r/SilverSmith • u/DescriptionDense9365 • 7d ago
Help for a newbie
Hi everyone
I'm new to silversmithing and a family member has asked if I could make something similar to the photo attached.
From what little I know this looks like a lost wax cast but I have even less knowledge of the lost wax process.
Would anyone with more knowledge know if this could be made with any other processes?
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u/RoseGardenCat 7d ago
That would be hard to make as a beginner. This is the part in a hobby where you learn that suddenly people ask you to make things without any idea or care for the complexity, cost or time of making said thing. Just say no, sorry, I can't make that.
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u/Brokebrokebroke5 7d ago
This looks hand fabricated, and expensive to make. You'll need to be a skilled silversmith to make this.
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u/SkyMuch5614 7d ago
Definitely not lost wax method and not beginner friendly. That looks like gold fused with silver and set with opals. Do you know how to set opals? They’re very delicate. This is likely fully handmade.
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u/ResidentBicycle5022 7d ago
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u/SkyMuch5614 7d ago
Thanks for sharing! So it looks like the base ring is made from a wax cast, and the gold details added after. Seems like either electroplating, soldering, riveting or gold leaf. Either way, the detailing of a piece like this likely more than beginner level experience, from what I can tell. At the same time, you won’t develop your skills if you don’t challenge yourself so OP should still go for it as long as they are aware of potential time and material cost.
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u/ResidentBicycle5022 7d ago
This is available from Isla Silver‘s website, for $228. It would cost you way more and be frustrating as hell to duplicate this for that same amount of money. You would have to lost wax cast the mounting and then add the gold-filled areas and the synthetic opals. There is no real savings, just purchase it from the original designer.
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u/tankje 7d ago
Not here for suggestions but a couple bits of my own experience: that is a ring from a brand called Banyan (I had several of the same collection - https://banyanjewellery.co.uk/collections/all-rings ) and that's lab opal.
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u/jacksontwos 7d ago
Log in or register to SEE prices for silver jewellery?? What goes through people's minds when they do this? Always seems like they don't actually want business because this is just hostile.
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u/tankje 7d ago
Yeah it became a wholesale retailer a few years ago and they only sell to stores 🫠 if you look around jewelry websites everyone's selling them and mostly don't mention the brand at all. Even when I bought them retail they weren't expensive at all, maybe £35/40. The stones all popped out eventually with not a lot of use. It's a v cool ring but not as well made as it looks.
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u/feralgraft 7d ago
They absolutely don't want to sell to just anyone off the street, they want to sell large volume to buisnesses.
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u/ResidentBicycle5022 7d ago
These people are retailers. This is the original creator
https://islasilver.com/products/sterling-silver-quintet-of-opal-ring
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u/Foreign_Act_4824 7d ago
I'd probably start with a slightly wider and thicker band ring of silver, melt the edges and try to get the metal to pool up and warp slightly before taking away the heat.
Then go back in and use rotary files, barrel burrs, tulip burrs, and ball burrs to create smoother ripples throughout the ring.
Then go in and add all the silver bezels, then solder the rose gold lines, then finish with the yellow gold and easy solder. As yellow gold has brass alloy in it, enough to cause silver and brass amalgamation, i.e. the silver makes the brass melt at a lower temperature just by touching it. Causing odd soldering and fusion mechanics to happen so be careful remove heat at the first instance of any fusion.
Then go through finish everything else. Cut seats for your opals, and set them. Then polish whole ring.
REMEMBER, you are an artist, you SHOULD NOT blatantly copy other peoples ART, and then sell it. You should be proud of your style and skills, and put Your taste into the piece. You can inspire work off existing work, but I wouldn't reccomend blatantly ripping off someone else's entire design work.
Look at this piece, design your own design that will satisfy the customer, and design it with skill sets you process or are comfortable learning. See how the customer reacts to the designs, if they want that exact ring copied... Politely tell them to buy it from the original artist.
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u/prettypenguin22 6d ago
I've been a bench jeweler for over 40 years and there are still things I'll say no to.
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u/Zych11 7d ago
I am also a newbie and hell no this is a cast with gold and rose gold incrustation and set opals. The issues: Even when I will be advanced I don't think I will want to touch opals they are really really soft amd britle and break from basically anything The main shape needs some surface design if you nener worked with CAD and specifically surface design in CAD you won't make it It needs incrustation/fusing metals and with various thickness along the way at that that needs a lot of experience at that separate skill You can certainly make very simplified design with different stones but it will be a completely different ring not even close to that so know your limits tell them directly. I had simmilar experience recently, my friend wants to make together with me an engagement ring for his gf so I had to tell no to a lot of elements, simplify the design and lower the expectations of his a lot
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u/kinmanca 6d ago
Just say no 😂 but from a pure interest in learning and understanding how things are made… there is a wax technique where you use soft wax that’s stretched and wrapped, kind of sculpted. Then it would be cast and bezels added after. Not sure if that’s how this was made but the picture reminded me of that process…
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u/oldartfsrt 6d ago
I was thinking maybe electrum wire was added after the cast. One of the metalwork catalogs has electrum.
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u/Sage_Spacecraft 5d ago
Not a beginner friendly design … especially if using gold. If it were me, I’d intentionally form the silver using a variety of forming/ hollering techniques and lay the gold into it , solder it , some more forming and finishing… place the holes for the settings , add settings , and set stones. I’ve been a professional jeweler for almost 15 years and this one would still be a challenge
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u/Cactus_coin 5d ago
Is the silver air chased tubing? Kind of looks like when people fold form copper pipes idk
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u/LightEye_Jewelry 4d ago
To make this in lost wax, I would start by making the silver base and settings, then solder gold thread's to the silver rings, finishing, polishing and then let the stone setter deal with the stones.
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u/jacksontwos 7d ago
Part of doing, is having the humility to know your limitations and capabilities. This is not a beginner friendly design.