The New Silversmith: Innovative, Sustainable Techniques for Creating Nature-Inspired Jewelry

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. (May)