Soldering Fun

Silver solder chips on firebrick. Photo by Emily Wiser.

Soldering sterling silver is a fun process. Above, I've taken a photo of one of my firebricks. I put sterling rings on the firebrick, heat the ring, then melt one of the silver solder chips you see in the photo. The solder balls up, and I can pick it up with my pick and drop it onto the ring. At the very end, you get a beautiful sterling silver stacking ring (see below).

Sterling silver stacking ring. Ring & photo by Emily Wiser.

My Studio During Christmas Rush

I thought I might entertain you with a photo of my studio during Christmas rush season. Everyone is ordering and much jewelry to make! Yay! In the photo above, you see an engraving ball, which holds pieces while you engrave them. The orange ear muffs are hearing protection. You can get constant ringing in your ears and deafness from the high-pitched ping of the silversmith's hammer. The red handle above it is a jeweler's saw. This saw is primo! I love it. The round steel objects are mandrels.

$15 Credit Winners for FB Fanpage Give-Away!

Sterling Silver Stacking Ring $10. Ring & Photo by Emily Wiser.

Shannon Szostek, Kathleen Boylan, and Kelly Price Tanner are the lucky fans who have each won a $15 credit (and free shipping) from my etsy shop: http://emilywiserjewelry.etsy.com . The jewelry must be shipped directly to you, and you have six months to use your credit! So, stop by shop and pick out your goodies by MAY 1, 2011! Thank you so much to everyone for entering!

Vampires & Dark Romance

Dark Romance Ring. Amethyst & Sterling Silver. Ring & Photo by Emily Wiser.

I'm writing a vampire novel. I'm really into vampires after seeing the Twilight movies and True Blood. Inspired by the genre, I've started a line of Dark Romance jewelry. Dark Romance features contrasts of dark and light colors, representing light and dark, good and evil, the innocent heroine and the worldly vampire.

Oxidized Copper Toggle Necklace & Cultured Freshwater Pearl. Photo & Necklace by Emily Wiser.

Oxidized Sterling Silver Hoop Earrings. Hoops & Photo by Emily Wiser.

Dark Romance Stacking Ring Set. White Moonstone, Black Onyx, Sterling Silver. Rings & Photo by Emily Wiser.

The Life Of A Studio Cat

Cat in my sweeps drawer. Photo by Emily Wiser.

Here's a photo of my cat sitting my sweeps drawer. The sweeps drawer holds all your gold and silver dust from your sawing, filing, and sanding. When it's full, you send your dust to a refiner who pays you for it. No waste, no want! And it helps the environment! You work on the bench pin (the wood block), and the dust falls from your workspace into the drawer. My little cat walked out with my gold and silver dust on his fur. I was seriously thinking about nabbing him and shaving off his fur to get my gold and silver dust back!

What is White Palladium Gold?

14K rose gold and palladium double-band stacking ring. Ring & photo by Emily Wiser.

Traditionally, gold has been "whitened" by alloying gold with nickel. Because many people are allergic to nickel, it's good to find a white gold alloy that's nickel-free. White palladium gold uses palladium (instead of nickel) to mask gold's yellow color. Palladium is a member of the platinum family--a precious metal in its own right.

In The Studio: Engraving Copper Plates

Above: Gravers, India Stone (for sharpening gravers). Photo & gravers by Emily Wiser

I recently took an engraving class, where we learned to engrave copper plates by hand. It's great practice for my engraved book and for learning to hand-engrave jewelry. You can also set stones with gravers. We had to make our own gravers. Here's some photos of my engraving tools. my copper plate, and the print I made from it.

Above: Engraved Copper Plates. I engraved them by hand with the gravers shown above. Photo & plates by Emily Wiser.

Above: A block print from the engraved copper plate. I inked it by hand, wet paper, and pressed it down on the engraved plate.
Photo & print by Emily Wiser.