So here we go with my 2nd blog November 21

by Amanda Norris-Chapman November 2, 2021

I hope you enjoyed the first one.

October has been a busy month. I took part in the Catford Arts trail for the first time; (a lot of firsts this year). Which was amazing. Here is a selection of pieces I sold.

Welcome to November..

I thought you might like some of the steps that go into making a handcrafted chain – here are some before & after photos.

This was a commission for a chunky silver chain this summer – would love to know what you think…

Making the jump rings - I start with the silver wire – in this case it was Argentium Silver which is 935 silver rather than sterling silver which is 925; (Argentium is one of a new generation of silver alloys. It was developed specifically to combat the tarnish that occurs as silver oxidises when it comes into contact with air, which is a major drawback for all who love silver.) half round wire.

The jump rings are formed an I saw them out by hand.

Soldering & shaping –

Once the joints are soldered/forged they can be shaped to whatever shape you need - here they are oval, as you can see.

Making the chain –

Each link is then connected & soldered – below left you can see the silver it tarnished from the flame; below right is after the chain has been pickled (Pickle is a liquid compound used to remove oxidation and flux from newly soldered jewellery. It is what you put your pieces in to clean them after soldering. Metal that has been soldered produces oxidation on the outside of it.) - cleaned.

The Clasp –

The type of clast can be personal taste of purely functional – here the customer chose an Albert swivel clasp – reminiscent of a watch chain.

The hallmarking –

All precious metal can be hallmarked. Silver is not required to be hallmarked unless it weights over 7.78g – here the chain weighted over 23g. This was actually the first piece I have hallmarked with my maker’s mark. What a feeling.