An example of a custom ring rendered in CAD

Have you ever wanted a truly custom ring?  A unique design you would never find in a jewelry store?  Maybe the perfect setting designed for your own gemstone? Well, get ready, because big things are happening here at Distinction Jewelry!

I’m preparing to invest in a state-of-the-art CAD system for custom goldsmiths that will allow me to design (and with the help of world-class jewelry maker Stuller) produce rings that couldn’t be made any other way.

Photo-realistic rendering including hand shots matched to your skin tone.  Custom setting of your own gems.  Complete choice.  CAD/CAM by CounterSketch is at the forefront of the jewelry industry, and it’s coming right here to my little jewelry store!

I can work with you online anywhere in the world, and send your completed ring right to your door via secure tracked and insured mail.  No trying to find a competent custom jeweler in your area!  I am a colored gemstone specialist and can even help in this field that so many traditional jewelers are unfamiliar with.

Start dreaming now….and we can make it happen together this summer.

For my American customers, 6mm is about 1/4 inch.

Click the images to view larger and scroll between pictures.

Model: Kristen C
Photos: Photography by Rose

All rights reserved.  Please feel free to link to this article if you find it useful, but the content or photos may not be copied to another site.

Glittering, reflective, and brightly colored, dichroic glass was developed by NASA for use in the space industry. Thin layers of metal (gold, silver, titanium, chromium, aluminium, zirconium, magnesium, silicon) are applied to the surface of the glass, which is then kiln fired at extreme temperatures in a vacuum. Due to variations in the firing process, individual results can never be exactly reproduced, making each piece of dichroic glass unique.

Dichroic glass is incorporated into lampwork glass beads and pendants for jewelry, and is also used in a technique called fusing, where a fine layer of dichroic glass is fused to a thicker layer of glass beneath it. Dichroic jewelry tends to command a high price due to the expense of the raw material and the skill required to work with it.

Sterling silver tarnishes rather easily due to the copper content of the alloy, and will require gentle cleaning with a tarnish remover numerous times throughout its life.  Tarnish first appears as a yellowish or golden cast to the metal and darkens to gray.

It is hypoallergenic for a large portion of the population, but often people with severe metal allergies will find that their skin becomes irritated by the copper, zinc, or other metals in the alloy.  If you like the look of sterling silver but experience an allergic reaction to it, you may wish to try fine (99.9% pure) silver which is not alloyed with other metals.

You may not need every single item on the list to get started, or you may want additional tools.  I built my collection over a period of time and still want a few more neat tools, like a rolling mill for example!  Some of it depends on the type of work you plan to do.  If you don’t plan on making rings, you won’t need a ring mandrel, for instance.  I have not included the equipment needed for casting because I don’t do casting personally, and it requires another vast array of equipment.

In some cases, I’ve listed a brand name.  This simply indicates the brand or type I personally own and like; there are usually other options you may prefer.

TOOLS

Soldering Tools:

Work table

SilverSmith torch kit (torch head, hose, regulator, striker, and size 00 tip)

Size 0 torch tip

Size 1 torch tip

Size 2 torch tip if you need to melt metal in larger amounts, or solder very thick or large pieces

Acetylene “B” tank, tank key, and chain

Third hand (holds tweezers which are used to hold work in position while soldering)

Fiber-grip soldering tweezers (fiber grips allow you to touch tweezers safely to release work after soldering)

Small, fine-tipped precision soldering tweezers (for positioning small, hot parts)

Titanium solder pick (for positioning and moving balls of solder)

12″x12″ Silquar soldering board

Charcoal or magnesium soldering block

Crock pot (for pickle)

Copper tong tweezers (for inserting and removing work from the pickle)

Dropper or spray bottle for flux  (I prefer a fine spray bottle)

Jug, jar, or other container of water for quenching hot pieces and for rinsing pieces after pickling

Hammering and Forming:

Steel bench block

4-lb mallet (drilling hammer)

Rawhide mallet (as heavy as possible)

Ball peen hammer (smooth face, may want several different sizes)

Riveting hammer

Miland synclastic former

Doming block and punch set

Steel bracelet mandrel

Steel ring mandrel

Steel necklace mandrel

Decorative stamps

Letter and number stamp set

Round nose pliers

Flat nose pliers

Cutting, Drilling, and Marking:

Grobet flexible shaft tool with foot pedal speed control and #30 handpiece

Metal shears (2 pairs, one heavy, one light)

Flush cutters for wire and solder

Miland hole punches

Center punch

Jeweler’s saw (I like the simple ones without the adjustable frame)

X-Acto knife

Vise

Bench pin

Finishing and Polishing:

Grobet flexible shaft tool with foot pedal speed control and #30 handpiece

Half-round file and handle

Burr holder (for organizing all your mandrels with their polishing attachments)

