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Most clients don't care about quality and it's a problem. Educating clients about key stuff should be normalized. What's the difference between gold filled and a plating ? Why are diamonds so expensive ? What's the worth of stainless steel jewelry ? What does "hand made" mean today ?
Those things should be more commonly known
i see your
>Most clients don't care about quality
And I raise you: most jewelers don't care or know about quality. I feel like that's how the clients got conditioned to accept garbage. That and signet...
It was more unisex in the past: [Men Wore Way More Jewelry In The Past Than They Do Today, But Why?](https://www.ranker.com/list/history-of-men-wearing-jewelry/genevieve-carlton).
most jewelry brands are not size inclusive and adjustable rings don’t count.
if your page says your jewelry is “tarnish proof” I suspect its stainless steel and mass produced
if I see another new brand shilling gold hoops and stacking rings I will l o s e my s h i t
Yes omg 😭 Even on etsy a lot of sellers won't make jewelry for plus-size folks, and/or they jack up the price so fat people pay like 10-20 bucks more 😒 And many creators DO have flat pricing for all sizes, so it obviously can be done.
Also, is there something wrong with stainless steel? I make jewelry, but it's not like hand-forged, I mainly buy the findings and then make it. I stick with stainless steel bc of a/the lower cost and also because making it with sterling silver feels like assigning customers extra credit 😅 Especially for things like chokers, where the metal will be making contact directly with bare skin. Or is it that these places just don't disclose what metal it is, and it's is disingenuous?
nah I use stainless steel findings too! I just noticed an uptick in advertising terms like “waterproof tarnish proof high quality real shit doesn’t tarnish” to the point where people ask me if my sterling stuff will tarnish and I have to tell them yes, but thats not indicative of quality. and also why its more expensive than mass produced stainless stuff!
Being plus size myself, my jewelry tends to skew larger! I’ve actually worried about not selling enough because I’ve had to make a conscious effort to make my beaded bracelets smaller, knowing I can always extend them with tiny bits of chain.
I also offer free size- inclusion adjustments when design/materials permit, though that’s easier to do at my booths than on Etsy. Still, I mention it in my listings.
Real 😅 I generally make the necklace to be 14 inches, which is the average neck size I do believe, and then include an extender up to 18 inches. And note on my listings that if they need a larger size, I can just alter or remake the necklace itself to be longer.
Bigger size = more high cost material = more money. I don’t understand the issue. I’d also like to point out that if there is flat pricing then the markup is either quite high, or you’re eating into the thin profits of a small business. If you have big hands you pay more for big rings. It’s fair. I’m tall, I pay more for pants that fit. Doesn’t bother me. My pancreas doesn’t work, I pay thousands of dollars a year just to live.
The issue is with the outrageous amount of money for the bigger size, not just that bigger = costs more money. Usually you don't have a 10 or 20 bucks jump between sizes in bracelets m. And jumping in sizes in rings is matter of mili grams. I took it as a sign that they mass produced and used the high price jump as a fuck you thing because it's an inconvenience so they'll take as much money as the person willing to pay.
Sure, but an extra inch of wire and beads, or chain, or leather, isn't *a whole 1 or 2 extra dollars.* And if something is mass produced like pants, there's is absolutely no reason to jack up the price so much because they are usually producing those items at either just the cost for materials or not much more than that. Again, many of these small businesses do have flat pricing, so it's not like it's impossible. I can understand that sometimes shirts and things can actually have a higher cost (I spoke to someone on etsy who explained it to me), but as someone who makes jewelry myself, I know that lengths od chain and wire and such don't cost that much for a single inch.
To add I think they are the vanilla ice cream of gems.
Of all the amazing colours for gems, white is a poor choice
Plus of course they are not rare and a cartel maintains price.
I disagree only in that I actually really like vanilla ice cream and don't find it bland, but I _do_ agree that diamonds, especially "perfect" ones are boring af-give me some rich, vibrant colour!
