It’s good to be home, and it’s good to be back in the studio! While I was on vacation I did a fair amount of jewellery designing, and that has continued since I’ve been home.
One of the jewellery ideas I had was around mixed metals. I’ve always loved combining metals, but due to different melting points, I’ve been very tentative about trying to mix them in the studio – prior to learning any silversmithing I would work with brass and copper, but there was no heat involved – I was hammering it for texture and making wire or wire/sheet jewellery.
I did some reading on soldering copper to sterling silver. I have lots of scrap copper wire, so I figured I should use it, not just store it. I thought a bracelet would be a good item to start on – only small areas of soldering, so less worry about making a mess. I think it worked! I haven’t finished it yet – I’m going to try wearing it for a day before painting a patina on it, just in case it needs some changes – sometimes the fit can be a little wonky.
Here is how it is looking now… It was a little dim outside when I took the picture, so the colours don’t come through too clearly, but you’ll get the idea.
Copper and Sterling Silver Forged Bracelet
How do you feel about mixed metals? Do you wear them?