Jewelry Making Resources | Fire Mountain Gems and Beads

Single-Strand Necklace

Delicate and detailed, this floral pendant necklace blends vintage charm with modern simplicity—perfect for adding a touch of nature-inspired elegance to any look.

Design Idea H31M

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Fine Silver

Fine silver is a high-purity form of silver, consisting of 99.9% pure silver, often denoted as .999 or 999. This means it contains only a minimal amount of impurities, typically 0.1% or less. Fine silver is known for its lustrous white appearance and high reflectivity, making it a popular choice for high-quality jewelry, coins and investment-grade bullion.

Single-Strand Necklace and Earring Set

Explore the understated elegance of Crystal Passions® crystal AB beads, softly gleaming in this earthy necklace, accented with sterling silver touches.

Design Idea QK23

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Earring

Channel your inner Bajoran with this fresh take on the ear cuff. Perfect for sci-fi conventions or getting your nerd on in everyday life.

Design Idea QE23

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Bracelet

Silver and gold sing together in harmony in this radiant bracelet, adorned with sunlit Crystal Passions® cubes encircled by the glittering starlight of antiqued silver beads.

Design Idea QH27

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Earrings

Coppery crimps and stardust crimp covers pair up in this swinging earring design featuring fine sterling silver serpentine or box chain and secure leverback ear wires.

Design Idea F50V

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Bracelet

Become a wrap artist and create a fun wrap bracelet with our free instructions.

Design Idea D112

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A Sterling Reputation: Is Your Piece Fine or Sterling Silver?

Determining whether a piece of jewelry is fine or sterling silver can make or break a sale. Learn six different ways to test a piece of jewelry before and after you buy.

Ring

Draw inspiration from this stunning award-winning ring, featuring faceted gemstones set in fine silver Precious Metal Clay. The design exudes a regal style reminiscent of the jewels worn by medieval royalty, adding a timeless touch to your creations.

Design Idea G22B

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Ask the Experts Selling Q&A

Q: Hello! I have a question about how to market my fine silver pendants: With the rising cost of precious metals I often find it difficult to sell my pendants for the price I want if I consider the chains that go with them. I really want to sell my pendants "as is" without a chain to keep costs down, but I feel if I do that it hinders sales since people want to wear the pieces right away or they don't have a chain of their own. Should I just charge more and supply a chain? Or should I keep my prices affordable and skip the chain? I was thinking about using a cord or something since it would be cheaper, but I'm afraid it won't mesh well with the more formal look of my pieces. Help?

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Ask the Experts Dichroic Q&A

Q: I am firing Dichro glass. I would like to put some silver wire loops in between the glass to hang the pieces with--what kind of silver flat and round wire can I use that can be fired in a kiln?

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Ask the Experts Metal Allergy Q&A

Q: I am allergic to nickel, sterling silver and gold plating. I used to use brass barrel clasps, but I am now having problems finding clasps that are not gold-plated. Can you recommend something besides 10Kt gold? I purchased some findings from other companies that claimed they were ''hypoallergenic,'' but they weren't.

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Ask the Experts Viking Knit Q&A

Q: I have learned to make Viking knit chain and want to move from craft wire to gold-filled, sterling silver, or fine silver. I like 26 gauge but I'm not sure if I should use dead-soft or half-hard. After weaving, I draw the wire through a drawplate to even out the weave and stretch/thin the chain. It may be drawn through 2-8 times depending on how thin I want the final result to be. Hammering would deform the chain. Any recommendations? I'm also looking for appropriate end caps for the chain.

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Ask the Experts Fine Silver and Silver Plate Q&A

Q: I made my first bracelets using silver-plated clasps (not from Fire Mountain Gems and Beads) and they discolored. I want to make good quality jewelry for gifts and don't want to waste money buying precious metal findings if they're not necessary, but I also don't want my pieces to tarnish easily. Can you guide me on when to use precious metal findings? What's the shelf life on silver-plate and gold-plate? I have asked others and researched online but am not getting a clear answer. Again, I might just have started with poor quality clasps and maybe both Fire Mountain's silver-plated and sterling will give me good results in all cases.

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Ask the Experts Fine Silver Q&A

Q: Can Hill Tribes items be fired with metal clay? This is technically fine silver; but, will it mess up any design?

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Ask the Experts Art Clay® Is Pure Silver Q&A

Q: I am interested in working with metal clay but was wondering if there is a difference between the silver clay and the pure silver that you can buy. Also, if I sold a piece of silver made from the clay, would I have to make a special note of it to the customer or could I just say it is pure silver?

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Single-Strand Necklace and Earring Set

Prometheus® fine silver clay allows you to create one-of-a-kind pieces of art. This beautiful silver feather pendant pairs perfectly with turquoise beads

Design Idea L10Y

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Filigree

Lace-like ornamental work of fine gold or silver wire.

Silver Plate

A fine silver film deposited on a base metal by electrolysis, in the same kind of electrically-charged bath used to make gold electroplate.

Silver-Filled

A mechanical bonding with a silver alloy of at least 92.5% fineness, which must be at least 1/20th of the metal in the piece. Also called silver overlay.

Palladium

Palladium is a dense and lustrous, precious white-silver metal. A cousin of the platinum metal group, this rare metal is popular for fine metal jewelry.