent at work, it finally got dark, and it even became cozy inside the studio.

In the photo - a view from the next working place:

Step 13: Final Polishing

Polishing metal on a polishing machine turned out to be the most polluting procedure "thanks" to a special paste, which was periodically lubricated with bristles at the roller. It was after her that Sergey acquired real “jewelry” hands :).

The part had to be held with both hands, otherwise it easily flew out:

I don't know why, but the whole polishing machine reminded me of a plastic bread box. And Sergey already looked very organic:

“If you see your reflection, then you can finish polishing.” We see. Finished:

Step 14. Washing the product and photographing the result

We did not photograph the washing process because of its banality: the pendant was simply taken to the toilet and washed with a Fairy toothbrush. On this, work on the creation of jewelry was officially completed. There was time 17:00 - total 6 hours held in a jewelry studio.

But we shot a lot of the final result, because it was for this that we tried for so many hours. We ourselves liked the suspension very much, everyone present in the studio - no less. But most importantly, Sergey's wife appreciated the gift - she was very happy! Moreover, at her work, the decoration made a splash. Some female colleagues were sure that the pendant was brought from abroad, because "there are no such ones here." Others were simply touched and, it seems, envied such an unusual gift in a good way.

So, we present our first jewelry from the JUVELIRUM brand :) - a silver pendant of the author's work "Forest Nymph" :)

Pendant - front and back view:

We ourselves did not expect that out of uneven parts soldered to each other, with this coating and spots on the metal, we would suddenly get a completely shiny and even decoration.

The final shot is Sergey with his creation:

Our findings:

Remember, at the very beginning of the text, we formulated our goal? We wanted to understand how realistic it is - on our own, without experience, to make a real piece of jewelry.

After this master class, Sergey and I decided that, of course, the product successfully made in one session is largely the merit of Lyudmila, a benevolent teacher and a professional jeweler. On the other hand, Sergey, in principle, mastered all the techniques and the general approach, and carried out some stages entirely on his own. Most likely, he could already make the next similar decoration with minimal help from a teacher.

But our main conclusion was something else. Handmade jewelry making is a serious and painstaking work. Even if the teacher could deal exclusively with us, without being distracted by other students, it would take no less to produce one pendant. four o'clock

Making your own silver jewelry will save you money, but it will also allow you to show your creativity and create a truly unique piece. Silver is not only beautiful, but also durable and versatile precious metal. Working with silver allows for several different techniques, some of which do not require any special equipment, while others require special training and tools.

To make your own silver jewelry, choose the technique that suits you.

Wire and beads

Making jewelry from prefabricated silver beads and silver wire requires only simple household tools, and the design is only limited by your imagination. Basic tools: pliers with long and thin platypus tongs, wire cutters and scissors. Later, you can buy specialized tools such as bead crimping pliers and rounded jewelry pliers. To make a simple bead necklace, use special bead wire, such as tiger tail, to make the necklace stronger, and curved beads. You can make a necklace from ready-made silver beads and decorate it with filigree from silver wire bent with pliers into intricate patterns. Wire can also be used to make abstract or geometric earrings and is a great way for beginners to learn how to work with silver.

silver clay

One of the newest ways to make silver jewelry is clay, which consists of tiny particles of silver. This clay can be molded into almost any shape and dries like normal clay. When the clay is dry, it is polished and then fired either in a kiln or with a torch. This method allows the craftsman to make beads, pendants and earrings in unique shapes. But the cost of the equipment and the complexity of the process can scare off newcomers to the jewelry business.

Professional Silver Processing Technicians

These are the most complex techniques, but they result in professional-level products. This includes many processes, including cold forging, soldering, carving and casting, and each of them requires special tools.

Perhaps the simplest techniques for initial mastering are cutting out of a silver sheet with a jewelry jigsaw and soldering individual pieces with a torch and solder. With this technique you can make rings, pendants and earrings. Cold forging consists in working silver sheet with a hammer to give it the desired shape, and casting is the melting of silver at a high temperature and pouring it into molds.