Blog Author

Halstead Jewelry Author Erica

Erica is the former Studio Coordinator at Halstead. She spent 14 years with the company across a variety of departments but fell in love with metalsmithing. Erica's top tip for new metalsmiths is: "Practice! Be patient with yourself and have fun with it. Don't be afraid to ask questions. All of us at Halstead enjoy helping people whether it's questions on products or technical help in the studio. We're here for you."

Articles by Erica

Learn about solder here. We cover the types of solder, soldering techniques, metal alloys in silver solder and more. This is a great reference guide!

Types of Silver Solder Used in Jewelry

Many jewelers remember falling in love with metalsmithing at their first torch soldering experience. That mercurial silver flash when solder starts to flow is magical. But, what is actually happening at that moment? What is the science behind soldering?

Using a rolling mill in jewelry. From imprinting designs and rolling your own gauges to the main problems that occur if your not careful.

5 Ways to Use a Rolling Mill in your Jewelry Studio and Maintenance Primer -

Rolling mills and jewelry studios go hand in hand. Some jewelers use their rolling mills to imprint patterns on an annealed metal sheet. Others use a rolling mill as the raw material workhorse of their studios. See these and more uses in action.

Don't get stuck with the wrong chain length! A fantastic way to upsell your jewelry is by offering necklace chain extenders which will exten

3 Types of Necklace Chain Extenders

Don't get stuck with a too-short necklace! Whether it's by a customer's need or desire, longer necklaces are a must to carry. Necklace extenders can help take any pre-made design and add length. Learn about some of the most popular types of extenders Halstead offers.

Best how-to necklace lengths guide. Match neckline styles to necklace lengths! Learn the official names of the various necklace lengths. Download the guide.

Necklace Lengths Guide - How to Measure & Choose a Necklace Length

Our necklace length guide can help you and our customers quickly make jewelry decisions based on the neckline style you're wearing. Read the article, watch the video and save the infographic. Print it today!

Learn tips on untangling jewelry chain! Jewelry footage and finished chain tend to tangle also we'll cover how to package and store them to prevent tangles.

Untangling Jewelry Chain: Tips, Tricks & More

Read Tips & Tricks from the Halstead team on untangling chain plus how to properly store chain to prevent further tangles from happening. We've added a few tangled horror chain stories as well.

Learn about metal alloys for jewelry making including the atomic structure and other properties that impact the material.

Metal Alloys Used in Jewelry

Learn how the structure of metal and the properties of different alloys impact common materials in jewelry creation. As a jeweler, there is nothing more rewarding than learning how to take your designs from paper to metal form.

Learn about alternative stone setting methods for irregular shaped stones. We cover crystals, geodes, slabs, and more.

Alternative Stone Setting Techniques

Not all stones are perfectly calibrated. This blog covers alternative stone setting methods for crystals, geodes, and slabs. Use these techniques to create unique, one-of-a-kind jewelry.

Erica walks you through a variety of techniques to learn how to size a ring up or down, a great skill to have in your jewelry studio business.

How to Size a Ring in the Jewelry Studio

Having the skills to size rings can be very handy for your jewelry studio business, especially if you don't have the right size for a customer in stock. Learn sizing to capture more sales and offer superior service to your clients.

Learn how to calculate the right material length for finger rings, plus design tips and tricks for beautify, one-of-a-kind rings.

Making Rings: Tips, Tricks, and Design Ideas

This blog covers important information – like how to buy the right material for making rings. But we’ll also discuss the fun stuff – design ideas and tips and tricks for creating one-of-a-kind rings!

Learn about different types of gold material used to make jewelry. The nine options explored in this article include alloys as well as layered materials and base metals.

9 Types of Gold Metal Used in Jewelry

Gold is seductive. The luminous metal has inspired artists and wearers throughout human history. This reference article will explore different golden materials used in the jewelry arts.

Learn how to solder pattern wire rings or stacking rings made from half round wire stock. Use basic soldering & forming techniques for rings you will love.

Soldering Half Round Wire & Pattern Wire for Rings

We love to make silver rings in the Halstead Studio. These simple stackers are a low price-point crowd pleaser. If you're preparing for a show, a holiday is around the corner or you just want to bulk up inventory, ring bands can be a great addition to your collection.

Learn about Rock Salt Silver Casting as detailed in Erica Stice's recent article published in Belle Armoire Jewelry Magazine.

Rock Salt Casting as Seen in Belle Armoire Jewelry

Get a sneak peek at rock salt casting: it's easier than you think! Watch a quick video demo and preview some of the designs that appear in the Spring 2018 issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry.

Glass artists, learn how to make easy pendant necklaces, bracelets, and earrings with your custom lampwork.

How to Make Standout Glass Cabochon and Bead Jewelry

We take the guess work out of making jewelry with your lampwork or art glass cabochons and beads in this tutorial. Easily make a cabochon pendant, beaded earrings and beaded bracelet using your glass work with these projects.

Flex Shaft Maintenance

Keeping your flex shaft in peak condition is a must for any jeweler. Follow these 14 easy steps to maintaining your jewelry making flex shaft.

New to making custom silver bezel settings? Learn how to measure and calculate exactly how much material you need and order at the right quantity.

How to Buy Bezel Strip Wire

If you make custom cabochon settings on a regular basis, it makes sense to buy basic bezel strip by the troy ounce coil so you always have material on hand. But, if you need just a little fancy gallery bezel for a special project or you rarely set custom...

Make your own sterling silver tassels from chain and jewelry findings. Tassels make beautiful earring dangles, charms or pendants.