jewelry making techniques

What makes handmade jewelry so different from mass-produced? Learn about the different types and some of the techniques for each one.

May 24, 2019

Handmade Jewelry: Types and Techniques

Curious what makes handmade jewelry so different from mass-produced? Learn about the different categories of handmade jewelry and some of the techniques for each one.

Metalsmith Melissa Muir gives tips on working with jewelry wire and a step-by-step guide on how to create a wire cuff.

May 09, 2019

Jewelry Wire Work Tips from Melissa Muir

by Kelli Vanyek Greene

Learn wire jewelry frame fabrication tips from one of our preferred studio teachers, Melissa Muir. She shows you step by step how to make this gorgeous wire work cuff using Halstead’s Sterling silver supplies and a beautiful cabochon!

This guide covers pattern wire and gallery wire used in jewelry making. What are they? What is the difference between them?

March 06, 2019

Pattern & Gallery Wire Guide: The 411

by Erica Stice

Explore pattern wire and gallery wire used in the jewelry studio in this overview guide on essential materials for your design practice.

Learn to pick solder! This is one of the 3 standard techniques that every jeweler should know. This method protects fragile pieces when soldering.

February 19, 2019

How to Pick Solder in the Jewelry Studio

by Erica Stice

If you have a small piece or want a precise join without a lot of solder flowing, learn to pick solder. Pick soldering minimizes solder messes and heat on your jewelry piece to prevent melting disasters. Add this skill to your bench resume today.

Have fun adding wire embellishment to your jewelry making designs! By simply adding a swirl or organic shape, you've added a new element to your design.

February 19, 2019

Soldering Wire Embellishments to the Surface of your Jewelry Designs

by Erica Stice

Soldered wire accents allow you to create geometric designs with a line drawing feel. But, soldering thin wires onto sheet metal is a challenge. Our very own Studio Coordinator, Erica Stice, has some tips and a video.

Learn how to sweat solder! Raise the value of your sterling silver pieces by soldering on 14kt gold to really make your jewelry designs stand out.

February 05, 2019

How to Sweat Solder 14kt Gold to Sterling Silver

by Erica Stice

Use 14kt gold solder ornaments on sterling silver jewelry blanks to create unique mixed metal jewelry pieces. Erica Stice is breaking down the sweat soldering process so you can add this great technique to your jewelry making skills.

Julie Sanford is the Halstead Catalog featured metalsmith! She stopped by and gave us some great tips for sawing in the jewelry studio.

January 29, 2019

Learn Sawing From Our 2019 Featured Metalsmith, Julie Sanford

by Ashley Maldonado

We are proud to present Julie Sanford as the 2019 Halstead Catalog featured metalsmith. Learn more about Julie, check out her tips for using the jeweler's saw, and watch her demo video in this article.

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

December 18, 2018

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

by Erica Stice

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.

Use pre-made jewelry findings in new and creative ways with these inspiration and tips in this guest blog from Metalwerx Studio!

December 04, 2018

Get Creative With Pre-Made Jewelry Components!

by Paulette Werger

Get inspired to look at findings in a whole new way! Paulette Werger ran a workshop "Creative uses for Premade Components" and you'll love some of the ideas she and her students came up with.

Setting geodes and slabs can be challenging and fun. We've created a few pieces to show you how much fun these can be to set. Embrace the challenges they can bring.

August 28, 2018

How to Set Geodes & Slabs

by Erica Stice

Setting geodes and slabs can be challenging at times but this blog will cover the two basic settings to get you started. Both require basic soldering skills.