In The Studio: Time To Clean Up!

Above: Emily Wiser's Jeweler's Bench. Photo by Emily Wiser.

Yes, it's my jeweler's bench. It's a big, giant mess! Boy, do I love tools! See that little white gold ring on the steel bench plate (bottom left). It's going to be one of these 14k white gold birthstone stacking rings:

Above: 14k White Gold & Turquoise Stacking Ring. Ring & Photo by Emily Wiser.

New Jewelry: 14K White Gold

I'm going to try 14K white gold with brown and black diamonds! I've first made this 14K white gold stacking ring with 18K white gold setting and a pretty little sky blue topaz. Look for the diamonds soon!

In The Studio: Palladium & 14K Rose Gold Wedding Band

Palladium & 14K Rose Gold Wedding Band. Ring & Photo by Emily Wiser.

A bride-to-be recently emailed me to request a custom palladium and 14K rose gold wedding band. She had seen my 2 separate rings, and wanted the bands soldered together. Palladium melts at much higher temperature than rose gold. It was going to be a tricky business, but I finished it successfully! Here are some pictures.

Above: Cutting the 14K rose gold and palladium to size.
Shears, ruler, ring sizing chart. Photo by Emily Wiser.

Above: 14K rose gold ring on the soldering block. In the background is the pickle pot.
Photo by Emily Wiser.

Above: Lighting the torch. Yes, I did take this photo with a lit torch in one hand and a camera in the other!
Photo by Emily Wiser.

Above: Soldering palladium. High-heat soldering block. Photo by Emily Wiser.

Above: 14K rose gold and palladium ring is ready for sanding. Ring & photo by Emily Wiser.

Above: Sanding 14K rose gold & palladium ring. In a ring vise, sanding with a flex shaft. Ring & Photo by Emily Wiser.

How Much Gold Is In 14K Gold?

14K Solid Rose Gold Stacking Ring. Photo & Ring by Emily Wiser.

Were you aware that the gold in jewelry is not pure gold? Pure gold is called 24 Karat (24K) gold. 24K gold is much too soft to make any durable jewelry! So, pure gold is alloyed (mixed) with other, stronger metals. So, if 24K gold is 100% gold, 14K is 50% gold, and 18K is 75% gold.

Gold is alloyed with copper and silver for strength. Rose gold is an alloy of gold and copper. White gold is an alloy of gold, silver, and palladium, nickel, zinc or other white metal. Green gold is an alloy of gold and silver.

Below: 14K solid gold bead ring. Ring & photo by Emily Wiser.

In the Studio: 14K Rose Gold and Aquamarine.

Here's a picture of the 14K rose gold with 6mm aquamarine setting being made. The swirl is the end of a rawhide mallet, a jeweler's tool. You see some 6mm aquamarines scattered about and part of a 14K rose gold bezel setting. It's all sitting on my jeweler's bench (which I carefully shield with cork lol).

How To Make Sturdy, Inexpensive Workbenches

My husband made these fabulous work benches for my studio this weekend! We got one heavy-duty steel frame bookcase. Then we supplemented the wood shelving by laying thick plywood on top. Finally, we stuffed weatherstripping in between the sides of the plywood and the metal shelving brackets. Voila! The best part is one bookcase makes two benches! There was a really nice guy working at Home Depot who showed us how to make it.

On my workbench, you'll see my anvil, plastic mallet, planishing hammer, brass head mallet, ring marking anvil, and bent shank ring stamps, and a coil of sterling silver wire. Pretty fun, huh?

Below, you'll see some of the rings I make on my workbench. They're 14K white gold stacking rings set in tapered tube setting with faceted gemstones: white topaz, red garnet, and blue sapphire.