Hi All,
Like the title says, I’m new to this. I’m a little overwhelmed by the hundreds of course and wanted to hear suggestions for what courses, projects, and tools I should get and especially - what order to do/buy them in. I guess I’m looking for a suggested curriculum.
Any suggestions from seasoned vets is appreciated.
Stu
Although I have a complete traditional jeweler’s bench, I would consider myself more of a jewelry methods historian…I’ve read a lot about traditional methods and know a lot about how things are fabricated, even if I don’t make much. I’m going to give you a little bit of a geezer answer here. Get a couple of jewelry making texts from the library or from Open Library (archives) or buy a few old books. Ones that talk about forging, sawing, filing, soldering and finishing as well as jewelry design. A very old book which has a list of basic tools in it is Rose and Cirino’s Jewelry Design and Creation. This book was written from the class notes of a Vocational High School teacher of the first half of the 20th century. Most traditional techniques have not changed much since then. Other books from the 70’s are by Sharr Choate and Robt. Von Neumann. If you read or skim through books like these, you get an idea of how jewelry is constructed via fabrication from sheet and wire and ingots or via casting. You see what the typical tools are. Then I would visit the Rio Grande website and some other tool stores and look at what’s on offer, which will include the things in the books and also newer items like pulse arc welders, micromotors, power gravers, etc., which you may or may not want to (eventually) have.
You could easily begin making jewelry with a couple of large files, a set of needle files, a clamp on bench pin, some sandpaper, a butane torch and charcoal block, a few jewelry pliers, a ring mandrel, a ball peen hammer, a rawhide mallet, a ring clamp and some polishing sticks. I’ve probably forgotten a few things, but they are in Rose and Cirino’s tool kit and you’d also find them in some on line videos where people discuss making elementary rings and pendants. Next you’d want a flexshaft and/or micromotor, maybe a buffer, maybe an upgraded torch. some burs and drill bits and a few gravers. Of course solder and pickle, maybe a pickle pot. Making jewelry could be a lot like cooking. You can follow a recipe and do it. If you read enough recipes for how to make stews and soups, you soon begin to grasp the general elements of all of them. The same is true for jewelry. Rings made from wire or sheet and wire are most all similar. Ditto pendants, chains and bracelets. You can start to figure out what you will need to have and what you would like to have, but maybe don’t really need. You can look at various ways to cast and decide whether you want to do this and how much you want to spend on it. If you love software, maybe you will look into designing on the computer. Just begin by trying to get an overview of how jewelry is created and don’t get too focused on lots and lots of expensive tools. Oh, yes, and use the archives here to research methods and tools. They are invaluable and many of us will clue you in to inexpensive work-arounds and tool reviews. Welcome to Orchid and to jewelry making! -royjohn