Making three basic silver rings for beginners and showing a few variations on a theme. 

Thanks VKO, nice to hear that. it’s getting harder to find music I like so I’ve started repeating myself a bit and hope people don’t notice too much … cheers … Nick

True the music is always beautiful 😍

cheers Jim, i much prefer quick and simple, too often disappointed with something more complex … N

thanks for your comment Annette … 👍😎👍 … N

thanks for that KJ, endless variations with this sort of thing … N

Hi Kasie, definitely try making your own jewellery then you can always look glitzy … as long as you don’t end up giving it all away … N

thanks for that Micky, I prefer to make my own wire from grain, having more time than money and a very satisfying process … cheers … Nick

hi Stephen, thanks for your comments. being an amateur hobbyist I tend to make it up as I go along and hope for the best. The first button I made and filmed didn’t clean up well it was a rather porous I think it may have had soldier inclusion. I remade it using fine silver but didn’t get a good film of it this time. so I tried to make it look coherent with a bit of creative editing. Argentium sounds great to work with, I must give it a go sometime. I once had a comment from somebody saying one of my techniques wasn’t very professional and I shouldn’t show it like that. I had to explain that I was a hobbyist coming from being a metal worker, having fun being creative and it was not meant to be anything to serious … have fun … Nick

@@Nickscreativestuff for a hobbyist. You do remarkably well. Your designs are good; somewhere, I tend to lack a lot. The fine silver was good. One of the attributes of Argentium I'm looking forward to trying is; heat hardening. Put it in your domestic oven on a trivet, or I guess a grid. Bring the temperature up to 280. Think, anyway, full heat, leave it on for one hour, then turn off the heat but leave the silver undisturbed till fully back to room temperature again. I think it was one hour; I'll have to check that. Anyway, fully hardened for everyday use. Steve...

I suppose design ideas come about after lots of quality time having fun playing around in the workshop. surprised to read your Argentium tips never heard of heat treating silver for hardening, would help a lot with some projects. i’ll have to put it on the shopping list to try out next time … thanks for the suggestion … N

Thanks for that Kirt, good luck with your new adventures into jewellery making. I find it a fabulous hobby that’s totally absorbing with so many directions that can be explored … have fun … N

@Nickscreativestuff Thank you I am like a kid in a sweetstore right now I have dabbled with resin and copper weaving so far. And now I want to try my first bangle or ring. I am hoping to slowly build some confidence then possibly sell them. My designs are a little more out there big bold distinctive certainly not dainty. And I have a vivid imagination too. I have already drew about 10 designs and planned exactly how to make them. And I have spent aboit £1500 on every tool form material known to man and converted my large greenhouse into a studio wirh solar lighting and ventilation and a blacked out roof so I don't roast in the UK heatwaves we have been getting yearly and made my own workbench with everything custom to me for height comfort etc just gotta wait for a day when I am able. I'm a stay at home disabled man you see. I have about 13 main medical issues 3 of which are very serious indeed and causes me to have pain 24/7 and in turn it drains my energy But I get days when my pain is managed and I have energy. So it's just waiting and on meantime feasting on educational videos like yours I can learn something from. Even when in pain and my ostomy is killing me my brain is constantly buzzing. So i am forcing that down the creative sngle self help if you will. Thank you again

Not easy having disabilities but it sounds like you have your home environment well sorted. I’ve heard from a fair few people with a variety of conditions that are into jewellery making, it seems to suit well as it’s not too heavy going and they can have a home set up suited to there needs. In someway knowing your limitations is a great advantage as some people get disappointed as they try to achieve more than their capable of, resulting in endless disappointments and failures … N

@Nickscreativestuff Yes I couldn't agree more I have loved with ny health since ii was 8. I have maintained full time jobs until I was 22. Then when I moved to London for my jobm my health went boom. About 6 things all came to light. And I had 4 surgeries all within a year. I have been in St Mary's hospital for every year the new royal children were born Charlotte Louis and george. I was there for a entire year in 2017 2019 and 2021 a entire year staring at 4 walls watching birthdays Xmas all pass me by. I learned I am resilient stubborn and creative. And I promised myself when I got back home proper home I'd set up a studio to donany arts crafts I want something to enjoy I'm 36 now I've been in 24/7 pain since 2012 minimum I need enjoyment and a relief so my studio is now kitten out etc I'm just learning the things I need. And waiting on that golden day when my pain levels are controlled and my energy levels alow me. And as for my knitting same as your mum I can watch tv whilst I'm knitting away. Just need to polish up my end pieces you know the end caps and sheiherds hooks. That part I'm terrible at. I need to finish them up then I will have a sslable product.

