This page is intended for anyone who may be interested to learn a little about some of the tools and techniques silversmiths and jewellers use – providing an insight into a real silversmithing workshop, as well as some facts about materials and methods that have now been in use for hundreds of years.

Silver Standards

The three most common finenesses of silver available in the UK are Sterling 925, Britannia 958 and Fine 999. The reason for there being different finenesses is that silver in its purest form is a very soft metal, which means that it is usually alloyed with other metals to harden it slightly, making it suitable for varying types of work and producing a more durable end result.

The most well-known standard of silver is Sterling, which is represented by the number 925 on UK hallmarks. The 925 denotes how many parts of silver there are to the thousand parts of the finished alloy. i.e., Sterling silver has 925 parts silver, 75 parts copper. Sterling, as a tougher version of silver, is used to produce pieces that are likely to be subjected to a certain amount of wear and tear - such as cutlery and jewellery.

Other less well-known standards of silver are Britannia and Fine silver, respectively having 958 and 999 parts to the thousand. Britannia is largely used for hand raising and other techniques where sheet metal is being significantly manipulated. Fine silver is often used for very fine filigree work and forging.

Hallmarks on Silver

Hallmarks (see below) have been in use in England since the 14th century as a means of identifying, tracing and legalising the purity of silverware. A fully legal UK hallmark should always consist of at least a sponsor’s (or maker’s) mark, the fineness mark, and the assay office mark. Other usual marks are a letter which denotes the year in which the piece was hallmarked and a symbol denoting the standard. (The most commonly seen symbol being the lion passant, denoting sterling). The only exception for hallmarking on silver is for items weighing below 7.78g – which do not legally require a hallmark.

Although historically there have been many more, today the assay offices in the UK are based at Edinburgh, Sheffield, Birmingham and London.

Silversmithing

Silversmith’s / Jeweller’s Workbench

A traditional jeweller’s workbench - the most fundamental piece of equipment for any silversmith or jeweller. The benchpeg is used to support work for a variety of techniques such as piercing (the silversmithing/jewellery term for sawing), filing and sanding.

Annealing

Using a blowtorch to heat the metal, thus relaxing the particles and making it easier to work. (The more silver is worked, the harder it becomes as the particles are compressed, so annealing often has to be repeated when the silver is being worked a great deal).

Silver Solder

Unlike the lead solder with which most people are familiar from plumbing and electronics, silver solder contains actual silver and requires a much greater heat source for it to work, which is usually provided by a blowtorch. Where lead solder acts like a glue, silver solder actually leaches into the surfaces of the metal it’s joining, creating a much stronger, more durable bond.

Hand Raising

Hand Raising is one of the oldest techniques of silversmithing. The basic principal is to hammer a flat, round sheet of metal into a vessel form, working slowly round the piece in concentric circles. The process is hard work and is time consuming, but can be extremely enjoyable and many people – both collectors and makers - value it for the unique qualities it lends to the finished piece, as well as the skill required to produce a hand raised piece.