…just about anything. For me, this included making up a bunch of different sized Argentium jump rings. Tomorrow I’ll get out the torch and fuse these babies to make necklaces and clasps.
It’s pretty easy to make jump rings by winding a coil of wire around a mandrel, and then cutting down through them with a jeweler’s saw.
A few of the small ovals will become part of an adjustable clasp for the leaf necklace (disassembled) in the background.
Barbara S Fernald Jewelry 
“It’s pretty easy to make jump rings by winding a coil of wire around a mandrel, and then cutting down through them with a jeweler’s saw.”
So you say! Ha! I hate making those things and always screw up the sawing part!
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OKay, I always cut my fingers with the saw at least once. He he. I’ll rephrase: “It’s pretty easy to set up the camera to take a timed shot of making the sawing part look easy!”
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Cool Barb, where do you get the argentium?
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Hi Susan,
Rio Grande carries Argentium wire and sheet. The nice thing about Argentium is that it is sterling silver but it fuses like fine silver so you can fuse jump rings without having to solder.
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Very cool! I’m going to have to check that out! Do you just fuse them with a torch?
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Do you have any of Kate McKinnon’s books? I learned how to do it from “The Jewelry Architect.” You have to have the joining ends fit together as tightly as if you were going to solder them. Then you place the ring on a kiln brick (fire brick) and heat the brick with a torch just in front of the join. The silver gets that shiny look just before it melts and the ends fuse. I was able to do this with my little butane torch, but it took a while. Then I just started using my oxy/acetelyne torch to speed things up. I melt a few here and there. Especially if the join is not exact.
Kate says how to do it with fine silver wire. Wendy McManus was the one who told me you could also fuse Argentium, because there is no copper to oxidize and keep the wire from fusing. (Unlike good old regular sterling)
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