I had a bunch of leftover silver pieces from previous projects, Small pieces of chain, jump rings, short pieces of wire and punched out holes from silver sheet. They were taunting me, wanting to be used for something instead of sitting in a dark drawer. Not sure what I was going to do, I started putting pieces together, soldering each component. The one thing I did use that wasn’t leftover was some Argentium silver wire. I had some sitting around for the longest time. I heard it the wire balls up cleaning, unlike sterling silver. Decided to give it a try. Not one to test before starting, I just 60 pieces and took them out to the garage. I used my glass torch and was able to get a big clean ball without any pitting. Not only this, it seems to make bigger balls. I used 18 gauge wire and the size of the balls surprised me.
After finishing a decent length, I decided to add a shorter chain as it seemed kind of sparse. It’s funky, it’s rustic and I think I’ll be making more of these. I have more ideas for different chains and I like how nothing has to match.
Some close ups…..
While it was fun doing the smashed balls, it was much harder to smash the second end AFTER balling up each one. Might have been easier to do them before putting in the next piece.
I still need to add a chain for the necklace part. Will probably make something up to match the vessel. The vessel is sterling silver with a etched copper piece riveted on the front. It has been formed using a hydraulic press.
Mewkittie Creations 