Handmade Silver Jewelry by Jo

If you want to anneal sterling silver wire, coil it up, if you can. Then, I place it in a terra cotta bowl with pumice in it. It’s easiest if you can heat it in low light so you can see it turn red. Turn your torch to a yellow bushy flame.  Once the silver is red, follow it with the torch once or twice..that should do it. Sometimes you can see it relax while you’re torching.  Same theory works for sheet silver…make sure to heat evenly.

Using a pair of tweezers or tongs, lift it up and quench it in water, and you should be able to bend it with your fingers if it annealed.  I always tumble everything once it’s a finished piece to clean it. 

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Need to make a hole in your silver?  Here’s a few tips for beginners…

Before you drill, make sure you take a scribe and make an indentation, or use a center punch to mark where to start the hole.  Then put your piece on a bench pin, and hold it firmly.  Turn on the dremel or Flexshaft to about medium speed…not too fast or the metal you are cutting away will ball up on the drill bit.  Press firmly and let the drill do the work…Once you have your hole, turn the piece over and put the drill in the hole again, and that will clear off any burrs.  Easy! 

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Check out my first handmade silver jewelry YouTube video. Type in jewelrybyjo on YouTube and turn up the sound!  You’ll see some of the beaded necklaces, bracelets and earrings, and the silver jewelry that is all handmade.  Fantasic pics by none other than my husband. 

Hope you enjoy what you see and check back here soon.  Pics and prices will be up shortly.  Lots more inventory available.  Most everything you see is one-of-a-kind wearable jewelry art. 

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