Innovative, Sustainable Techniques for Creating Nature-Inspired Jewelry
March 18, 2024
Jewelry artist Ringgold’s winsome if daunting debut shows how to forge silver acorns, dandelions, and other ecologically oriented objects that can be attached to a ring, bracelet, or necklace. Though Ringgold provides an overview of required tools (an anvil and awl for punching holes are among the essentials) and recommended materials (she prefers working with sterling silver for its versatility), the volume is “geared toward metalsmiths with intermediate to advanced experience” and spends little time otherwise introducing readers to the craft. Standout projects include a poppy blossom with textured petals created by hammering “very consistently... from the center outward” and a silver clamshell featuring barnacles made from scrap wires. To create a monarch butterfly, Ringgold describes how to make the insect’s black patterning by drilling holes in a sheet of silver, which is then overlaid onto brass cut to resemble wings. Simpler projects include a necklace resembling a bicycle chain and leaves with wires soldered on to represent veins. This shouldn’t be anyone’s first metalsmithing guide, but Ringgold’s intricate designs impress and she doles out plenty of helpful tips. For instance, she notes that applying the chemical compound liver of sulfur to a finished piece “highlights details and emphasizes contours” by oxidizing the silver. Seasoned metalworkers will want to take note.
June 10, 2024
As a mostly self-taught metalsmith, Ringgold has developed one-of-a-kind techniques that sometimes defy traditional conventions. In her first book, she introduces experienced silversmiths to her approach through a series of nature-inspired decorative and jewelry projects. The tutorials open with a series of four chains in unusual styles, designed to provide practice opportunities to use and control a torch. These are followed by 14 projects that celebrate the shapes of nature, from leaves and flowers to luna moths and lichen. Each project includes detailed fabrication instructions, with most steps illustrated by close-up photographs of the artist at work. The directions are extensive--these aren't simple projects--and a solid foundation in silversmithing is assumed, to the point where beginners may find this book perplexing. Little attention is paid to silversmithing basics beyond the necessary supplies (of which there are many), and terms such as "pickling" are mentioned throughout the book without explanation or guidance. VERDICT This is a good addition for libraries that support jewelry making or metalsmithing programs. Beginners, however, may need to first start with a more basic guide, such as Silversmithing for Jewelry Makers by Elizabeth Bone.--Nanette Donohue
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