Clarification/Follow-up by tarot10 on 10/03/04 12:12 pm:
Hello chillout

Do you know how to make jewelry? Cause I would like to learn and would like some help.
Thanks.

Clarification/Follow-up by Chilloutinparis on 10/03/04 3:53 pm:
The Encyclopedia of Jewelry-Making Techniques: A Comprehensive Visual Guide to Traditional and Contemporary Techniques -

This is an excellent inexpensive book which may help you in your decison.

Jewelry making is an intricate art which is not learned easily nor quickly. It depends on variable decisions on how the piece will be made.:

medium - materials – precious metals, bakelite, plastics, fired beads, diachroic glass, etc.
purpose - type of jewelry and its function – decorative, artistic, wearable art, etc.
method - inlay, engraving, wax method casting, metalsmithing [use of precious metals], etc. there are too many to list.

Clarification/Follow-up by Chilloutinparis on 10/06/04 6:51 am:



Greetings Rolcam,

Thank you for the invitation. I too have some slides but of the old style which can be seen with an antique viewer which belonged to my grandfather.

Filigree, an ornamental work of fine gold or silver wire, often wrought into an openwork design and joined with matching solder and borax under the flame of the blowpipe. Filigree is used as a ornamental treatment for jewelry or other fine metalwork. It was made in ancient Egypt, China, and India. From the 6th to the 3d cent. B.C. the Greeks practiced the art, and the Etruscans were distinguished for fine granular work. Saxons, Britons, and especially the Celts in Ireland were skilled at devising elaborate and imaginative designs in the Middle Ages. The Moors in Spain did much exquisite work in silver. Filigree is employed today in Mediterranean areas, as well as in Mexico, India, and Scandinavian countries. Antique examples are tfound in the Vatican, the Louvre, the British Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum.

This jewelry making process considered to be extremely decorative and artistic due to the intricate patterns achieved by those who are experienced in this process.

The procedure of the art of filigree starts with the melting and the mixing of the pure gold or silver grains with another metal copper or zinc in a high temperature kiln. The most common metals used are or. The type and the amount of metal would determine the color and the carat of the final jewelry.

Next, step: the molten gold or silver alloy is poured into a mould to form an ingot, a few centimeters thick. This is pressed and stretched through a mill to produce wires of different thickness. From these wires, the outer framework is designed and formed. The filling of the framework is quite elaborate. This is performed by special trained artisans:

Using tweezers and their fingers the artisans fill the spaces of the framework to produce the beautiful open work of the filigree jewelry. The pieces are then soldered together with a brazing alloy.

The jewelry piece is dipped in a hot solution of sulphuric acid to remove the impurities and then polished in a rumbling machine.

The final process is the electro-plating of the filigree jewelry and whatever else embellishment is to be used to finish the piece.

Yes, I own several lovely antique pieces from Egypt, Spain and other areas, however they are not for sale at my shops. They belonged to my grandfather then were passed on to my father and then to me. There is not much call for these pieces since they tend to be quite expensive, although there are now modern and less expensive facsimiles of this ancient art.

Regards returend,

Chip

Clarification/Follow-up by ROLCAM on 10/06/04 7:48 pm:
Dearest Chip,

Your explanation was just magnificent.

I am now in Australia.
They have not seen or heard about this wonderful expression of art here.

Not so in the country I was born,which
by now you should have detected it as
being one of the Mediterranean Countries(MALTA).

The Maltese workmanship in this area is
very unique and quite expensive.

The Italian work is also very good.
They try to cut some corners to make it
cheaper.

If ever you go to Beijing make it a point
to go to the Forbidden City.
There ,they have some very nice collections.

Thank you once again,

ROLCAM.