Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
April 15, 2011

Question:

I have some salt crystals I would like to wrap with sterling silver. How will sterling silver react with the sea salt?

-Alan in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Answer:

As summer is quickly approaching this part of the world, I’d like to address the whole subject of Sterling & Salt–thanks Alan!

Salt will corrode most jewelry metals, especially sterling silver. This reaction will be seen by the silver becoming dull and eventually developing pits (both of which could be attractive features, depending on both the artist and the customer). The type of salt doesn’t matter, it could be from swimming in salt water, the salt from human sweat, salt in foods that are handled wearing silver rings, anywhere!

Some folks I know send their sterling settings off to have them rhodium-plated before adding stones. However, if the specific presence of sterling is important to the overall piece, then having it plated would negate that aspect.

While we’re talking about summer and sterling, folks, please remember not to wear your sterling in a chlorine pool or hot tub, either. Chlorine will turn your sterling silver black in a heartbeat! Yes, it can be rinsed when you shower, but if the piece contains stones, salt and chemicals can crystallize in the tiny setting spaces, causing challenges later.

Personally, I think the idea of wrapping natural, sea salt crystals is awesome! As you can see from the photos in the article The Spiral Jetty, natural salt crystals form in some really unique shapes! Enjoy the summer!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
April 9, 2011

Question:

Dale, what can I use to get rid of sharp wire ends? I have used a nail file without much luck.

-Ellie in Mechanicsville, Virginia

Answer:

Hi Ellie, yes, sharp wire ends have to go! Most of the time, I personally like to use a strong emery board (affordable and easy to replace) on about any wire end. When I am making a lot of ear wires at a time, I use a cup burr in my drill or automatic wire twister. If I am just doing a few, I either use a wire rounder (which is a cup burr inserted into a comfortable wooden handle), or a sharpening stone.

To help you visualize this, I recommend Sonja Kiser’s nice video tip, How to Remove Wire Burrs. Hope this all helps!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
March 30, 2011

Question:

I have some cabs that are relatively thin and I would like to know how to drill a hole in them to allow some different types of wire wrapping techniques. Can this be done at home with a standard drill?

-Melonie in Raleigh, North Carolina

Answer:

Depending on the materials and how thin they really are, Melonie, sometimes just a diamond bead reamer will work. For more details please read: Enlarging Holes in Gemstones and watch this helpful video tip: Bead Reaming Made Easy.

My direct answer to your question is no, a regular home drill will not work well, unless you use diamond drill bits and work under water (depending on the model, they can also be very heavy to hold, and a bit cumbersome). Please see this discussion for detailed directions: Drilling Holes in Gemstones. Yes, you can also use a variable speed Dremel, also outfitted with diamond bits (I use a small drill press). Good luck with your new designs!

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
March 29, 2011

Question:

Hi Dale! While at the Wire-Sculpture 2010 Florida Wired Retreat, I took some time to collect some seashells. Many of them already have a hole in them, perfect for making jewelry. Is there a way to protect the surfaces of the shells from flaking? Also, is there a way to brighten the colors of the shells so as to make them look like they’re underwater? Thanks so much for all you’ve taught me!

-Meredith in Springfield, Missouri

Answer:

Hi Meredith – oh yes, the Florida Retreat was fun! I’m glad you took some time for a walk on the beach.

The best product I have found for preserving sea shells and giving them a permanent "wet" appearance is Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray. Not a paint, this spray is a safe and easy way to preserve many organic items, even dried flowers! Of course, always read the product label first, work in a well-ventilated area, and to avoid fingerprints, don’t touch your shells until they are dry. (When I lived on the beach, I would string my shells on a piece of fishing line, then hang it from the clothesline while spraying, and then just let them dry for about a half hour.)

Krylon’s "Spraying Safe" article has great tips on working with sprays. For further information about the safety of the product, the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) is available on the Krylon product page (here is a direct link to the PDF). Once dry, the coating is completely safe.

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip for
March 24, 2011

Question:

I have read that Dale does not use a tumbler, but maybe someone else can tell me what happened. I use a tumbler for short periods of time to polish my work and harden jump rings without any problems. I was polishing several pieces of old jewelry, a few at a time in my tumbler – never more than 30 minutes at a time. The last few I was not sure of; they were marked "Siam" with some oxidizing, I thought they were sterling silver. When I opened the tumbler, everything was black with a strong metallic smell. I was using stainless steel shot and a couple of drops of detergent.

I washed everything, but the shot turned dark. I tried to dry it, and it turned my towel black. Can I salvage the shot? I don’t dare try to use it without knowing if it is safe. I think one of the old pieces must have been some strange alloy. I’ll never put anything in a tumbler again if it is not marked, or I do not know what it is made of. How does one clean stainless steel shot?

-Judith in Rock Hall, Maryland

Answer:

Hi Judith, I may not use a tumbler for my jewelry, but I know a lot of folks who do, and I have done a lot of research on it. In your unusual case, I believe it was the "Siam" jewelry that colored your shot.

The older Siam jewelry pieces are unique in their appearance, because they are made using a very specific combination of skills and materials called Nielloware (link to Google Images search). These items are marked for where the style originated, Siam (which became Thailand in 1939). This lovely jewelry was a popular gift from American servicemen from the 1930s through the 1970s.

Now we come to the materials that are probably the messy culprit. The variety of ingredients can contain sulphides of silver (yes, an anion of sulfur), copper, and lead. Each combination varies according to each artist, so there is no way to know exactly what your individual pieces are made of.

To clean your stainless steel shot, I’d like to direct you to a discussion we had on the tip How to Keep Stainless Shot Free of Residue, because there were some great comments added by our experienced readers.

Answer contributed by Dale "Cougar" Armstrong

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