Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 02, 2010

Question:

What are the laws for selling Native American Style Jewelry? It is all handmade. I do a lot of Southwest Jewelry that looks similar to Navajo Style. I do sell to the public, and would like your opinion. I label my designs as Navajo Style, or Southwest Designs.

Answer:

Definitely do not label or use the name of any American Indian tribe! The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 clearly states that any type of misrepresentation will be in violation of this important law that is accompanied by heavy fines: http://www.iacb.doi.gov/act.html. It would be safer to use the term you suggested, ‘Southwest Style’ to describe your work.  For further reading: Consumer Indian Arts and to simplify things: Chief Seattle Laws.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
June 01, 2010

Question:

I’m looking for a silver wire won’t tarnish, but shine brightly, about 26-gauge, 14-gauge, or 10-gauge. I like the jewelry for sale in Swarovski stores, and I always wonder what kind of silver wire they use. It doesn’t look real, but it’s very shiny, and it won’t tarnish. I found the chain-like kind of this material, but I can’t find the wire, in the gauge I wanted. Please give some information on where can I find this wire at a good price.

Answer:

Hi Lilian, yes Wire-Sculpture does carry argentium silver (also called anti-tarnish silver) in a variety of shapes and sizes. Follow this link where you can shop by shape: Argentium Wire. When anyone reaches “Gold Club Status” (details here: Gold Club) their price on everything (no matter how small an ordered quantity) is automatically 25% off! With the addition of prices lowering with quantity purchases, Wire-Sculpture is a great place to purchase wire!

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip

Question:

I love making your unisex wire bracelet along with all the other projects I have seen.  My question is how do you get rid of the permanent marks that you make on the bracelet without ruining the wire?  Is that the only marker that you should use when marking your pieces?

Answer:

Most folks use just a regular marker to make the necessary marked measurements on their wire jewelry projects. To remove these marks, use either a polishing cloth or a cotton swab that has been dampened with denatured alcohol (which will not harm any type of wire). After using the denatured alcohol, clean the area with a piece of t-shirt.

Denatured’ alcohol is not the same as rubbing alcohol (which will not work). As this product has different appearances and uses all over the world, for full detail about this product, please follow this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denatured_alcohol In the United States, it can be purchased at your local hardware store.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
May 20, 2010

Question:

There is an email circulating which claims that WD-40 will keep silver from tarnishing.  Is that true?  If so, how is it used to stop the tarnish?

Answer:

As WD-40 is a non-volatile, viscous oil that remains on whatever surface it is applied to, so using it to coat your wire jewelry with will prevent corrosion/tarnish, however it will also be transferred to whatever the person wearing the jewelry has on for clothing, their skin, etc. Therefore although it does the job, personally I would never use this product on jewelry of any type! The only true way to semi-permanently prevent tarnish on sterling silver is to have it professionally plated with rhodium (I say semi-permanent because if the plating is thin, it will eventually wear off with the continued wear of a jewelry item, and the underlying base for the plating process is nickel, and if you incorporate stones, beads pearls, etc into your work, these items cannot be present during the plating process, making the plating process impractical for handcrafted wire jewelry items). Sterling silver jewelry does tarnish, as it has throughout the ages. If anyone really wants an affordable silver product that will not develop a black patina, use argentium. Wire-Sculpture has a nice selection of argentium wire found here: Argentium Wire

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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Daily Wire Jewelry Making Tip
May 14, 2010

Question:

Some of my customers recently asked me what is a cabochon? I felt silly, since I’ve been using the term and couldn’t define it. Is it always semi-precious, undrilled – or what?

Answer:

A ‘cabochon’ is a highly polished convex-cut (meaning domed) gem that is not faceted. Many lapidarys are now adding bevel cuts to the tops of cabs, to add interest and sparkle to the design that some folks will call ‘faceted’, and some cabs are cut with flat tops, which are used in certain applications such as intarsia. Although the majority of cabs are cut from semi-precious material, cabochons are also cut from precious stones (think of a star sapphire or star ruby). Cabochons are not often drilled, but can be, depending on what use the jewelry designer needs it for.

Answer contributed by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong

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