Sounds like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards with your health but have now come out the other end and what you can handle. Nothing quite like home for comfort and stability, allowing those creative juices to be flowing. I find achieving a neat finish is always a bit of a challenge with chains and bracelets I tend to go for the easy option of a lobster clasp. I find it really hard selling stuff however if somebody really likes and wants it I tend to let it go … N

Thanks TLO Jewelry, so many variations on a theme with this sort thing I discovered this technique when trying to make hearts … it’s great for the V shape part of a heart … I also love the Celtic chant sound i’ve used it a few times now … N

thanks for your comment Autumn, I still have my first ring I made in a jewellery class. Would love to go back and do some more, could make a great video … N

thanks for that PT, simple but sweet … I forgot to weigh them in the video … not much silver used … N

thanks for that Liburni, I was trying to get across that endless variations are possible with a few basic techniques … N

Thanks for that Tenebrae … N

thanks Julie, I find something quick and simple more satisfying to achieve sometimes … N

Greetings to you too Raphael … Cheers … Nick

Nice to hear that Greg … cheers … Nick

Thanks M&T, Glad you enjoyed it … N

Cheers Quasar Pulsar, simple but sweet … N

by combining a few different techniques there are endless variations on a theme with this sort of thing. The difficulty comes when you get requests for certain finger sizes some designs are tricky to reproduce. I am in Bristol … N

Nice to hear that Katie, lots of variations on a theme once you get going with this sort of thing … N

Thanks for that Durgesh … N

thanks for that Nawar … N

Thanks for that Star, I use the storyblocks add-on in the LumaFusion app for music. There’s not much info on the tracks apart from a name, this one is called falling sun … N

@@Nickscreativestuff hey Nick ah great thank you 😊 I'll have a look. Really nice track! Love your tutorials

Cheers Star, i’ve come across this sort of track by searching genres like Celtic Folk Chant … N

hi Sharon thanks for your comment, sorry I forgot to go into more detail about the solder paste I was using. The first loop ring had one joint so I used easy. The second button ring I started with hard for the two ring joints. I then placed the two finished rings on top of each so the joints were touching and soldered them together with easy paste between. The last chevron ring had two joints but were far enough apart to just use one so that was easy paste … hope this makes sense … N

👍😎👍 … N

Thanks for that Christine, I mostly use a small refillable butane torch, convenient and easy to operate suitable for most jobs … N

thanks A … N

hi Maren thanks for your comment, my favourite little vice i use all the time was cheap and came from Lidl‘s … a German outlet I think … commonly called a multi angle vice. The broom handle dowel was easy to cut down in my wood turning lathe, however I’m sure the same effect could work with some sort of sander … all the best to you … N

Thank you very much for your very soon answer...

hi Malika thanks for that, selling stuff is more trouble than it’s worth sometimes. being hobbyist I just enjoy the making process. I occasionally do a market or a Christmas stall and sell some bits and bobs. Maybe one day when I retire I could put the effort into learning how to sell on the web … but until then just a happy hobbyist having fun at home … N

@Nicks creative stuff I would really want that big one... 😢

Thanks for that MaryLee, all three of these rings were made with 1.5mm silver wire… N

18 gauge?@@Nickscreativestuff

The nearest gauge to 1.5mm is 15 being 1.45mm … N

hi Emma, that was a small piece of old broomstick that I had knocking around in my workshop. I cut and shaped the end down to size on my wood turning lathe however it could be done with a chisel and sander … N

Thanks Ceecee, nice to share. Thanks for your Sub … N

hi Tammi, I use my iPhone 14 for both filming and photography it seems to work well on a white glass table using lots of lamps for plenty of lighting. Here in the UK B&Q is a home improvements DIY superstore who sell lots of roles of different wallpapers and they don’t mind you taking samples home to compare. so I have a huge collection of different colours and textures to choose from for photography backgrounds when needed … This is one of my favourite music tracks, not sure I can get away with using anymore times … N

@@Nickscreativestuff so I need to get a better phone, which I can do. But I have another question. When soldering copper how do you copper plate the silver solder joints?