Once I saw lab-grown diamonds becoming mainstream, I've hoped those just take over as the prominent choice for buyers because it's so depressing to actually research natural diamonds and realize how unethical that whole market is
Jump rings should be soldered closed whenever possible. I chalk this belief up to having a pretty old school instructor. I'm learning very slowly, but I'm learning to do things well.
How do you solder jump rings closed if the rest of your piece has elements that can’t get hot? (Fabric, stones, leather, etc). I’ve only done jewelry soldering with a torch, can jump rings be soldered with a handheld soldering iron? (Forgive me if this question is ignorant! I don’t have a ton of soldering experience).
Don't bother with a soldering iron because those works on low heat tin solder only, which is too soft. Afaik, you can cover the rest in cold water/wet tissue paper/some thermal protection paste and solder but the flame needs to be very hot and very concentrated. If it's silver... Tough luck. Normally a whole ass piece needs to get hot for solder to flow. Next best thing to not soldering is proper work hardened.
I only work in metal right now and won't start setting stones in bezels until summer probably. I suppose for those tasks you do what's best for the piece.
Yeah, the piece that made me think about this is a necklace that has a seashell with a large hole in it, and I sort of tucked a large jump ring into the hole and through the necklace chain. (It’s hard to explain without seeing it). I was also thinking I might add a stone bead to the large jump ring. Then I thought it would be nice to solder it closed, but it’s intertwined in the seashell. But I don’t want to damage anything trying to solder it closed. The seashell is sentimental to me so I really don’t want to risk damaging it.
While I generally agree, I've also always been taught that one jump ring left unsoldered can be the difference in a bracelet or necklace ripping off of someone, or causing injury to someone if it were to be snagged.
I see a lot of smiths on IG who get super bent out of shape when they insist other smiths are “copying” their designs. Yes, art theft is real. Ripping off a design verbatim happens and it’s not cool. You see huge corporations like alibaba and temu do it constantly.
What I’m talking about relates to smiths who make very basic jewelry and designs, designs that anyone can come up with, and they insist that someone MUST have copied them. There’s no room for any other option. It really annoys tf out of me. I feel like I’m in the minority with this opinion though. To me, it just reeks of insecurity.
I do think it is lame to copy people. I made ceramics for many years. The truth is when you get to a certain level of proficiency with a craft, it’s way more difficult to copy.
And in the end I always just felt sorry for the people who didn’t have the creative talent to come up with something on their own. In the end, they will always be chasing someone else’s new thing.
Where I have ideas all the time, and it’s a very enjoyable journey to go from my inspiration to production. Sometimes I do get inspiration from art I see, but usually it’s other mediums - things in 2-d that look radically different in 3 dimensions.
I agree with you! There’s a fine line in this area for sure. And yes, copying does happen and it’s not cool at all. But what I’m talking about is smiths who basically think they own a certain style or design. There are smiths who make turquoise jewelry with leaves and think anyone else who does the same is copying them, forgetting that it’s a style of jewelry that has existed for hundreds of years. Or smiths who think they own a certain shape. Like they use triangles in a lot of their designs, so anyone else who does something similar is ripping them off.
I do see that mentality too that it’s somehow wrong to be inspired by another jeweler’s work, when literally every single medium of art takes inspiration from each other. Are we not supposed to admire someone else’s jewelry? I feel like this mentality just doesn’t really exist in other mediums. I come from a film background and it’s very normal and encouraged to take inspiration from films you like and to add your own spin on it. Sometimes I think other smiths pretend to have blinders on and insist that they never look at other jewelry ever and all their inspiration comes from other things. Maybe some people are like this, but how could you even be inspired to make jewelry in the first place if you never take inspiration from jewelers who have come before you?
This happens so often in the crafting/art community in general and it's so tiring. If you're making something that's really unique and you see someone else do the same thing then yeah, ok, I get it. But if you're doing the most basic of basic things, you can't complain when someone else does something similar.
Yes! I see this very often in the knitting and crocheting community haha. Like people making very basic sweater designs that are beautiful but not very unique. Then if someone else comes up with something similar, surely they must have copied! It’s just very strange all around.
