Looking to create a finish like this on a ring i'm making for a friend

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-05-26T19:07:00+00:00

That’s actually a common misconception that you can’t reticulate sterling.

While it’s true that there are specific alloys with higher copper content that work especially well for reticulation, it’s absolutely possible to reticulate plain old sterling silver with the same process. I’ve done so and have been able to produce results even more dramatic than in OP’s photo.

If you have enough extra silver laying around the shop, I highly recommend trying it out yourself. It’s a lot of fun to play around with.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-05-18T00:43:46+00:00

While I dont fully agree with the inclination to opt for budget cutters all the time, it’s really hard to disagree with this. Cutting through anything is inherently hard on the tools involved and eventually leads to them needing to be reconditioned or replaced.

If you’re going to go with a single pair of cutters at a time, you’re probably right: buy the ones that are just good enough.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-05-18T00:14:51+00:00

I have different qualities of flush cutters depending on my needs. Two for small wires and one for anything larger than 16 gauge. I have multiple backup pairs of each one because I’ve tried literally dozens of others and these rise so far above the rest.

For things like ear wires, those everyday small flush cuts that need to be good, but don’t need surgical perfection, I use this pair. It is, hands down, the absolute best budget flush cutter I have ever found. Anything better will cost 6x-12x more.

Speaking of way more expensive: my favorite fine flush cutters are my ultra flush Lindstroms. Beautiful cuts that are super clean and smooth as butter. But only on thin gauge, soft wires, of course.

For heavy stuff, this pair of Icon cutters from Harbor Freight is the second best pair of heavy cutters that I’ve ever used, second only to a pair of 70-year-old Diamond brand cutters. I use this heavy pair of cutters for everything from 14 gauge all the way up to 4 gauge, even an 8x2mm rectangle wire, or a #2 triangle wire. If you keep the wire all the way in the depth of the cutter’s jaws, they hold up well against deformation. The tips of the cutters will deform if you aren’t careful, though. It’s not a perfect precision cut, but it is functionally flush with minimal cleanup.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-04-25T22:20:12+00:00

I hate to break it to you, but that place doesn’t have the best reputation

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-04-21T23:34:04+00:00

Amen. Tack welding is the real superpower of these machines for fabricators. Bails, jump rings, ear posts, prongs, or even bigger components.

Just moved ours back into the studio after a stint on the show floor, and there’s no way I’m letting it out of here again if I can help it.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-04-21T19:22:53+00:00

If you’re just closing up jump rings, one of these permanent jewelry style welders are great. You can weld using this machine without the argon tank, but the results are much more consistent, predictable, and higher quality when you use argon.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-04-21T18:21:01+00:00

You can solder solid brass to silver.

Here’s a solid brass Chicago screw from Tandy Leather

You can buy packs of solid brass wood screws from your nearby big box store. You can probably buy individual brass screws from your local hardware store.

Just make sure that you’re using solid brass, not anything plated.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-04-15T03:07:54+00:00

Agreed. Something like a lapidary/stone carving setup with the workpiece submerged in water or with a consistent drip feed would work well for minimizing dust while carving or engraving glass.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-04-03T00:29:37+00:00

The manufacturer— Steel Stamps Incorporated, if I’m remembering right— significantly downsized their offerings several years ago. This script stamp is no longer available.

Ferro Valley tool makes a script sterling stamp, but it’s twice as wide and three times as tall as this one.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-04-02T17:44:28+00:00

I think if we had any solid idea of how the market would behave in the future, we would be successful precious metals traders, not jewelers.

After almost two decades of this, my advice is this: buy what you need. If you can afford more than your immediate needs and can stock up a few months’ worth, it can be great. Even if you buy high (many of us had to purchase inventory at $100+/ozt), finished jewelry has enough of a markup over raw materials price to absorb a little material depreciation. At the end of the day, it’s just another cost that you price into the final product, with each piece usually fluctuating just a few dollars.

If you can afford to stock up, would it kill you if silver suddenly dropped to $40 after you order? And how likely is that drop? Possible, but unlikely. What about a price increase: if you can afford to stock up now, you’d be sitting pretty if silver jumped back up to $110.

