How to learn to Silver Smith

Creating your own silver jewellery and beautiful silver objects at home sounds a daunting prospect – but it is entirely possible to do with minimum outlay and can grow into a profitable hobby if you sell your finished pieces.

If you are new to silver smithing the best way to learn is to sign up for an evening or weekend course in basic silver smithing

Many colleges and universities offer silversmithing courses and of course, this is one of the best ways to learn because you will have the support of your tutor.

Silver smithing courses are available at all levels from basic beginner through to the more expert, throughout the UK.

An alternative less expensive option is to teach yourself by using a book. There is a wide choice available.

One book that covers all types of jewellery making is Jewellery Making: A Complete Course for Beginners

http://t.co/twBTwbLe

The more advanced Silversmithing for Jewellery Makers

http://t.co/PLsBs0qK

However, the definitive guide to silversmith is provided by Bernard Cuzner in A silversmith’s manual which  covers all aspects of working with silver.

http://t.co/F3YTLwqT

This obviously does not provide the same teaching support but it does enable you to try out silver smithing for yourself without too much outlay because courses can be expensive.

Whichever way you choose to try silver smithing, you will need some tools and equipment before you start.

You will need a piercing saw and selection of blades, files of varying sizes, a scriber, a silversmith hammer and emery paper for rubbing down.

You will also need a soldering iron and silver solder.

This basic equipment should be enough to get you started.

You can buy your silver to work with from silversmith suppliers – if there is nothing local, you can look online.

You will find an assortment of raw materials to work with such as silver sheet, wire, fixings, necklace chains and pendant fixings.

If you wish to cast silver at home – i.e. make small sculptures, rings or similar you will need a very high heat source or furnace because the melting point of silver is 893 Celsius.

Unless you have access to a furnace, this is not an option for many people.

Some home silver smiths have made home made furnaces and used a blowtorch as a heat source but you will need to have some knowledge of smelting and engineering to achieve this.

Although home-casting silver is difficult because of the problems of creating the correct temperature, you can buy equipment such as the crucible – a heat resistant container, silver casting grains, wax for moulding and all equipment necessary from good silversmith suppliers.

How to buy Silver Bullion on eBay

from Gold and Silver Hallmarks

Silver metal in its bulk form is known as bullion. Silver Bullion is traded on the commodity markets. Bullion metals may be cast into ingots, or minted into coins. The defining attribute of bullion is that it is valued by its mass and purity rather than by a face value like money.

Buying silver bullion on eBay can be difficult but, if the price is right Bullion coins and bars are often quite attractive and fun to collect just as hobby and conversation pieces. Some simple wisdom may help you to be aware of some of the problems when purchasing silver bullion.

In the UK, new silver bullion is subject to VAT which does remove some of its investment potential. Second hand silver does not and eBay is a good place to buy this. If you want to buy large amounts of silver bullion then eBay is not the best place to do this because the mark-up is usually quite large, although you can find bargains.

In terms of investment, 1oz silver bullion coins are often considered preferential to silver bars as they can often be picked up cheaper ounce for ounce and also have a numismatic value that may increase over time. Bullion bars are more impressive and can be purchased in larger forms. (Anything from a few grams to about 500oz).

Silver bullion usually comes in three purities;

FINE (.999 or 99.9% silver),
BRITANNIA (.975 or 97.5% silver)
STERLING (.925 or 92.5% silver).
FINE silver is the most expensive.

Bear in mind the market value of silver before purchase (often if the mark-up of a bullion product is greater than 100%), you may be able to find it elsewhere for cheaper- sometimes on another eBay auction. Contrary to popular belief, silver bullion is not difficult to get hold of in the USA; however in the UK there are only a few outlets that will sell silver on a small scale.

Rules to remember when bidding on silver bullion:

1. As with all eBay items, shop around for prices, and bear in mind the current market value of bullion
2. Avoid too-good-to-be-true prices and "Chinese dynasty" type silver brick-bars
3. Stick to well known assayers/refiners, and buy bullion coins if you are interested in long-term investment potential

WARNINGS:
With silver bullion, as well as gold and platinum, if the price seems too good to be true,  
AVOID: In particular, avoid the "Chinese dynasty" silver bars that come up from time to time as it is extremely difficult to prove the authenticity of these bars. Assume fake, or silver plated at best!

To guarantee authenticity, stick to big name assayers/refiners like Credit Suisse, Johnson Matthey, Engelhard, Northwest Territorial Mint, A-Mark, Pamp Suisse etc.