…was to make and fuse my own fine silver and Argentium silver links. (Argentium is especially useful because of the strength it provides as an alloy.) I had a lot of practice in perfecting my technique when I made large link silver necklaces for Robin’s fiancee and Fritz’s girlfriend, Stephanie and Meg, for Christmas presents.
I started by wrapping a coil of wire on a mandrel.
Part of the learning curve: The joins have to fit together very well…
…or else the will separate (melt away from) from each other instead of fusing together:
Adding more heat will not bring the ends back together. It will just move them farther apart and get hot enough to fuse to the next link it is touching: (Yeah, oops!)
Once they are all fused and assembled, I hammer the links to work-harden them. These were made with 14 gauge Argentium. This technique is so handy for anytime I need a closed jump ring, or even a closed loop on a hook clasp. No solder to mess with either. It took a little practice to gain confidence, but I am glad I persevered. It was well worth it.
Barbara S Fernald Jewelry 