Silver Work

[valleygirl]

My mom came to me and asked me if I would help her design a silver ring for her. She doesn''t wear any jewelry that doesn''t have some type of meaning to it, and this is going to be something more or less of a celebratory piece. She just got another degree and the business she started last year is doing great. She wants something simple and elegant, but low profile. Her birthstone is amethyst, and I thought doing a three stone amethyst ring would be perfect.

Since this piece is going to be quite significant of her latest accomplishments, I want to make sure that it an excellent quality piece. My problem is that I don''t know anyone who works with silver in my area. I''m in the Port Huron area of Michigan. Does anyone know of a good jeweler?

wish me luck!

 

[jewelerman]

Does it have to be in sterling silver?

 

[valleygirl]

yes, it HAS to be in sterling silver. I''ve been looking at designs in general, hoping that a good jeweler can do one of them in silver.

she doesn''t wear a lot of jewelery, but when she does it has to be specific and have meaning. The girl wants silver and wont be convinced otherwise. She doesn''t know anything about custom jewelery making and asked me to help, so here I am! I know I''ll get some sort of help!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Try etsy.com and look at the artisans local to you.

 

[innerkitten]

Where do you live? You might want to ask around at your local jewelers. Maybe they can do settings in sterling. I noticed a few nice sterling cast pieces on the stuller web site and most jewelers have access to those.
Where are you buying he stone?
Have you checked out concavegems.com
http://www.webgraphicsengineering.co/Gemstones/query3.cfm?yVarieties=Amethyst&ySpecies=Quartz

 

[innerkitten]

I think customgemstones.com has some nice amethysts right now too.

 

[valleygirl]

Thanks everybody. I live in south eastern Michigan, on the north end of lake st. clair. unfortunately, my home computer is a dinosaur and I can''t see everything on each website. I tried to go to the website that MP suggested, but my comp. doesn''t have the latest versions of everything. I can''t download them because it doesn''t know what to do. I do think we''ve found a jeweler though. I think she''s going to go to the place that made her amethyst posts. As long as she''s happy, I''m happy.

I did however check concave gems, IK, thank goodness I can see those beauties!! Right now I''m working with Winfields and Richard Homer on a sapphire engagement ring. Once I showed my mom some pics of the type of stone I was getting, she was awestruck. When she asked me to help her with a ring, she told me, "I want the amethysts to sparkle, like me!"

 

[PawnShopHustler]

Bump for any new info on silverwork.
I need some earrings made.

 

[Circe]

In my experience, any jeweler who can work in silver can work in gold - it''s the most common "learning" material, it''s incredibly *easy* to work, and if it''s a cast piece, it''s the same labor with less investment. The thing is, it''s just not worth most jewelers'' time to do it, because there''s less of an automatic mark-up, and many of the potential clients for an upscale jeweler will think of it as "cheap." But inquiring with individual jewelers whose work you admire seems worth it ....

I quite like this woman''s work - she''s in MA, but she seems really open to commissions to match the clients needs. Worth inquiring ....