Buying jewelry can be confusing – there are so many metals used to make jewelry, and most people don’t know what the various metal names mean. I’ve created a list of some of the most commonly used metals for jewelry, and added a bit of information about each one. This is by no means a [...]

The answer to this question is definitely yes – you can use a propane torch to fuse silver. In fact, the only torch I use is a propane torch I bought at the hardware store, and it works great for fusing and soldering silver. I’ve used it with sterling, argentium, and fine silver. I’ve also [...]

A new law is going into effect very soon in California to protect consumers from lead poisoning in jewelry. Many base metal and plated or painted products contain lead, so to be safe, when purchasing jewelry *ask* what it is made of and if any materials contain lead. Once the new law goes into effect, [...]

Pickle is used to clean oxidation and flux residue off of metal. It is an acidic solution that you can buy from a jewelry supply store, or you can make a do-it-yourself version at home. Pickle can be stored in a glass jar or a ceramic crock pot. It works faster if it’s heated up, [...]

Metals like silver and gold can be purchased for jewelry making as wire. Wire comes in different sizes, and the size of the wire is called its gauge. There are different systems, so I’m just going to talk about the gauge system commonly used by U.S. jewelry supply companies, since that is the system I’m [...]

I enjoy making my own silver head pins by melting a ball of metal at the end of a piece of wire. It’s fairly easy to do, and enables you to always have the length you need in the gauge you need for a project. I use a slightly different technique depending on which type [...]

I make a lot of jewelry using wire – in fact, nearly everything I make incorporates wire in some way, even if it’s just a wire head pin or an earwire. One problem beginning wireworkers have is that when you cut a piece of wire, the ends feel sharp and jagged. To make wire jewelry [...]

I’m writing a series of short articles on jewelry making basics, called Jewelry 101. You can click on Jewelry 101 under “categories” in the right-hand column to see all the articles (this one is the first). Even if you aren’t interested in making your own jewelry, it might be interesting to learn a little bit [...]

It’s been a while since I last wrote about caring for jewelry – and since I use a lot of silver and pearls in my work, it seems appropriate to mention how to care for these materials. The key to preventing tarnish on silver is keeping it clean, and storing it sealed off from air, [...]

Argentium silver is my current favorite metal to work with. It resists tarnishing, which means less maintenance for both me and my customers. It also fuses better than traditional sterling silver, which makes a lot of the metalwork I like to do easier. I just heard that in a recent Lapidary Journal, an article stated [...]