Features
Part of Silversmithing foundations guide: design, metal, tools, sequence, and records
Planning a traceable sterling-silver pendant project case
Sterling-silver pendant project case tracing design, stock, operations, workshop controls, measurements, test pieces, defects, corrections, inspection, and limits.
What to take away
- This fictional case uses a process record to connect the drawing, material, tools, controls, and final inspection.
- The pendant is deliberately limited to known sheet, sawing, filing, drilling, and hand finishing.
- A matching offcut is used for tool and finish tests.
- One saw deviation is corrected within a stated dimensional allowance.
- The record does not prove alloy composition beyond the supplier documentation.
This case is fictional. It illustrates workshop planning and does not certify a material, tool, maker, or safety system.
Project question
Can a supervised learner make a simple oval pendant from documented sterling-silver sheet while preserving dimensions, clean edges, and a repeatable satin finish?
The design excludes soldering, stones, patina chemicals, plating, casting, and powered polishing. Drilling is performed only on supervised equipment with the work secured under the studio procedure.
Design record
| Field | Specification |
|---|---|
| Shape | Vertical oval |
| Finished size | 32.0 by 20.0 mm |
| Sheet | Supplier-described sterling silver, 1.0 mm |
| Opening | One 2.0 mm hole on centerline |
| Edge | Even softened edge, no knife edge |
| Surface | Straight satin lines along long axis |
| Tolerance | Plus or minus 0.3 mm overall |
| Marking | Workshop sample, not offered for sale |
The learner saves the invoice, stock label, drawing revision, and a 20 mm offcut. Supplier documentation is evidence of the claim made at purchase, not an independent assay.
Workspace decision
The project uses a supervised jewelry studio. RISD's jewelry and metalsmithing workspace description shows why process planning must identify the actual work area: benches, torch ventilation, pickling, rolling, forging, casting, machine, polishing, and finishing equipment occupy different controlled spaces.
The learner is authorized only for hand layout, sawing, filing, abrasion, and supervised drilling. All other operations remain out of scope.
Process plan
- Inspect, label, and measure stock.
- Apply a removable layout surface approved by the studio.
- Establish centerlines and trace the template.
- Mark the hole center.
- Create the opening on supervised equipment with the work secured.
- Saw outside the final line.
- File to size and edge profile.
- Remove layout residue through the approved method.
- Apply the tested satin sequence by hand.
- Clean, measure, inspect, and record.
Hazard and control log
| Task | Hazard | Control | Stop point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sawing | Blade break, sharp stock | Instruction, eye protection, bench-pin support | Damaged frame or unstable work |
| Filing | Sharp edge, slipping file | Secure handle, supported part, controlled stroke | Loose handle |
| Drilling | Rotation and entanglement | Supervision, secured work, guard, tied hair | Hand-held part or missing guard |
| Abrasion | Dust and repetitive motion | Approved method, source control, breaks | Visible uncontrolled airborne dust |
The table does not replace the studio's risk assessment.
Test piece
On the matching offcut, the learner tests three saw strokes, the file sequence, edge rounding, and satin direction. The first abrasive leaves cross-scratches because the earlier file marks were not fully removed.
The process is revised: inspect under directional light after filing, then begin the tested abrasive sequence only when no deep file cut remains.
Work record
The rough blank is sawn 0.6 mm outside the finished line. At the upper-left curve, the blade wanders inward but remains 0.15 mm outside the final boundary.
The learner stops, marks the deviation, and checks the remaining allowance. Filing begins at the high areas and approaches the line in measured passes. The final size is 32.1 by 19.9 mm, within the fictional tolerance.
Technique context
The Met's introduction to metalworking presents silver objects as the result of varied techniques that produce shape, texture, and color, and it credits silversmithing and jewelry educators who demonstrated the processes. The case uses that process-based view but makes no comparison with a museum object's complexity or quality.
Final inspection
| Check | Finding |
|---|---|
| Overall dimensions | Pass within stated tolerance |
| Hole position | 0.1 mm off center, accepted for sample |
| Edge | Continuous, no sharp point or visible burr |
| Surface | Satin direction consistent under task light |
| Flatness | No visible rocking on reference surface |
| Deep scratches | None observed at inspection |
| Material record | Supplier claim and invoice retained |
The 0.1 mm hole deviation is recorded rather than hidden. A future version adds a drilling jig or center-punch test under the studio's approved procedure.
What cannot be generalized
The case does not establish safe conditions for another studio, prove the metal's chemistry, set a tolerance for production, or teach unsupervised machine use. It does not cover soldered bails, stones, coatings, or product compliance.
Its transferable lesson is the record structure: define, control, measure, stop, correct within an allowance, and retain evidence.
Common questions
Why exclude soldering from the first case?
The narrower scope isolates layout, cutting, filing, drilling, and surface control without adding hot-work hazards and heat effects.
Does an invoice prove sterling fineness?
It documents the supplier's description and purchase. Independent composition testing is a separate matter.
Why accept a small hole deviation?
The fictional sample has a stated tolerance and no sale claim. A functional or production piece could require a different limit.
What is the main evidence file?
It includes the drawing, material record, task authorization, hazard controls, test piece, measurements, defect log, and final inspection.