Mandrels for polishing attachments

Nylon-jawed pliers for holding pieces while you polish them (they become scaldingly hot)

Safety/PPE:

Fire extinguisher

First aid kit (including instant ice pack and Water-Jel for burn treatment)

Safety glasses

Half-face respirator with particulate cartridges (for polishing)

Safety tape for fingers

Leather/elastic protectors for thumb and finger (to use while polishing, as they will simply come off your finger if caught in your flex shaft)

Disposible gloves (DO NOT wear while polishing, as the material can get caught in your flex shaft or polishing wheel and rip off – along with your fingers)

Pitcher of water – I have a large pitcher of water on my work table for quenching hot pieces and for rinsing after pickling.  I keep it within easy reach so it can double as an instant fire extinguisher for small workbench fires.  Grab – splash – out.

Measuring:

Digital caliper with inch and mm settings

Ring sizers

Ring mandrel

Ring ruler

Stone Setting Tools:

Stone setting pliers

Prong lifters

Flat nose pliers

Bezel pusher

Bezel roller

Burnisher

Wooden ring clamp with leather jaws

RAW MATERIALS

Sterling silver sheet in various gauges (22g is a good versatile thickness to start with)

Sterling silver wire, various gauges

Half-round and double-half-round wire for rings

Sterling silver tubing (for tube bails)

Sterling silver bezel wire

Sterling silver bezel cups

Sterling silver prong settings

Sterling silver tube settings

Copper sheet metal (for practice soldering, stamping, cutting, and polishing)

Copper wire (for practice soldering, forming, cutting, and polishing)

Gemstones, faceted and cabochon

CONSUMABLES

Consumables – Soldering:

Silver solder wire in easy, medium, and hard

Silver paste solder in easy, medium, and hard

Prip’s Flux or Cupronil

Sparex #2 pickle (comes in powder form, you mix it with water)

Consumables – Polishing and Cleaning:

Fabulustre (polishing compound for putting a final mirror polish on silver and copper)

Haggerty’s Silversmith’s Wash (for removing tarnish on finished pieces – safe on gemstones)

Win-Ox silver blackener (acid for putting a dark antique or gunmetal finish on silver.  Use personal protective equipment and observe safety precautions when using)

Rennisance Wax (for preventing tarnish on copper)

White vinegar and salt (for removing tarnish on copper)

3M abrasive disks, all grits (Yellow 80, Red 220, Blue 400, Pink pumice, Peach 6 micron, Green 1 micron) to remove scratches and oxidation and then bring the piece to a high polish.  You will want a seperate mandrel for each grit – buy a multi-pack.  The disks need to be “ganged” together in groups of at least three.

Silicon “softies” – these are silicon wheels impregnated with various grits, useful for grinding and polishing.  Between a set of these and a set of the 3M radial disks you should be able to handle pretty much anything.  These need, you guessed it, mandrels!

Round felt buffing wheels (for Fabulustre).  You will need appropriate mandrels for these too.

Silicone abrasive polishers

Pink shop towels (for cleaning Fabulustre off freshly polished pieces)

Blue paper shop towels (good for cleaning residual gunk off silver pieces after removing from pickle and rinsing)

Consumables – Other:

Saw blades

Drill bits

Beeswax or other blade and bit lubricant

French hooks, also known as hook ear wires.  This is the most common type of ear wire, and the one you’ll see most often on earrings on my website.  Advantages include light weight, many subtle variations of design, wide availability in various metals, and ease of use.  The primary disadvantage of French hooks is the ease with which they can be lost, especially when used on light earrings.  If you’re one of those people who seems to constantly lose earrings right off their ears, French hooks could be the culprit.  I stock French hooks in sterling silver and gold fill and may at times stock yellow gold (available for an additional charge).  White gold, yellow gold, surgical steel, copper, anodized aluminum, and niobium can be special ordered at additional cost.

Post or “stud” earrings. This is another popular style.  A rod or post runs straight through the pierced ear and is secured with a metal “ear nut” on the back side of the ear.  While many post earrings are small studs that do not dangle down from the ear, posts can also be used for dangle style earrings.  They offer a reasonable compromise between security and safety; if snagged they will typically pull off the ear without tearing tissue, but they stay on much better than French hooks.  Disadvantages include a tendancy to snag on clothing and come off (for instance when pulling a sweater off over your head), and discomfort if you sleep on your side wearing earrings (the ends of the posts may dig into your head).  I stock sterling silver posts and can special order yellow gold and gold filled posts at additional cost.  White gold may also be available depending on supplier stock.

