Contributor
Lucas Hayes is the editorial byline assigned to this area. Practical guides, comparisons and the questions behind a choice form this editorial remit. Subject: Silver Jewellery and Hardware Craft: silver, craft. Differences in scope matter as much as differences in the headline figures. This is an editorial pen name used by the publication, not a claim of an independently verified personal identity.
Features
How to price a handmade silver commission: itemized materials, labor by stage, overhead, contingency, profit, payment milestones and final reconciliation, with an illustrative example.
Rules
Five silver jewelry problems: underpricing, missing bench labor, vague alloy claims, repair scope creep and weak records, with the checks, stop rules and corrections for each.
Maintenance
Use this silver product release checklist to review a silver object's description, care, repair, invoice, shipping, and records before listing or delivery.
Guides
A handmade silver work business guide to bench time, channel net cash, honest descriptions, care sheets and repair intake.
Rules
What the CPSC requires for lead in children's silver and plated jewelry, why there is no federal nickel limit, and how to document alloys and finishes before you sell.
Reviews
Workshop exposure controls compared for silver work: enclosure, exhaust, ventilation and respirators for polishing, soldering, pickle and investment hazards.
Guides
A silversmithing studio safety guide covers task hazards, source capture, chemical and fire controls, emergency washing, and records.
Guides
Plan a silver scratch removal polishing sequence: map defects, set removal limits, test coupons, stage the work, clean between grades, then inspect and release.
Rules
Stone setting problems guide for loose stones, chipped edges, uneven bezels, tool slips, trapped debris, evidence checks, repair limits, and rejection.
Reviews
Silver stone settings compared by stone exposure, seat geometry, holding metal, structural removal, tool access, setting pressure, cleaning, wear, and inspection.
Guides
Map the cabochon, draw the contact section, prove the fit on a practice bezel, then inspect contact, seat depth and security before the stone goes in.
Guides
A stone setting in silver guide to recording the stone, planning seat geometry and holding metal, and checking the mounting before finishing and release.
Reviews
For silver craft work in the US, buy sheet and wire from mill suppliers like Rio Grande, Stuller and Indian Jewelers Supply, and grain from refiners.
Features
A fictional scenario treats “repair misaligned stamped silver border” as a craft problem, tracing drift, a corner redesign, and release checks.
Reviews
Silver decoration methods compared by metal movement, tools, support, depth, repeatability, correction limits, surface effects, and suitable design work.
Guides
Silver surface decoration guide for chasing, repoussé and engraving: prove tools on matching coupons, choose supports, sequence strikes and inspect the reverse.
Rules
Silversmithing workmanship problems diagnosed through fit, distortion, scratches, heat history, lost dimensions, controlled corrections, and stop points.
Features
Failed silver box seam case using intake records, defect maps, fit and heat evidence, measured rework limits, coupon trials, inspection criteria, and prevention.
Rules
Silver soldering problems can involve poor fit, flux, filler, heat, or contamination. Learn how to inspect failed joints and assess rework risks.
Features
Pierced silver correction case using datums, paired measures, defect mapping, filing limits, structural checks, before-and-after records, and a clear stop decision.
Guides
Cast, fabricated and die-struck silver is judged by its interior, weight and marks. Sterling stamps, chain repair and plated pieces, explained for US buyers.
Guides
Silver hallmarks and craft: what a sterling stamp legally means, how cast pieces are finished, and how to spot plating under a decorative surface.
Features
Learn to identify inherited silver object marks: photograph them before polishing, read them against the assay system, and test each zone of the metal.
Rules
Buying real sterling silver online in the US means reading the mark and the listing. Here are the checks that separate sterling from plated metal.
Rules
Canadian silver hallmarking rules stem from the Precious Metals Marking Act, not UK or US assay law. Here is what makers may stamp and the risk of errors.
Guides
Silver casting methods compared: lost wax, sand, and cuttlefish casting for silver jewelry and hardware. Equipment prices in USD and US maker spaces.
Guides
How to read a US silver maker's mark with no assay office: use state historical societies, trade catalogs and maker registers, plus what federal law allows.
Guides
How to tell sterling silver from silver plate: what marks to read, what a magnet and a scratch test show, and where each method fails at a US thrift store.
Reviews
Fine silver vs sterling silver, Argentium-type alloys, and silver plate: what each name does and does not tell you about the metal.
Maintenance
A bench checklist for silver forming: stock records, hammer and stake condition, annealing cycles, released measurements and surface limits.
Guides
To identify unknown silver colored metal, record provenance, marks and construction before arranging suitable analysis; keep conclusions tied to the evidence.
Guides
A practical skills-and-process plan for a first silver workshop project, covering design, tools, training, safety, scrap tests, inspection, and records.
Guides
Prepare a controlled silver seam on a practice coupon: fit, flux, conduction heat, a cut-open check and a bench record you can repeat.
Guides
This silver soldering guide explains seam fit, controlled heating, workshop safety, and post-cleaning inspection, while treating filler labels as relative.
Reviews
Metalwork roles compared by object scale, material, forming, joining, stone work, repair, design, training, workshop equipment, and professional overlap.
Maintenance
Silver soldering safety checklist for trained torch users, covering equipment, work area, joint checks, heating, shutdown, cleanup, and release inspection.