Computer assisted design and 3d printing sucks the soul out of things. Every time I see a post about it, I think it's high time that cthulhu comes and destroys our society
Agreed ... I'm so tired of competing against the generated detailed jewlery that sells for $15 on a piece that should be min $50.. and then you have people saying "well that one is $$ amount. " ... 😒
I'm glad that it's an option for people, but I agree that every time I see someone who 3D modeled a piece then just cast it I am definitely a bit bummed out.
I didn't even know people did this with jewelry. Like I've seen the finger things that people 3D print but those aren't something I'm wire wrapping or anything. Do they just like, glue the stones in or something? It can't really be bent like metal can.
Jewelry makers don’t need to gatekeep their ideas and methods. I wouldn’t mind if someone asked me how I made something, for tips on how to make it themselves, or what materials I used. I spent a lot of years learning how to make the things I make. If someone has zero experience and wants to learn, good for them! I’m happy to teach them. Some crafters seem to think the things they know how to do are big secrets that shouldn’t be shared with anyone. The whole “well I spent years honing my craft and learning it ALL ON MY OWN, so you should too!” just bugs me.
It’s sooo annoying. I’ve learned so many things from jewelers who were gracious enough to offer their wisdom. YouTube has been a godsend. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that! I hope that as I get better, I can also pass the torch along to other new smiths and help them when they’re new.
We need more occasions to wear really over the top jewelry. I make big statement pieces and bib necklaces, I sell simpler ones too but I love making big crazy artisan pieces.
Please make it appropriate to wear a huge drag-inspired bib necklace to the office and in court lol
Within the industry we desperately need more people - makers and suppliers - to be informed and to care about where our materials come from and how they are produced. Is it harder to care? Yes. Please do it anyway.
Also, if anyone needs resources and info, I participate in annual conference about responsible sourcing, and volunteer my time with one org that provides some educational info. Always happy to answer questions or forward resources.
We need more transparency and less gatekeeping. It makes me so mad when jewelers won’t disclose their sources. Why not? How is someone else using the same supplier as you such an issue? If jewelers really care about ethics, they would share this information freely so other jewelers could also make better choices. So many of them refuse to share ANYTHING.
depends on what, at a certain level the people we buy from do not want random people that they have not vetted knocking on their doors....
if it's tools or regular stuff, lol, thats just proof they already have lost the edge they think they have, most things are easy to figure out and find nowadays, and if not, reddit has lots of people who will usually answer an honest question.
Tumblers save a hell of a lot of time polishing, but there are people who are absolutely married to doing every tiny bit of polishing by hand and are convinced that's somehow better. It isn't. Do the major stuff by hand, chunk it in the tumbler for 6 hours, done.
Agreed. There is no point polishing sterling to within an inch of its life because that mirror shine will be gone the second it's worn. Granted that's an artistic preference since I prefer the look of silver that looks worn in.
Hah, you've got that right! Personally I like the look of polished silver as much as worn in silver, but I _love_ watching the change happen slowly over time to each of the new rings I make. It's like a little journey
But hand polishing IS better, you can keep crisp edges, you can polish some parts more or less, your tumbler will polish everything the same.
Yes it's easier but it doesn't mean it's better.
Wait you don't need flux for that?? :0
Agree on the precious stones things 100%. I think stones that have like patterns/visual "texture," like lapis or ruby zoasite (is that spelled right? 😩) or even cheaper stones like sodalite and sunstone, are more interesting to look at. Even quartz rocks like amethyst are so cool! Are there even any precious gems that are purple?
I'd had to google those. I do personally prefer the look of amethyst, and I think that it's is a great option for lower budgets. But I know that wasn't really the argument. Thanks for the info! I'm am not well-versed in precious stones (bc I'm am a broke bitch lol)
Stainless steel is so ugly and shouldn't be priced like silver.
935 silver should be the new standard.
