We use traditional metal-smithing methods to create our jewelry designs. Part of the fun of making jewelry is the tools we get to work with: the torch, the rolling mill, the hydraulic press, and bunches of hammers and pliers – just to name a few. What's not to love about a vocation where you get to squash, smash, and melt inanimate objects on a regular basis?
At right is a photo of Talley fusing silver embellishments onto a piece of sterling destined to be a pendant. She heats the metal until it almost melts and the pieces fuse together. If she heats it even slightly too long, her carefully laid out piece turns into a sterling silver blob. Then we would have a photo of Talley frowning.
We put interesting texture on most of our pieces, using either hammers or the rolling mill. The rolling mill is fun because ordinary objects can give the metal an interesting surface. At left, you see our rolling mill with a piece of copper that was textured using the doll's hat you see behind the copper. (Click on image to see close-up.)
Our biggest tool is the hydraulic press, Roberta’s favorite, shown at right. One method is to saw a silhouette shape from a Plexiglas sheet and then use the 20 tons of power the hydraulic press provides to puff the metal using that form. When using the press, Roberta often breaks into a rousing rendition of Helen Reddy’s, "I am woman . . . I am strong."
