Pebble and Branch Sweater Pin Brooch
This is a silver stem measuring about 6.0” long with balls of silver and slight twist at the end. It feeds through the two holes on the hammered pebble shape over a sweater. I suggest using a cable knit or another sweater with holes as the stem is thick. It could also be put in the hair with just the stick to decorate an updo, or as a barrette (I don’t think it can hold a lot of hair on its own though).
The Process:
Each of my pieces is hand fabricated, not cast. This means that each piece is cut from silver wire and sheet, melted, fused and hammered and finished all by my hand. This creates a truly unique piece, as each one is made individually. The process of using a torch on all the pieces creates an organic feel to the pieces. I use a hammer and anvil to create the textures that appear on the silver.
I like to say I’m not a jeweler, I just make jewelry. I am currently using metal smithing techniques to explore the details and beauty in nature by recreating the natural world in silver jewelry form for us to appreciate.
You can see much of my process by visiting my instagram @sydneymetaldesigns where I make jewelry and other art!
The Material: Argentium Silver
I use a relatively new alloy of silver called Argentium, which has a slightly higher pure silver content than sterling and a small amount of germanium. This alloy is 94% pure silver, while sterling has a purity content of 92.5% (why some sterling jewelry has 925 stamp). I find the slightly higher silver content makes the silver more tarnish resistant and gives me the ability to fuse the material instead of just soldering. The silver has a lovely, whitish brightness to it that I really enjoy! I clean my silver with toothpaste and a brush for the hard to reach areas. But you can clean this silver the same way you clean your sterling silver.
This is a silver stem measuring about 6.0” long with balls of silver and slight twist at the end. It feeds through the two holes on the hammered pebble shape over a sweater. I suggest using a cable knit or another sweater with holes as the stem is thick. It could also be put in the hair with just the stick to decorate an updo, or as a barrette (I don’t think it can hold a lot of hair on its own though).
The Process:
Each of my pieces is hand fabricated, not cast. This means that each piece is cut from silver wire and sheet, melted, fused and hammered and finished all by my hand. This creates a truly unique piece, as each one is made individually. The process of using a torch on all the pieces creates an organic feel to the pieces. I use a hammer and anvil to create the textures that appear on the silver.
I like to say I’m not a jeweler, I just make jewelry. I am currently using metal smithing techniques to explore the details and beauty in nature by recreating the natural world in silver jewelry form for us to appreciate.
You can see much of my process by visiting my instagram @sydneymetaldesigns where I make jewelry and other art!
The Material: Argentium Silver
I use a relatively new alloy of silver called Argentium, which has a slightly higher pure silver content than sterling and a small amount of germanium. This alloy is 94% pure silver, while sterling has a purity content of 92.5% (why some sterling jewelry has 925 stamp). I find the slightly higher silver content makes the silver more tarnish resistant and gives me the ability to fuse the material instead of just soldering. The silver has a lovely, whitish brightness to it that I really enjoy! I clean my silver with toothpaste and a brush for the hard to reach areas. But you can clean this silver the same way you clean your sterling silver.
This is a silver stem measuring about 6.0” long with balls of silver and slight twist at the end. It feeds through the two holes on the hammered pebble shape over a sweater. I suggest using a cable knit or another sweater with holes as the stem is thick. It could also be put in the hair with just the stick to decorate an updo, or as a barrette (I don’t think it can hold a lot of hair on its own though).
The Process:
Each of my pieces is hand fabricated, not cast. This means that each piece is cut from silver wire and sheet, melted, fused and hammered and finished all by my hand. This creates a truly unique piece, as each one is made individually. The process of using a torch on all the pieces creates an organic feel to the pieces. I use a hammer and anvil to create the textures that appear on the silver.
I like to say I’m not a jeweler, I just make jewelry. I am currently using metal smithing techniques to explore the details and beauty in nature by recreating the natural world in silver jewelry form for us to appreciate.
You can see much of my process by visiting my instagram @sydneymetaldesigns where I make jewelry and other art!
The Material: Argentium Silver
I use a relatively new alloy of silver called Argentium, which has a slightly higher pure silver content than sterling and a small amount of germanium. This alloy is 94% pure silver, while sterling has a purity content of 92.5% (why some sterling jewelry has 925 stamp). I find the slightly higher silver content makes the silver more tarnish resistant and gives me the ability to fuse the material instead of just soldering. The silver has a lovely, whitish brightness to it that I really enjoy! I clean my silver with toothpaste and a brush for the hard to reach areas. But you can clean this silver the same way you clean your sterling silver.