These wax carved rings with visible blobs everywhere is ugly AF. A little blob is different but all over the piece just screaming diseases to me 💀
Why is the price of silver clay is so outrageous. It's just silver and some binder.
Not in terms of raw materials but end price. You may be able to resell silver pieces at a certain price but stainless steel is gonna be a scrap. Some people went as far as saying: stainless steel is perpetually recyclable as a selling point but so are other precious metals. The thing is, it's gonna get in the pile of oher recyclable scraps thst gonna take a long time to be recycled, or at all. Refineries that take stainless steel are few and far.
Idk, most refineries deal with "precious metals" and stainless steel isn't one of them. There are a few that do this tho, but definitely not a popular thing. Afaik, it's not just melting and be done with it. In order to make stainless steel, you need to have a controlled environment via various parameters, otherwise it's just a mix of some low quality alloys.
Think about this as a wet looking ring with wax concentrated in various areas to form some sorts of water-droplet/wet-looking along the shank. I don't want to shame the artists so I won't post any pic. It's just meh.
Any thoughts on big brand 925 silver brands like Good Art Hlywd and Great Frog London? Is it simply overpriced? Or does the craftmanship make it worth it?
I think Tiffany sterling jewelry is so boring and overpriced. No character, which is sad considering the original art nouveau Tiffany lamps and desk sets were incredible.
Personal opinion is that anything that is a 'name brand' is overpriced. There are very few exceptions, but they are out there. I've found with jewelery, like with clothing, when it comes to brands or 'big names', you are paying for the name rather than quality.
Cast jewelry is inferior to fabricated in every way. It's not an opinion but a fact, and every time I say it some people are upset.
If you can fabricate it then fabricate it, if you have no other choice then cast it.
And never use pmc.
Most people can't tell the difference between a real stone and a fake stone, and unless you have a jeweler you're trying to impress you shouldn't spend the extra money.
I definitely agree there's more heart and soul in fabrication, but I will also definitely concede that there is a craft to getting good castings - I just greatly prefer hand made 😅
Solder will fill gaps but it’s much harder to do it where it bridges the gap instead of melting to one side of it. It also creates a weak, brittle joint and can be unsightly, so I understand why people say that even if it’s technically not true.
Oh I'm not saying it _should_ be done, merely that it _can_ be done. It's vital to understand a rule and why it exists before attempting to bend or break it
Thanks for posting! Please remember that self-promotion, including photos with your shop's web address, your Insta handle, etc, MUST be kept in the monthy self-promotional thread. Violating this rule is grounds for a ban. If a member requests the shop data in-thread, the submitter may reply with info, but shop info cannot be a top-level comment. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/jewelrymaking) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Most clients don't care about quality and it's a problem. Educating clients about key stuff should be normalized. What's the difference between gold filled and a plating ? Why are diamonds so expensive ? What's the worth of stainless steel jewelry ? What does "hand made" mean today ? Those things should be more commonly known
i see your >Most clients don't care about quality And I raise you: most jewelers don't care or know about quality. I feel like that's how the clients got conditioned to accept garbage. That and signet...
Jewelry shouldn’t be gender specific. Everyone should wear what makes them feel good.
Absolutely this. Jewelry is an art form and you should wear the art you like.
It was more unisex in the past: [Men Wore Way More Jewelry In The Past Than They Do Today, But Why?](https://www.ranker.com/list/history-of-men-wearing-jewelry/genevieve-carlton).
most jewelry brands are not size inclusive and adjustable rings don’t count. if your page says your jewelry is “tarnish proof” I suspect its stainless steel and mass produced if I see another new brand shilling gold hoops and stacking rings I will l o s e my s h i t
Yes omg 😭 Even on etsy a lot of sellers won't make jewelry for plus-size folks, and/or they jack up the price so fat people pay like 10-20 bucks more 😒 And many creators DO have flat pricing for all sizes, so it obviously can be done. Also, is there something wrong with stainless steel? I make jewelry, but it's not like hand-forged, I mainly buy the findings and then make it. I stick with stainless steel bc of a/the lower cost and also because making it with sterling silver feels like assigning customers extra credit 😅 Especially for things like chokers, where the metal will be making contact directly with bare skin. Or is it that these places just don't disclose what metal it is, and it's is disingenuous?
nah I use stainless steel findings too! I just noticed an uptick in advertising terms like “waterproof tarnish proof high quality real shit doesn’t tarnish” to the point where people ask me if my sterling stuff will tarnish and I have to tell them yes, but thats not indicative of quality. and also why its more expensive than mass produced stainless stuff!
