Creative Gold- and Silversmithing - Sharr Choate

Here is the definitive book on jewelry-making and other customized pieces of metalcraft, covering the subject completely and containing many hundreds of how-to drawings and photographs. It is a must for beginning gold- and silversmiths and an in-dispensable reference for the experienced craftsman-artist.

The authors, SHARR CHOATE, expert metal-smith, gem cutter, artist, photographer, and BONNIE CECIL DE MAY, writer, introduce their work with a discussion of design and the many sources of design ideas, especially in nature itself. After a concise presentation of the properties of every important metal, a specific chapter is devoted to each of the basic metalcraft techniques: texturing, annealing, shaping, sawing, filing and sanding, buffing and polishing, soldering, surface finishing, and coloring.

Once the fundamental techniques have been mastered, the reader is shown how to design and create jewelry mountings and settings, work with wire, make chains and hinges, and shape magnificent rings. Each of the many metalcraft processes is gone into in detail: applique, metal inlay, stone inlay, chasing and repousse, engraving, etching, scrollwork, filigree, fusing metals, granulating, drop casting, forging, metal spinning, blue steeling, enameling, electro-plating, and electroforming. There are also an appendix of needed tables and an index for ready reference. Such thorough treatment ensures that this book will be the standard work on the fascinating and lucrative craft of gold- and silversmithing.