Jewelry Making as a Hobby: Keep it Enjoyable and Sustainable

Taking on jewelry making as a creative hobby has a wide range of benefits. But once you’ve gotten hooked, how do you make it sustainable and enjoyable long term? Read on for our best tips!

by Erica Stice

Embellishing a Cuff Blank with Pre-made Jewelry Findings

Have fun embellishing a cuff blank with pre-made findings! Sweat solder links, charms, heishes, and more to cuff blanks to create exciting jewelry pieces. Read the tutorial and watch the video here.

KP Studio located in Phoenix, AZ is a thriving metalsmithing studio school offering classes for beginning to intermediate jewelry artists.

by Kelli Vanyek Greene

Jewelry School Profile: KP Studio

Located just two hours south of Halstead Headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona is a thriving metalsmithing studio school. We took a day trip to check out the space, chat with the instructors and hang out with all of the KP Studio cats!

Let's go over some of the most popular jewelry finishing effects that you can achieve when creating jewelry pieces. From pumice and patinas to satin and mirror finishes, I'll show you how to create simple jewelry finishes.

by Erica Stice

Creating Jewelry Finishing Effects - A Sampler of Tool Attachments & Results

Understanding jewelry tools and what each one does can be overwhelming. In this article, we help you navigate through the popular jewelry finishes and the tool attachments you'll need to create them.

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

by Ashley Maldonado

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.

by Kelli Vanyek Greene

Jewelry Wire Work Tips from Melissa Muir

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!

Have you ever had your solder just ball up and refuse to flow or not even ball up at all? Possibly your metal turned bright red, but that li

by Erica Stice

Top 5 Reasons Silver Solder Doesn't Flow

Solder not flowing? Find out the reasons why. Jewelry soldering can be frustrating at times, but with the right knowledge, you can quickly troubleshoot the problems.

Learn the tips and tricks to soldering copper and brass! Understand the material, soldering challenges and a few technical problems that may occur.

by Erica Stice

Soldering Copper & Brass Metals in the Jewelry Studio

Copper and brass are fun materials to work with in the jewelry studio. They are beautiful in their own right and they are perfect for learning new techniques. But, soldering these metals raises unique issues in design and technical execution. Learn more from our studio coordinator, Erica Stice.

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

by Erica Stice

How to Pick Solder in the Jewelry Studio

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.

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.

by Erica Stice

How to Sweat Solder 14kt Gold to Sterling Silver

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.

Halstead Jewelry Articles tagged with metalsmithing