Tourist Rock Cuff Bracelet

by Judy Larson

Category: Contemporary
Technique(s): Texturing, Tumbling, Butane Torch Techniques
Skill Level: Intermediate

Eva Sherman is a FANTASTIC jewelry designer, and as far as I am concerned, the Queen of Organic Cuffs. Check out the cuffs in the two books she has written, Cool Copper Cuffs and Organic Wire and Metal Jewelry (co-written with Beth L. Martin) as well as the two classes available on wirejewelry.com.

During covid, Eva, as well as many other jewelry artists, generously shared their gifts for teaching and brought many new people into the jewelry making fold.

All of the jewelry made by Eva Sherman is fabulous, but I am particularly drawn to her fused silver pieces, especially the cuffs. I do a lot of fusing, but fusing silver scrap on a heavy backplate was beyond my comfort level when I made an Argentium silver cuff featuring a beautiful demin blue color tumble polished quartz rock found in a basket at the checkout of our local outdoors store. Besides that, the Argentium scrap I was using was 24 gauge and the Argentium cuff base was 18 gauge-too far apart in thicknesses to fuse as the tiny 24 gauge pieces would melt well before the surface of the large 18 gauge base would heat enough to fuse the layers together.

My tourist rock cuff is in the Eva Sherman style. I did not plan to write a tutorial when I made the cuff so just took a few notes and process photos in case I wanted to make more than the two I had planned. When a relative recently asked me to make one for her, I realized that it might be nice to have some basic cuff information, tips, and tricks from my other tutorials all in one place. That way, with the basics all in one place I could build from there and not have to go back through all my cuff tutorials for measurements, etc.

Materials

18 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches

H19-18SM6

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
Price: $87.96
Gold Club Price: $65.97

Add to Bag

24 Gauge Dead Soft Argentium Silver Sheet - 6 Inches

H19-24SM6

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1 Inch
Price: $42.72
Gold Club Price: $32.04

Add to Bag

28 Gauge 3/16" Fine Silver Bezel Wire

H9-28BZL

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 1FT
Price: $11.26
Gold Club Price: $8.44

Add to Bag

Add All Items to Cart

Tools

Handy Flame II Propane Torch

SOL-330.00

SOL-330.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $74.95
Gold Club Price: $56.21

Add to Bag

Soldering Tripod

SOL-730.00

SOL-730.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $13.95
Gold Club Price: $10.46

Add to Bag

7 inch Rotating Soldering Pan w/ 3rd Hand And Pumice

SOL-525.00

SOL-525.00
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $42.95
Gold Club Price: $32.21

Add to Bag

Solderite Soldering Board, Hard, 12 Inch by 12 Inch

SOL-420.30

SOL-420.30
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $34.95
Gold Club Price: $26.21

Add to Bag

Add All Items to Cart

Instructions

Step 1

FOR REFERENCE:

CUFF BASE LENGTH:

For a cuff up to ¾" wide (the Tourist Rock Cuff base is ½" wide), I use the following lengths and try to never vary the size lengths unless the cuff is much wider. You may want to go up a size if making a wider cuff or at the very least at 1/8". A very small amount added to the length of the base can make a big difference in fit.

Small: 5.5" Medium: 5.75" Large: 6" X-Large: 6.25" XX-Large: 6.5"

STAMPING:

I give away everything I make and since the majority is made with precious metals, I sign and hallmark most pieces. After all, it would be a shame is something ended up being thrown away years down the road if the owner at the time thinks it has no value. There is an "S", indicating size SMALL, stamped on one end of each of the two cuffs I made. It is helpful to know the size of an item when someone brings you a piece you made years ago and wants it replicated.

Step 2:

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

28-gauge bezel wire was shaped and ends soldered together with hard solder. The bezel was then soldered to a 20-gauge backplate using medium paste solder. The ball embellishments should have been soldered to the backplate at the same time as the bezel, but I was designing as I want along, so that did not happen.

The cuff base is 18-gauge. I would not go thicker as there is a lot of metal being soldered on top of it, adding to the thickness.

24-gauge scraps and dots: Cut a bunch ahead of time. The pieces will fit together like a puzzle.

A LOT of easy paste solder was used to attach the layers of Argentium silver scrap to the cuff base. The voids on the base where scrap did not cover it were filled with 1.8mm dots punched from 24-gauge Argentium scrap.

Step 3

I use a butane Blazer style torch or a torch head on a butane canister exclusively inside my home. If I can't make piece of jewelry using one or both of those two torches, I tend to steer clear of it. Because the cuff was so thick with the layers of scrap that it needed more heat than the butane torches would provide. It was a good thing it was a warm day in May when it came time to solder, I had to pull out the propane torch, which I feel most comfortable using in the garage.

I placed a heavy screen on the soldering block to raise the cuff so heat from the torch could easily get underneath it. I had to be VERY careful when heating around the bezel, which was the thinnest piece of metal on the whole piece.

Step 4

After cooling, use a steel brush on the piece to make sure nothing is loose. Add a bit more paste solder and heat that area again until the solder flows.

Pickle the piece. Neutralize it in baking soda water. Rinse and dry the cuff before shaping.

Start bending/shaping using a bracelet bending pliers.

Then go on to shape the cuff on a stepped oval bracelet mandrel using a rubber/nylon mallet or rawhide mallet. The oval bracelet mandrel is not really the shape of most wrists. You will still have more shaping to do with the bracelet bending pliers to make it fit properly. Note: As stated earlier, there was never going to be a tutorial for this cuff, so the finished cuff is shown in relation to the mandrel to show how much more shaping needs to be done.

Step 5

If anything comes loose during the shaping, bury the cuff in pumice in large can, add easy paste solder to that area, press the loose piece into place, and heat again. The can used here is 3½" tall and 3¼" in diameter.

Step 6

Pickle the piece again. Neutralize it in baking soda water. Rinse and dry the cuff before shaping.

Before setting the stone, decide if the cuff will be patinated, first photo, or left bright silver, second photo.

Reviews

Judy Larson

My philosophy has always been "I will never live long enough to learn everything I want to learn, go everywhere I want to go and see everything I want to see!" So, what I make and how I create it is always changing and evolving. I was born shortly after WWII to parents who grew up during the Depression. They always had a "we can do it, we can make it" attitude which rubbed off on my two younger brothers and me. My brothers are amazing and can make and do ANYTHING! When I was a little girl, my mother gave me an old carved cigar box, which I cherish, filled with pop beads, wooden beads and yarn for stringing. That was the beginning of my jewelry making journey.

On a visit to the Grand Canyon when I was a young woman, I was fortunate enough to help a Native American silversmith sand cast my first silver bracelet and bezel set a large turquoise nugget on top. I was in love, hook, line and sinker! While working full time and having a family here in northern Minnesota, my artistic endeavors slowed down but never stopped. I am an artist, scrapbooker, seamstress, woodworker and jewelry artisan. Now that I am retired, I am able to indulge in all my hobbies. However, there just never seems to be enough time in the day to do it all, but I try!

I have been teaching community education beginner and intermediate jewelry making classes since my retirement. Many of my students have been bitten so hard by the jewelry making bug that they say I have turned them into monsters-they just can't get enough. Making jewelry, seeing something take shape from small bits and pieces, is so rewarding that I hope it brings out the "monster" in you, too!