How to Make Silver Chains With Designs on the Links
Silver is a cool-toned, durable precious metal that is used to fashion all types of jewelry, including bracelets, anklets and necklaces. These three types of adornments are commonly made with silver chain, which comprises individual links joined together. Silver chain comes in a spectrum of sizes, ranging from dainty, 1 mm links to bold links measuring 10 mm or more. Some larger silver chains feature designs on their links, which lends them an intricate and interesting appearance. While such chains are available for sale at many jewelry retailers, it is possible to make them.
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Things You'll Need
- Silver jump rings, 5 mm or larger
- Anvil
- Chasing hammer
- Assorted chasing tools
- Fine-nose pliers
- Silver clasp
Instructions
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Purchase an assortment of silver jump rings---metal rings that you can bend open and close with pliers---in the size you desire. Note that these jump rings will serve as the links of your silver chain. Obtain enough jump rings to create a chain in the length you desire once they are linked together.
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Determine whether you want every link of your chain to have a design or just some of the links. Consider embellishing every other link or clusters of links for an interesting look.
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Place the first jump ring that you want to embellish on an anvil, a heavy metal block with a flat top surface used to support items while they are hammered.
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Choose a chasing tool---a narrow, metal wand with a design on one tip that is used to press lines, dots, textures and other designs onto other pieces of metal---that you want to use to imprint a design on the jump ring. Place the chasing tool on the jump ring.
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Strike the chasing tool with the flat side of a chasing hammer. Note that a chasing hammer has a flat, smooth face designed for striking chasing tools as well as a round face for peening and riveting.
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Hammer the chasing tool against your jump ring until you have imprinted the jump ring with a design. Continue this process with all of the jump rings that you want to embellish, using different chasing tools to create a variety of designs.
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Form a chain by linking the jump rings together in a pattern. Slightly open a jump ring with fine-nose pliers. Hook it onto a closed jump ring. Close the opened jump ring completely with pliers. Continue this process, linking one jump ring to the next, until you have created a chain in the length you desire.
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Add a clasp to your finished chain. Use pliers to open the jump rings at opposite ends of the chain. Hook them onto small rings attached to the two portions of the clasp. Close them completely using pliers.
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Tips & Warnings
If you wish to create round indentations in your links, try striking the jump rings directly with the round side of the chasing hammer.
The jump rings should be at least 5 mm for you to embellish them with relative ease. Create a chain using jump rings that are all the same size or a mix of small and large. Jump rings come in both round and ovoid shapes.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit silver chain links in pile image by Barcabloo from Fotolia.com
