Acid etching is when you create a design on metal and then using a strong acid like ferric nitrate or ferric chloride to eat away specific areas. I use it for decorative reasons. Some people use nitric acid too but that is very corrosive.
Process:
Step 1: Prepare your metal to make sure there are no oils on there and make sure its clean.
Step 2: Add a resist to your metal. Some examples are nail polish and shellac.
Step 3: Now it’s time to design on your metal. A lot of times people use something sharp to scratch the design onto the resist on the surface of the metal so the resist is removed and it will be exposed to acids.
Step 4: immerse it into the bath and wait, making sure to stir the bath and move the liquid often to make the process go faster.
Step 5: remove and clean up.
Here is a beautiful example of acid etched designs on jewellery .
Inspiration can come from anywhere, and this is never more evident than when you step into the Jewel Envy studio. Each goldsmith finds inspiration in different places, and this is clear from the wide range of different kinds of jewellery pieces that we make. Me? I love science (okay, that’s simplistic, I love lots of things). Most of my work is currently inspired by the cells and concepts of the immune system, expressed in different ways. Each of the series of pieces that I do has a specific underlying idea or spark. My latest pieces, which I am still really at the beginning of exploring, are a consideration of red blood cells and how they move.
Earrings: hand molded and cast asymmetric base in sterling silver with hand fabricated cabochon sapphire settings. They hang about 2cm long.
You may know that most cells have a nucleus – this is where DNA (which contains the blueprint or instructions to recreate life). Fun fact about mammalian (this includes people!) red blood cells? They don’t have one! Which is what gives them a characteristic “donut”-like appearance. They’re mostly round, and I like to imagine them flowing through veins at a terrific rate!
Hand molded base cast in sterling silver with a hand fabricated setting for a kite shaped tourmalinated quartz.
Two pieces together give you a bit of an idea of scale – they’re not dainty, but they’re a nice size to be noticed, but still light enough to be very comfortable!
The way they are constructed means that no two pieces are the same, and I do like a bit of balanced asymmetry! Want to know more? Curious about what other pieces will pop up in this series? Visit the studio to see, or ask more about them!
Our studio houses goldsmiths with a diverse range of skills and techniques. Jewellery is both art and design, and finding the most appropriate technique for constructing our jewellery can enhance the look, feel, and story behind each piece. Take a look at some of the benches of our jewelers today!
A frog by one of our residents Lina, rendered using CAD software to ensure the accuracy of anatomy and species.
The CAD frog was made and then 3D printed in wax so that the model could be made into metal using the lost wax casting method – meaning that anything made in wax can be made into metal.
Below is Lina cutting the frogs off of the sprue tree that was produced during the lost wax casting method when molten metal is poured through a crucible and into the shape of the wax mould.
To create her lightweight, ribbon-like earrings, our goldsmith Tomoe uses wire and presses it through a mill, making it thinner and flatter to achieve her desired effect. She then bends the ribbon features by hand to the create their signature curls.
Our goldsmith Jamie uses a fabrication technique called fusing – it can be perfect for decorative purposes. Fusing can be hard to control as the metals must be attached to one another at a near-molten state, and therefore makes for a spontaneous method of construction – which helps Jamie achieve a more organic and rough style of jewellery. She fuses scrap pieces of silver to a piece of silver wire and then forms them into rings to create her twig-inspired stacking rings. Not a single ring is identical!
There are many times of the year that people can graduate from their studies and programs, but social media feeds are certainly full of scholarly pride at the moment.
When my own daughter was finishing her last year of high school and choosing university, I thought of a way I could use my craft to celebrate her work and focus on what was ahead. I created rings with themes that subtly referred to tassels and books to celebrate graduating. Instead of nondescript designs, or rings so striking, she looked like she was celebrating a winning touchdown, I wanted to gift her a ring that would mean something special to her, based on her achievement and her goals… that she would actually wear.
This year, she is about to graduate with a Ba Hons, with sights on two separate Master’s degrees in the future, so I am thinking about these rings again. As stacking rings, she can continue to wear her tassel ring from high school, add one for her Ba, and later, one for each Master’s.
We can use Stirling for her understudies and gold for her graduate studies. We could use tassel rings all of the way, or book rings with a name of a degree on each one.
What combo would you choose?
You can find my handmade focus/grad rings at Jewel Envy, under Jennifer Trotman/Frekkeldesigns. I have some sizes/designs already in stock, and can make more in the metal/size of your choice, come by with a loved one in mind, or to try one on yourself. We can also create a wish list, so that someone can drop by and pick up a grad ring to your exact specifications.
Do you have another life goal to celebrate or achieve? Make an appointment to see me at the studio, and I’ll be happy to design something that suits your needs.
