First silver button rings
As a jewelry artist, I usually make things that I personally want to wear. I love to wear earrings and pendants. Looking at my recent work, a majority of it is earrings and pendants.
Rings…not so much. I wear my wedding band and engagement ring all the time, and that’s it. When I’m working with my hands, I find wearing “extra” rings uncomfortable. (I find wearing nail polish uncomfortable as well, so maybe it’s an idiosyncrasy about my hands).
If I am to grow as an artist, and widen my customer base, I need to branch out where I’m not comfortable. I thought about how to incorporate the silver buttons I use in pendants and earrings into rings – in a way, add more pieces to the “buttons” collection.
Stamped buttons
I made three rings, silver buttons on copper half-round bands. I posted them to Instagram and Facebook, and right away three friends claimed them. I shipped one and personally delivered the other two. Sarah, an animal lover, asked me if the button can be stamped. She had metal stamps of a cute kitty and Labrador retriever she had purchased for other projects. She lent me the stamps and requested I make wanted three more rings -- two dogs and one cat.
To make the buttons, I melt scrap silver into balls. After they’re cooled and pickled, I hammer them into round buttons. The hammering work-hardens the buttons, which makes it difficult to get a good stamped image. Once I hammered the rounds, I had to anneal them to soften metal so I could get a good stamp.
Rings in progress
I made simple rings from 10 gauge half round copper wire. After pickling and cleaning, I filed the join flat and then soldered on the button. Below are two of the rings after soldering, but before final finishing and polishing. Sarah, if you’re reading this, you’ll have those rings soon!
I think I’ll start making more rings. I’ve built on my metalsmithing skills and sold a few pieces in the process.