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!

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.

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!

by Erica Stice

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?

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

by Erica Stice

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.

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.

by Erica Stice

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

by Erica Stice

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.

by Erica Stice

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.

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.

by Erica Stice

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...

Improve your jewelry studio practice with metalsmithing skills tips from Michael David Sturlin. Consider the benefits of repetition and honing your craft.

by Michael David Sturlin

Jewelry Studio Insights: Practice Makes Perfect

Michael David Sturlin talks about the necessity of repetition for optimal results in your jewelry studio practice as you build metalsmithing skills at the bench.

Make your own custom jewelry chain from bulk wire in this how-to guide from artist Jill Mackay. Get inspired to hone your soldering and wirework skillset.

by Katie Hacker

Making Chain from Wire with Jill MacKay

Here at Halstead, we sell a lot of finished and footage chain in a huge variety of styles. But, sometimes, you just want to make your own jewelry chain. We sent jewelry designer Jill MacKay a coil of sterling silver wire and she turned it into this shimmering chain.

by Erica Stice

Glossary of Hammers Used in Jewelry Making

Read all about the types of hammers used in the jewelry studio & check out our Facebook LIVE videos for tips, techniques & more!

Halstead Jewelry Articles tagged with metalsmithing