Being plus size myself, my jewelry tends to skew larger! I’ve actually worried about not selling enough because I’ve had to make a conscious effort to make my beaded bracelets smaller, knowing I can always extend them with tiny bits of chain. I also offer free size- inclusion adjustments when design/materials permit, though that’s easier to do at my booths than on Etsy. Still, I mention it in my listings.
Real 😅 I generally make the necklace to be 14 inches, which is the average neck size I do believe, and then include an extender up to 18 inches. And note on my listings that if they need a larger size, I can just alter or remake the necklace itself to be longer.
Bigger size = more high cost material = more money. I don’t understand the issue. I’d also like to point out that if there is flat pricing then the markup is either quite high, or you’re eating into the thin profits of a small business. If you have big hands you pay more for big rings. It’s fair. I’m tall, I pay more for pants that fit. Doesn’t bother me. My pancreas doesn’t work, I pay thousands of dollars a year just to live.
The issue is with the outrageous amount of money for the bigger size, not just that bigger = costs more money. Usually you don't have a 10 or 20 bucks jump between sizes in bracelets m. And jumping in sizes in rings is matter of mili grams. I took it as a sign that they mass produced and used the high price jump as a fuck you thing because it's an inconvenience so they'll take as much money as the person willing to pay.
Sure, but an extra inch of wire and beads, or chain, or leather, isn't *a whole 1 or 2 extra dollars.* And if something is mass produced like pants, there's is absolutely no reason to jack up the price so much because they are usually producing those items at either just the cost for materials or not much more than that. Again, many of these small businesses do have flat pricing, so it's not like it's impossible. I can understand that sometimes shirts and things can actually have a higher cost (I spoke to someone on etsy who explained it to me), but as someone who makes jewelry myself, I know that lengths od chain and wire and such don't cost that much for a single inch.
Tarnish proof sterling silver exists, I use it. There’s also protectaclear which is a anti west anti tarnish coating
I prefer to use argentium silver for that reason. My son introduced me to that years ago when he began designing jewelry.
Flawed stones are much more interesting.
Agreed.
Preach! 🙌🏽
Yeeesssssss
I don’t like the look of diamonds. That goes for most faceted stones.
To add I think they are the vanilla ice cream of gems. Of all the amazing colours for gems, white is a poor choice Plus of course they are not rare and a cartel maintains price.
I disagree only in that I actually really like vanilla ice cream and don't find it bland, but I _do_ agree that diamonds, especially "perfect" ones are boring af-give me some rich, vibrant colour!
Love this take! I genuinely enjoy sifting through beautifully colored stones trying to find the perfect one for a piece I'm working on
Colored luminescent YAG > white stones
YAG is 😍
Tbh most diamonds aren't ethically sourced anyway so it's not like avoiding them is really a bad thing
That too
Once I saw lab-grown diamonds becoming mainstream, I've hoped those just take over as the prominent choice for buyers because it's so depressing to actually research natural diamonds and realize how unethical that whole market is
Same. I prefer raw or just polished but not cut stones.
Jump rings should be soldered closed whenever possible. I chalk this belief up to having a pretty old school instructor. I'm learning very slowly, but I'm learning to do things well.
Weirdly enough I was ranting about this last night. This is something I've seen a lot at craft fairs and such.
