Jewelry Techniques

Annealing is the thermal recrystallization of metal in order to reduce stress caused by work hardening. After the metal is ...
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Anodized metal is metal on which a conversion coating, composed of a stable oxide, to allow it to accept paint ...
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Creating an antique finish involves chemically treating metal to cause it to take on the patina of age ...
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Appliqués are decorative items of one material or metal affixed to another. Examples would be flowers or other small metal ...
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An item composed of many movable parts to allow realistic movement is considered to be articulated. An example would be ...
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Assaying is a testing process that determines the purity of metal and the proportion of noble metals in an object. In some countries, ...
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Basse-taille, which translates from the French as "shallow cut", is a design made on metal most often by carving, engraving, ...
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Wire is referred to as "beaded" when a bead-like decorative element is added to its edge. Millegraining is one technique that can ...
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Blooming, a popular finishing technique for karat gold jewelry from 1870 to 1890, was first documented in 1853. The means ...
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Brazing is a process of soldering or welding using brass. This is considered a form of hard soldering ...
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Bright cutting is accomplished by making sharp, shiny, angled cuts with a graver in metal around set stones to further highlight the ...
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A bright finsh is any metal that has been polished to a mirror-like finish. Platinum and Diamond Treasure Ring, by Tammy ...
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A brush finish is a matte finish on metal created by scratching the surface with a wire brush, creating softened ...
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Burnishing is a metal polishing process whereby a hardened steel highly polished tool, a burnisher, is rubbed over the metal to produce ...
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A butler finish is the brightest of the brushed finishes. The process is meant to imitate a hand rubbed finish created ...
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Camphor glass is clear glass that has been treated with hydrofluoric acid vapors to give it a frosted, whitish appearance ...
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Pink Topaz & Chrysoberyl Cannetille Gold Cross c.1830. Cannetille is a close relative of filigree work. It typically features fine gold wires ...
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A jewelry item that is cast has been made by a process that involves pouring molten metal into a mold and letting ...
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Translated from the French, Champlevé means "raised field." Champlevé is an enamel process where the surface to be enameled is carved, ...
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Chasing is a process whereby the front surface of a metal object is decorated by indenting the metal without cutting or engraving the ...
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Chenier is the name for hollow tubing used in jewelry making. Also known as hollow or joint wire, this tubing ...
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Chip carving comes from the direct translation of the German word 'Kerbschnitt'. This metalworking technique has been in use since ...
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Cloisonné (from French: cloison = partition) is an enamel technique where formed wires in closed shapes are affixed onto a ...
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Commesso is a bas-relief composition of precisely cut gem materials (pietra dura) combined with enameled gold elements to form an ...
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IntroductionThe word cupellation is used to either indicate a precise, analytical method of metal purity testing or a certain way ...
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Cut-steel jewelry is jewelry "set" with tiny faceted and polished steel studs, fashioned to resemble gemstones and usually riveted in ...
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This damascene cigarette case depicts a rustic piece of Japanese landscape. A Shinto shrine, marked by a characteristic gate, sits in the ...
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Metal that is die rolled has been put through a rolling machine wherein the rollers (i.e. the die) have been engraved ...
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A stamping die is used to cut shapes from a sheet of metal. A sharp-edged die is placed on the metal ...
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Ductility is the property of a material to stretch without getting damaged. Metals having ductile property can be stretched into wires. An ...
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Electroplate is a thin coating of metal applied to the outside of a base metal through an electrical process. The ...
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Émail en ronde bosse is an enamel technique where the enamel is applied to rounded or irregular shapes in high ...
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A synonym for Repoussé. Embossing means creating a relief by raising the surface of sheet gold from the back. The ...
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"En tremblant" is a French term - meaning "to tremble". It was first used to describe 18th and 19th-century jewelry ...
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Enameling is a decoration technique in which a glass of certain composition is fused to the surrounding or under laying ...
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A Gold and Enamel Match Striker Featuring Enameled Sunburst Engine Turning. By Abram Beilin, St Petersburg, 1908-1917. Photo Courtesy of ...
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EngravedAn engraved jewelry item is one in which a design is cut, by hand, into the surface by the use ...
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Etched designs are produced through the use of acid. A coating (or resist) is applied and a design cut into ...
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Jewelry that is fabricated is made from component parts such as precious metals, gemstones, pearls and the like. This can include ready-made findings.French Handmade Gold ...
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Filigree is the name given jewelry designs created from very fine metal wires soldered in intricate patterns. The wires could ...
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Fineness is proportion, expressed in parts per thousand, of the purity of gold, silver, and platinum in jewelry. i.e. Sterling silver is ...
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Flash plating is a very thin deposit of metal not exceeding 10/1,000,000 of an inch ...
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Mid-Century Abstract Diamond and Gold Brooch with a Florentine Finish. A Florentine finish is a textured surface decoration on metal composed of ...
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Metal that is forged is shaped by heating then hammering it into shape. This technique is usually employed for large ...
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French enamel is a fine miniature painting in enamel which, in its best form, may rival oil paintings. A golden ...
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Fusion welding is a bonding technique for metals were two parts are heated right up to their melting point while ...
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Cross Inscribed on Steatite c. 2300-1950 BC. © Trustees of the British Museum. Glyptography comes from the Greek word glyptos which means ...
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Granulation is a process that causes very small gold beads to adhere to the surface metal, through heat, with no ...
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