HOW TO MAKE STERLING SILVER JEWELRY
Making silver jewelry adds a lot to your collection of jewelry pieces - and it's not 
very hard.  While we can't give you an entire course here, we can show you how
the simple tools and techniques you will need to make sterling silver jewelry.  Obviously, we hope you will buy your silver from us, and like our other products,
we try to price it competitively. Give it a try.  You'll find a whole new world open to you.

THE TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES TO MAKING STERLING SILVER JEWELRY
STEP 1 Buy some sterling sheet silver.  The thickness depends on how "heavy" you want to make your piece.  For the light earrings we
will make, I will use 24 gauge silver.  For this project, buy a 1" x 6" strip - around $6.
STEP 2 Get a design you would like to use.  I'm going to use a pattern of
the state of Texas. Keep the design with a maximum width of 1".  That way you can  get 6 pieces from your 6" strip.
STEP 3 Lay out your design on the silver sheet.  Hint: I actually print a 
copy of my design on paper and then scotch tape the paper to 
the silver.  Then I can cut on the lines with ease.  If I am going to make duplicates, I will keep one of my designs as a pattern to 
copy. The next time I can use a scribe - a metal tool for marking metal - to "scratch" my design on the metal.
STEP 4
Saw Frame 		Purchase a jeweler's saw and saw blades - shown to the left. 
Buy the saw with the solid frame, not the frame that can be extended.  It gives better performance.  Saw blades come in 
packs of 12 or 144.  It is best to get a pack of 144.  You will save money and you will break a number of blades.  A Number 2/0 
is a good standard choice.  If you can afford it, get a pack of 4/0 fine blades also.

Insert a saw blade in the upper part of the saw frame and tighten 
the wing nut.  Then insert the other end of the saw blade in the bottom of the frame.  Pull on the frame as you tighten the lower 
wing nut.  This will add tension to the blade.  when you release 
the frame.  You should be able to hear a "ping" if the blade is 
tight enough.  NOTE:  The teeth on the saw should cut on the 
down stroke, so make sure you insert the blade so the teeth pull
when you move the saw downward.  You are ready to cut the silver.
STEP 5
Start with a slightly forward tilt to the saw blade.  Move the saw up and down easily.  You are not trying to cut as fast as you can.  It is more important to keep your strokes even and as long as is comfortable for you.  As you turn around corners, keep the blade moving up and down.  Because the blade is very narrow, it will follow very tight curves.  In the picture you see me cutting a very complex design from the metal.  Notice the wooden board, called a "bench key", that I am using.  It allows me to hold the metal over a hole in the wood, while still giving good support to the silver sheet.  You can easily make a piece of wood similar to this.
STEP 6

Here you see the completed earrings with French ear wires attached. The hole I drilled is very small and you will need a small drill bit, #64, and a drill that can hold it.  You will also need a buffing machine to polish the silver. Here the sky's the limit.  I used the small machine below the earrings.  I used  2" cotton buffing wheels (they don't come with the buffer).  This machine will do the trick for small projects, up to about 2" square.  I use a tube of White Lightening Tripoli on the left wheel for the first polish to
remove scratches and a tube of ZIP on the right wheel for the final finish. 
RESULTS I sell these earrings for $9.00 each.  I can make three pairs from the one silver strip.  My profit, not counting my labor, is $21.  It takes me about 30 minutes to cut and polish three sets of earrings - so I consider it a good hourly profit.
To see Murray's jewelry web site click here.

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