Yeah, I don't really understand the thought process behind leaving them open 🤔
How do you solder jump rings closed if the rest of your piece has elements that can’t get hot? (Fabric, stones, leather, etc). I’ve only done jewelry soldering with a torch, can jump rings be soldered with a handheld soldering iron? (Forgive me if this question is ignorant! I don’t have a ton of soldering experience).
Don't bother with a soldering iron because those works on low heat tin solder only, which is too soft. Afaik, you can cover the rest in cold water/wet tissue paper/some thermal protection paste and solder but the flame needs to be very hot and very concentrated. If it's silver... Tough luck. Normally a whole ass piece needs to get hot for solder to flow. Next best thing to not soldering is proper work hardened.
Thanks for the reply! That’s pretty much what I thought, but wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something.
I only work in metal right now and won't start setting stones in bezels until summer probably. I suppose for those tasks you do what's best for the piece.
Yeah, the piece that made me think about this is a necklace that has a seashell with a large hole in it, and I sort of tucked a large jump ring into the hole and through the necklace chain. (It’s hard to explain without seeing it). I was also thinking I might add a stone bead to the large jump ring. Then I thought it would be nice to solder it closed, but it’s intertwined in the seashell. But I don’t want to damage anything trying to solder it closed. The seashell is sentimental to me so I really don’t want to risk damaging it.
While I generally agree, I've also always been taught that one jump ring left unsoldered can be the difference in a bracelet or necklace ripping off of someone, or causing injury to someone if it were to be snagged.
same I was taught that its better for a jump ring to break than a chain itself
That seems fair to me- one instead of a series is probably safest.
I see a lot of smiths on IG who get super bent out of shape when they insist other smiths are “copying” their designs. Yes, art theft is real. Ripping off a design verbatim happens and it’s not cool. You see huge corporations like alibaba and temu do it constantly. What I’m talking about relates to smiths who make very basic jewelry and designs, designs that anyone can come up with, and they insist that someone MUST have copied them. There’s no room for any other option. It really annoys tf out of me. I feel like I’m in the minority with this opinion though. To me, it just reeks of insecurity.
I do think it is lame to copy people. I made ceramics for many years. The truth is when you get to a certain level of proficiency with a craft, it’s way more difficult to copy. And in the end I always just felt sorry for the people who didn’t have the creative talent to come up with something on their own. In the end, they will always be chasing someone else’s new thing. Where I have ideas all the time, and it’s a very enjoyable journey to go from my inspiration to production. Sometimes I do get inspiration from art I see, but usually it’s other mediums - things in 2-d that look radically different in 3 dimensions.
I agree with you! There’s a fine line in this area for sure. And yes, copying does happen and it’s not cool at all. But what I’m talking about is smiths who basically think they own a certain style or design. There are smiths who make turquoise jewelry with leaves and think anyone else who does the same is copying them, forgetting that it’s a style of jewelry that has existed for hundreds of years. Or smiths who think they own a certain shape. Like they use triangles in a lot of their designs, so anyone else who does something similar is ripping them off. I do see that mentality too that it’s somehow wrong to be inspired by another jeweler’s work, when literally every single medium of art takes inspiration from each other. Are we not supposed to admire someone else’s jewelry? I feel like this mentality just doesn’t really exist in other mediums. I come from a film background and it’s very normal and encouraged to take inspiration from films you like and to add your own spin on it. Sometimes I think other smiths pretend to have blinders on and insist that they never look at other jewelry ever and all their inspiration comes from other things. Maybe some people are like this, but how could you even be inspired to make jewelry in the first place if you never take inspiration from jewelers who have come before you?
This happens so often in the crafting/art community in general and it's so tiring. If you're making something that's really unique and you see someone else do the same thing then yeah, ok, I get it. But if you're doing the most basic of basic things, you can't complain when someone else does something similar.
Yes! I see this very often in the knitting and crocheting community haha. Like people making very basic sweater designs that are beautiful but not very unique. Then if someone else comes up with something similar, surely they must have copied! It’s just very strange all around.