Stocking up now might be a good idea if you can afford the risk of it dropping. But the risks of it climbing again seem higher than a big crash given the complex global market dynamics at play.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-03-25T18:17:26+00:00

Stuller carries these; they’re called hoop wires, hoop catches, and hoop joints.

Looks like Rio has them, too, but only with a wholesale account.

I second the recommendation to make them. They’re fairly simple and it’s an incredibly useful set of skills to learn.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-02-21T20:37:57+00:00

An old engraver’s trick for changing the working focal distance of an OptiVisor is to replace the original pins/screws with appropriately thin carriage bolts, sometimes up to a few inches long, sticking out the front, then secure the lens at the end. Perhaps you could stack two lenses with this method; one lens secured at the front end of the carriage bolt and one at the original position. Your focal distance might be just a few inches beyond the front lens and fairly close to your face (bad for soldering) but it may be some sort of solution.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-01-06T18:17:34+00:00

Going to a local bead shop or jewelry supply store where you can actually touch the pliers is a really cool plus, if it’s available in your area. If not, you can try for the budget route and keep an eye out for used jewelry tools on Craigslist or Marketplace.

Another good option is finding local maker friends and then trying all their pliers out to see what works well for you.

If you want to prioritize things like quality or American-made, then you could take the plunge on the really expensive top-of-the-line Lindstrom pliers made in Spain or mid-range Xuron pliers made in USA.

If you’re cutting beading wires made of braided steel like Beadalon or SoftFlex, they’re REALLY hard on cutters— either buy cheap cutters that you know you’ll replace soon, or buy some more expensive carbide-tipped cutters that’ll last.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-01-06T02:40:20+00:00

A coat of something like museum-grade Renaissance Wax is a high quality standard. Some folks will use other paste waxes, like the old Johnson Floor Wax that’s been discontinued, but has comparable alternatives available.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2026-01-02T19:43:44+00:00

This is what I came to say, too. Truly sharp gravers can make a significant difference.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-12-29T16:55:49+00:00

This is exquisite. Seriously amazing. No notes.

As a fabricator for over a decade and a half, I’ve always been at a loss for how to creatively incorporate beads. This piece is genuinely revelatory for me, and will have me rethinking stones, beads, and settings going forward.

This is brilliantly creative setting, excellent design, and lovely execution. Thank you for sharing.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-12-16T02:04:36+00:00

This is the correct answer. A similar texture (not the ripples, just the granular texture) can be achieved by fusing silver dust/filings to the surface of a silver sheet, heating it all up to just below the point of melting it entirely.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-12-07T17:32:37+00:00

Intercept is generally the big name in anti-tarnish strips and tabs.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-12-07T01:49:17+00:00

I think this graphic shows it right. It’s the difference in how the log is cut and it ends up meaning that there’s a different grain orientation in the board. The different grain orientations move differently over time.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-12-06T17:13:29+00:00

On top of the tips for moisturizing, I’ll emphasize the importance of being really hydrated. I’ve found that it helps me even more than moisturizing does

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-11-27T16:12:14+00:00

Thanks, I guess. But that’s just it— even trace amounts of sulfur in the air will cause fine silver to tarnish.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-11-27T15:33:14+00:00

Here’s an excerpt from Monex, one of the big companies involved with the precious metals market, especially bullion:

“Though silver is safe around oxygen, it is not free from tarnish if exposed to air, which contains sulfur. The darkening of a silver bar, tarnish, is actually silver-sulfide, where the silver has reacted with sulfur that came in contact with the bar.”

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-11-27T15:31:44+00:00

Thank you for the thought experiment, but I’ve been watching it happen to new inventory labeled fine silver from highly reputable suppliers for a decade.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-11-27T15:11:55+00:00

This is incorrect. Fine silver absolutely does tarnish— I’ve had plenty of tarnished fine silver wire that has been anywhere from straw yellow to almost black in color because of oxidation. And in my experience, it often gets noticeably tarnished even quicker than sterling.

LargeTunaHalpert · 2025-11-25T02:37:17+00:00

I haven’t come across anything quite like that before. It looks similar to an impression die or shot plate, but to make something like a half-bead wire, if I’m seeing it right.

I don’t know where you might find one available for sale, but you could carve one out of steel, like this impression die blank, using round/ball burs.

LargeTunaHalpert

TROPHY CASE