I find using spent pickle the easiest way. when cleaning silver in a hot acid bath you must never introduced steel, otherwise your silver will get copper plated with a reaction to the steel. Old pickle tends turns to blue with saturated copper molecules and is worth keeping for copper plating. I reheat the solution and introduce what I want to plate wrapped in steel wool. The wool will go red with copper, but also the piece wrapped in the wool will also get plated. Another option that works well if you want a thicker coating is electroplating. For this you need a low power electric source and copper sulphate saturated water … N

Hi Kirt, I use the LumaFusion app for video editing and the music comes from a subscription plug-in called storyblocks. there’s very little info on the music available, it just comes with a name and this track is called “Falling Sun”. I think it may have a type of “Celtic Folk" genre … cheers … Nick

@Nickscreativestuff Oh I see. Well it's beautiful very calming indeed. I could happily fall asleep listening to that. But I wanted to concentrate in what I was learning from yourself. So I ensured I liked and saved so I could easily find the video again. I'm not good with tech I'm a slow learner. Jewellery making however I'm flying I made my first viking weave last week took 3 attempts it went from horror show to wow omg I would purchase that and it's so relaxing I made a copper viking knit bracelet and because I enjoy it I made enough for 4 necklaces. I have also tried resin arts I was good at that too. Socnow I have drew about 8 designs and I am about to start on copper shaping hammering etc cuff bangles rings etc

It’s amazing how everyone has completely different tastes in music, I tend to use anything that just grabs me at the time. I used to get a lot of negative comments saying what terrible choice of music. I managed to put a stop to that, by simply stating “being a voice this video if you don’t like the music you can turn the sound off. I’ve never tried a viking weave, they do look great with a very iconic look. A nice way to find a niche is to play and experiment with lots of techniques to find something that suits your style and abilities … with lots of fun on the way … N

@Nickscreativestuff usually my phone is on silent due to my anxiety at the time I watched your video my volume happened to be up which is extremely rare indeed I don't even know my own ringtone when my anxiety is bad I csnt have any sounds at all ots quite sad. But I know your videos are worth watching so I put sound on and yeah got drawn in. As for viking weave I bought a cheap dowel for about £2 a 158meter 24ga copper from temu for about £8. It's such a simple technique but you gotta give it a try stleast 5x before you get the swing of how tight to hold the dowel or the copper. There's some fantastic teachers on here teaching us. Once it's done on a dowel you then you'll through a drawplate to tske it to mm you require and I gotta say even a 26ga drawn down to a 6mm looks absolutely incredible. And best bit you only need to weave about a inch which for me takes about 15mins and thsts enough for a bracelet! I use a 10mm dowel with 26ga copper wire. And yeah about a inch or two will reward you with a bracelet. Then add on lobster or tbar. When you have dome free time give it a go if I can do it anyone can especially yourself whom has plenty experience working with metals

@Nickscreativestuff and also if someone doesn't like the music turn captions on instead ! You will never please everyone's preference we are all different from every part of the world. If it was me personally I'd go with a bit of spa you know Nepalese bells maybe with some wave background noise. That to me would relax and unwind me ready for learning you see. But honest the music in your vdoe is beautiful I always say a amazing film can be ruined if it does not have a fab background music to draw you through it.

Hi Patricia thanks for that, it was all made with 1.5 mm sterling silver wire … N

cut a strip of paper to your ring size's length, wrap the paper around your mandrel if you want, draw the design on, lay it flat, measure the lines.

Great idea bin bean, thanks for the suggestion … N

it is a bit tricky to size this ring as the wire stretches when giving it a hammered effect. My favourite technique is to test and practice with copper first, once you have a ring near the correct size made from copper you can cut sections out and rejoin the ring until you have a correct size. Now you have a ring that fits perfectly it can be cut open once more and straightened out to measure … hope this helps … Nick

@@Nickscreativestuff I made it using the same size wire as you did and god damn did it stretch! Id say about 100mm of wire would be enough for a size 10 finger

Even when testing with copper wire first it’s only ever an estimate as every time I hammer it out it can very slightly. I find ring making always a bit troublesome … not only having to get the design right also having to get the size sorted … N

hi Cheri, yes you definitely can in copper i’ve not done much with brass before. I made all these rings in copper first to try them out and get the sizes right. The only problem being silver solder joints show on copper. However the visible silver joints can be covered up with a basic copper plating technique … all the best … Nick

Ty Nick..love your creative ideas🙂

thanks for that Cheri … 👍😎👍 … N

Hi Timothy, I just make stuff for the pleasure of it. if I was going to sell them they would be between £10 - £20 … N

So do I?I'm gonna watch you.I like your ideas

Thanks for that Timothy, nothing too serious all a bit of fun … N