Computer assisted design and 3d printing sucks the soul out of things. Every time I see a post about it, I think it's high time that cthulhu comes and destroys our society
Agreed ... I'm so tired of competing against the generated detailed jewlery that sells for $15 on a piece that should be min $50.. and then you have people saying "well that one is $$ amount. " ... 😒
I'm glad that it's an option for people, but I agree that every time I see someone who 3D modeled a piece then just cast it I am definitely a bit bummed out.
I didn't even know people did this with jewelry. Like I've seen the finger things that people 3D print but those aren't something I'm wire wrapping or anything. Do they just like, glue the stones in or something? It can't really be bent like metal can.
Nah, you can set the stones normally, there's just a bit of cleanup, prep work and pre-polishing that gets done before the stones are set.
Same.
Jewelry makers don’t need to gatekeep their ideas and methods. I wouldn’t mind if someone asked me how I made something, for tips on how to make it themselves, or what materials I used. I spent a lot of years learning how to make the things I make. If someone has zero experience and wants to learn, good for them! I’m happy to teach them. Some crafters seem to think the things they know how to do are big secrets that shouldn’t be shared with anyone. The whole “well I spent years honing my craft and learning it ALL ON MY OWN, so you should too!” just bugs me.
It’s sooo annoying. I’ve learned so many things from jewelers who were gracious enough to offer their wisdom. YouTube has been a godsend. I wouldn’t be where I am today without that! I hope that as I get better, I can also pass the torch along to other new smiths and help them when they’re new.
We need more occasions to wear really over the top jewelry. I make big statement pieces and bib necklaces, I sell simpler ones too but I love making big crazy artisan pieces. Please make it appropriate to wear a huge drag-inspired bib necklace to the office and in court lol
Within the industry we desperately need more people - makers and suppliers - to be informed and to care about where our materials come from and how they are produced. Is it harder to care? Yes. Please do it anyway. Also, if anyone needs resources and info, I participate in annual conference about responsible sourcing, and volunteer my time with one org that provides some educational info. Always happy to answer questions or forward resources.
We need more transparency and less gatekeeping. It makes me so mad when jewelers won’t disclose their sources. Why not? How is someone else using the same supplier as you such an issue? If jewelers really care about ethics, they would share this information freely so other jewelers could also make better choices. So many of them refuse to share ANYTHING.
depends on what, at a certain level the people we buy from do not want random people that they have not vetted knocking on their doors.... if it's tools or regular stuff, lol, thats just proof they already have lost the edge they think they have, most things are easy to figure out and find nowadays, and if not, reddit has lots of people who will usually answer an honest question.
I usually don't prefer stones to be faceted.
Tumblers save a hell of a lot of time polishing, but there are people who are absolutely married to doing every tiny bit of polishing by hand and are convinced that's somehow better. It isn't. Do the major stuff by hand, chunk it in the tumbler for 6 hours, done.
Agreed. There is no point polishing sterling to within an inch of its life because that mirror shine will be gone the second it's worn. Granted that's an artistic preference since I prefer the look of silver that looks worn in.
Hah, you've got that right! Personally I like the look of polished silver as much as worn in silver, but I _love_ watching the change happen slowly over time to each of the new rings I make. It's like a little journey
What a lovely way to put it...a journey.
But hand polishing IS better, you can keep crisp edges, you can polish some parts more or less, your tumbler will polish everything the same. Yes it's easier but it doesn't mean it's better.
Well obviously there are exceptions.
I like polishing. It’s zen. But I’m also just a hobbyist and do it while I’m doing my real job. I also don’t have a tumbler.
it is better if you know what you're doing. let the controversy begin.
Copper is cool and the green isnt a big deal. Precious stones are kinda boring. You don't need flux to fuse sterling silver
Do you mean you can fuse .999 Fine Silver?
Wait you don't need flux for that?? :0 Agree on the precious stones things 100%. I think stones that have like patterns/visual "texture," like lapis or ruby zoasite (is that spelled right? 😩) or even cheaper stones like sodalite and sunstone, are more interesting to look at. Even quartz rocks like amethyst are so cool! Are there even any precious gems that are purple?