Leverbacks. This is actually my favorite type of earwire for a number of reasons.  They are the most secure, closing in a continuous loop, and thus very hard to lose.  I highly recommend leverbacks for valuable earrings and for people who tend to lose their earrings.  When worn, they are subtle and attractive, not detracting from the design of the earrings themselves.  If you sleep wearing your earrings or like to leave your earrings in over long periods of time, leverbacks are by far the most comfortable and non-irritating.  The only reason you don’t see more of them on my site is the fact that when photographed, they have an awkward kidney shape that people tend to dislike.  When worn, you don’t see the kidney shape, just a subtle line.  Because they are so secure, they could present a safety hazard if worn in situations where they could get snagged and potentially rip the ear lobe.  Do not wear leverback where snagging is a possibility.  I stock leverbacks in sterling silver and can special order gold filled and white and yellow gold at an additional cost.

Clip-ons. For those with unpierced ears, clip-on earrings are a viable solution.  As someone with formerly unpierced ears, I remember the frustration of being limited to a small and often boring selection of clip-on earrings.  For that reason, I stock sterling silver clips and can apply them to any pair of earrings in my shop other than soldered post earrings which cannot be converted.  There is unfortunately an extra charge for this because the clips themselves are heavy and therefore considerably more expensive than the other common types of earwire.  Clip-on earrings use pressure to attach to the ear and may grow painful after periods of time, especially if you are not used to wearing clip-on earrings.  I stock them in sterling silver and can special order them in yellow gold; be forewarned that due to weight these will be very expensive in gold.  I can also special order them in gold fill.

There are few producers of top-quality cane glass.  Cheap imitations made in China and elsewhere are readily available and cannot approach the beauty of the real thing, so shop carefully.  Two of the top makers of cane glass are David Christensen and Penrose Design, both in the US.

For a good description of the intricasies of caneworking and the process involved, check out this Wikipedia article. Due to the labor, skill, and specialized equipment required to made top-quality cane glass, the beautiful end results are expensive; in fact cane glass is more costly than solid sterling silver.

This blog series will introduce several types of top-quality glass to look for in your next jewelry purchase:

• Artisan-made lampwork glass
• Dichroic glass
• Murano glass
• Cane glass, also known as furnace glass

Sure, I noticed that every piece of cheap jewelry I owned fell apart, became discolored, or broke.  Yes, I was saddened to see several favorite necklaces and bracelets deteriorate to the point where they had to be thrown out.  This was before I started on the path to learning about jewelry design and construction.

What is disposable jewelry?

Recently I read an online discussion between professional jewelers where an astute individual labeled these low-price, mass produced pieces “disposable jewelry.”  I think the term is very apt and serves as a non-judgmental illustration of the differences.

Disposable jewelry is those pieces you purchase at a low cost because they catch your eye, were on sale, or match an outfit.  You don’t intend to keep them for a lifetime or even expect them to last a year; they’re ultimately disposable just like your shirt or a trendy purse.

Most mass-produced jewelry, even that sold in fine department stores, falls in the disposable category.  The label and the design might be high-end, but the materials and construction are not.

When not to buy disposable jewelry

There’s nothing wrong with purchasing disposable jewelry, but there are a few things the wise buyer might consider carefully.  Are you purchasing the piece as a gift?  Souvenir?  Because you love the design?

Fine handmade jewelry vs. disposable jewelry as gifts

I was once asked to repair a necklace that had great sentimental value to the owner.  It had been given to a man by his daughter, and he treasured it and kept it with him even after it broke.  Did she anticipate at the time that this casual gift would be so treasured by its recipient?  Probably not.  I was able to repair the necklace, which fell neatly in the “disposable jewelry” category and was showing signs of severe wear and deterioration in addition to the breakage due to low-quality materials.  How much better would it have been if this gift had been designed to last a lifetime?

Jewelry as a souvenir

One of my favorite necklaces is a simple shell necklace that I picked up years ago for around ten dollars at the Sea World gift shop on vacation.  I took the time to pick out just the perfect one, and wore it frequently until it broke.  I was fortunate that the beads themselves were fairly durable, so I was able to replace the poor quality wire, sloppy crimps, and degrading, brittle clasp with quality materials and continue wearing it.

The pros:

• Bracelet is easy to put on and take off
• Clasp is usually inconspicuous
• Bracelet will come off easily when tugged, which can be a good safety feature for industrial workers, law enforcement officers, horseback rikers, skiers, and others who risk injury should their jewelry be entangled in something

The cons:

• Magnetic clasps will come off when tugged, which makes it easy to lose your bracelet.  You’d be surprised how easy it is for bracelets to catch on things without your even knowing
• Magnetic clasps are, well, magnetic.  So don’t be shocked when you find your bracelet dangling from the refrigerator instead of your wrist!  They have a nasty habit of attaching themselves to metal objects.
• Magnetic clasps are not suggested for those using pacemakers
• Magnetic clasps subject the bracelet to stress every time you remove it, which over time can weaken, fray, and eventually break the wire on your bracelet.