(jewelry silversmith blanks)
Reproduction belcher chain with a 1734 silver rider ducatoon from the T’Vliegenthart shipwreck (1735) in a hand made 14K bezel. The bench anvil shown dates to 1775. The hammer is from the Holocaust
The art of traditional silver and gold work As a specialist in hand forged and braided metal, I use a mixture of traditional silversmith, blacksmith, and contemporay/modern jewelry techniques and equipment to create wearable works of art. I am a native of North Carolina, trained in historical archaeology, with a subspecialty in metals. My tools date as far back as 1775 with the bulk of them coming from the 1800s. Several of the tools come from the Holocaust and were used by a German Jewish goldsmith that survived the concentration camps and emigrated to the United States in 1947.
Many of the techniques used are hundreds of years old - the oldest being about 2800 years old. The main media used in the jewelry are precious metals, including sterling silver (nickel free), platinum sterling (3.5 and 5 %), gold (yellow, white, red, and green in 10, 12, 14, and 18 karat), copper, and stone (Precious, semiprecious, and common). All precious and semiprecious stones used are genuine and are the highest jewelry grade stones available (AA and AAA whenever possible).
Most of my inspiration comes from nature with it's multitude of graceful flowing lines and the natural geometric pattern one observes in it. Many times, I will see a form or shape in nature and I will take that idea or some part of it, tweak it, maybe twist it somehow, and reuse/restate it’s core essence in metal and/or stone.
My goal is simple. To create designs that are not only meant to be viewed but to be touched. And to create designs that glorify God. Without the gifts and talents He has blessed me with, I could not be doing what I am doing.
source:http://www.barkingdogjewelry.com/Welcome.html
jewelry silversmith blanks