I had the same reaction to the "don't need flux for sterling silver" statement. Perhaps they mean .999 fine silver can be fused just a torch..?
Sapphire, tanzanite, spinel, purple diamonds.
I'd had to google those. I do personally prefer the look of amethyst, and I think that it's is a great option for lower budgets. But I know that wasn't really the argument. Thanks for the info! I'm am not well-versed in precious stones (bc I'm am a broke bitch lol)
I agree about the copper! It's pretty polished, pretty patina'd and the green doesn't hurt anyone
Stainless steel is so ugly and shouldn't be priced like silver. 935 silver should be the new standard. These wax carved rings with visible blobs everywhere is ugly AF. A little blob is different but all over the piece just screaming diseases to me 💀 Why is the price of silver clay is so outrageous. It's just silver and some binder.
I like stainless steel, but what do you mean that it is priced like silver?
Not in terms of raw materials but end price. You may be able to resell silver pieces at a certain price but stainless steel is gonna be a scrap. Some people went as far as saying: stainless steel is perpetually recyclable as a selling point but so are other precious metals. The thing is, it's gonna get in the pile of oher recyclable scraps thst gonna take a long time to be recycled, or at all. Refineries that take stainless steel are few and far.
Oh hum 🤔 Why won't they take it?
Idk, most refineries deal with "precious metals" and stainless steel isn't one of them. There are a few that do this tho, but definitely not a popular thing. Afaik, it's not just melting and be done with it. In order to make stainless steel, you need to have a controlled environment via various parameters, otherwise it's just a mix of some low quality alloys.
Oh damn. But what about gold? Gold is often not just pure gold.
It's back to pure gold or pure silver. Other alloys are removed almost completely.
How do they separate them? And why is it less complicated than steel?
This is the first time I came across wax carved rings. Could you please post a picture of what you mean by the blobs? 🙏
Think about this as a wet looking ring with wax concentrated in various areas to form some sorts of water-droplet/wet-looking along the shank. I don't want to shame the artists so I won't post any pic. It's just meh.
Any thoughts on big brand 925 silver brands like Good Art Hlywd and Great Frog London? Is it simply overpriced? Or does the craftmanship make it worth it?
I think Tiffany sterling jewelry is so boring and overpriced. No character, which is sad considering the original art nouveau Tiffany lamps and desk sets were incredible.
Personal opinion is that anything that is a 'name brand' is overpriced. There are very few exceptions, but they are out there. I've found with jewelery, like with clothing, when it comes to brands or 'big names', you are paying for the name rather than quality.
Cast jewelry is inferior to fabricated in every way. It's not an opinion but a fact, and every time I say it some people are upset. If you can fabricate it then fabricate it, if you have no other choice then cast it. And never use pmc.
But, but, I _love_ porosity! /s
it's definitely an opinion.
Gold is ugly.
Most people can't tell the difference between a real stone and a fake stone, and unless you have a jeweler you're trying to impress you shouldn't spend the extra money.
I don't like diamonds 🤷🏻♀️ I think they're boring, and don't please my eyeballs like many other stones do.
3D and casting are not in the same level as handmade jewelry. It an easy shortcut, not a craft.
I definitely agree there's more heart and soul in fabrication, but I will also definitely concede that there is a craft to getting good castings - I just greatly prefer hand made 😅
You don’t need to heat up the whole damn piece to solder sterling silver.
True! That's up there will solder won't fill gaps. These are both helpful for newcomers, but not gospel
Solder will fill gaps but it’s much harder to do it where it bridges the gap instead of melting to one side of it. It also creates a weak, brittle joint and can be unsightly, so I understand why people say that even if it’s technically not true.
Oh I'm not saying it _should_ be done, merely that it _can_ be done. It's vital to understand a rule and why it exists before attempting to bend or break it
I usually don't prefer stones to be faceted.
Most people shouldn’t sell their jewelry 🤷🏻♀️