Techniques and Finishes
..…exploring the hidden qualities of metal…..
The basic skills and techniques for creating jewellery have changed very little over thousands of years. Every piece of HP Jewellery, hand crafted jewellery therefore, draws on a variety of techniques which have evolved through generations. Jewellers discover their own aesthetic styles through time and experience, as they first learn traditional techniques and then adapt these to their own preferences and contemporary vision.
Metal is a fascinating medium to work with. I never tire of developing my own library of personal textures and finishes, no matter which way I come across them - whether it's through deliberate development or interesting mistakes through trial and error!
Here are some of the techniques I use in my work.
Etching
Various forms of etching are used to produce random or very precise textures, patterns and designs on metal.
Reticulation
A process of over heating metal, cleansing and reheating it a number of times to create unpredictable and very organic textures on both silver and gold.
Forging
Hammering metal into different shapes – spreading, twisting or tapering using various shaped hammers.
Keum-boo
Is an ancient Korean technique that literally means attached gold - used to apply thin sheets of gold foil onto silver.
Oxidation
Various solutions are used to produce a dark grey or black finish on silver and copper.
Fusing
Bonding metal without the use of solder.
Silver Solder Inlay
Defining patterns in silver solder on various metals. There are other methods.
Rolling Mill Textures
Very versatile way of texturing metal by impressing various shapes onto the metal between the rollers.
Piercing
Saw piercing/cutting out patterns in metal.
Investment Casting
Also known as 'lost-wax casting' or 'precision casting' is the process by which a duplicate metal sculpture in silver, gold, brass or bronze, is cast from an original sculpture. Intricate outcomes can be achieved by this method and multiples can be made through this method and in various metals.
PMC
Precious Metal Clay is a relatively new material made by Mitsubishi, which holds pure silver or pure gold in a binder. It also comes in bronze and copper. It is kiln fired after being worked on using various techniques and is a very versatile material although more expensive than silver or gold sheet.