#SilverSmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-02-21

@malte Are people still picking instances based on their location or interests? 🤔

I'm thinking they should be more interested in hashtags. That's how I find a lot of people involved in the arts I like to play around with. #bookbinding #silversmithing #PaperArts #reading #writing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-02-02

I got started on the copper version of the sterling silver earrings I've been making for a few years now. I actually now make them in two lengths; the images shown are the longer ones which are about 2 inches, including the bead. I've never made them in copper before, but I have the materials so why not? I'll need to do the stamping in my mobile studio, which has a good steel block. The studio has a light but I don't like going outside the camper after dark here. Mosquitoes.😳 #silversmithing

Photograph of a pair of sterling silver earrings with Malachi beads. Each earring is made from two strips of silver, one that is a half inch and the other that is a full inch long, that have been stamped for a pattern or texture. The pieces are joined together with silver jump rings. The beads are attached at the bottom with a wrapped loop. The ear wires are sterling silver. The copper version of these earrings will be identical except made with copper strip and wire and a black niobium ear wire that includes a copper bead.
Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-30

Holy crap. Silver is down more than 30% today to under $80/ounce. If it can stay down there (or go even lower), there's hope for my #silversmithing business.🤞🏻

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-27

I did some quick math to see what it now costs to make several of my earring styles and I realized that I was selling them way too close to cost — to the point that I would lose money on wholesale and consignment sales — with current silver prices. I've had to increase the prices on everything silver that I make. #silversmithing

I'll do more work in copper in the months to come, but I think I should probably step away from the business for a while.

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-27

The price of silver is up $11 in two days. 😳 #silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-18

Silver is now more than $90 an ounce. This is crazy expensive for anyone who makes #jewelry with #silver.

In looking up the price, I saw a link for a video about silver pricing from Rio Grande, my supplier. What's neat about the video is it shows the one room I really wanted to see on the tour that they did not show: the metal cutting room.

youtu.be/Xxgq4vH6yxU

#Silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-05

The last two rings: Fire Opal and turquoise. I've made a total of 8 rings since coming to AZ. I'm keeping this turquoise one. #silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-05

I've been working hard to "up my game" and create finer, better handcrafted jewelry products so I can get accepted into better, fine art shows. Unfortunately, people don't seem willing to pay for these items. Silver is more than $70/ounce now. I can't lower my prices and still make enough money to continue #silversmithing. But I also can't continue if I don't sell enough to cover the costs of these shows. I'm starting to rethink my strategy. (4/5)

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-05

The last two rings out of the tumbler. They don't look very impressive without the stones set. I'll set them in the morning. #silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-03

Here are the three rings I finished this morning: sterling silver with tiger eye (not labradorite, as I said yesterday), mookiate jasper (which I could have done better), and turquoise. The tiger eye one really flashes. #silversmithing #SupportArtistsAndMakers

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2026-01-02

Yesterday, I got my mobile jewelry studio organized and started work on three of six rings I want to make. One is labradorite, one is turquoise, and one is Mookiate jasper. (I can't remember what the other three are, but I'll start them today.) I have four uninterrupted days here to work in the studio and I want to get my ring inventory established. If I get all six of these done, I'll have nine ready for the show that starts next Friday in Cave Creek. #silversmithing… (1/3)

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-26

I put away the new earrings and snapped a photo of the two sizes side by side. Honestly, I like the smaller one better. I'll be making a bunch of these before my next show and may stop making the larger ones. For reference, the card they're on is 3x4 inches. #silversmithing

Photo of two versions of a pair of earrings that appear as spiral hoops in sterling silver. One is smaller than the other.
Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-26

And I'm still trying to figure out how to photograph the rings I've been making. This is the third one I finished. #silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-26

I also made a smaller version of my very popular spiral hoop earrings. Here's a photo with the originals. They look the same size in these photos, but the ones on the left are definitely smaller. They both use the same gauges of silver: 18 for the main part and 20 for the little wrap. I only made one pair (so far) because I wanted to see if I could pull it off before I made them in bulk. I can. #silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-26

Better pictures of the new, shorter earrings I finished today. I made two pairs each with four different beads: lapis lazuli, malachite, amethyst, and Kingman Turquoise. I'll try to get them in the shop later today. #silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-25

My busy project for Christmas Eve and Day is making smaller versions of some of my most popular designs. Although these sold well for quite a while, shoppers are moving to smaller designs. These can be downsized pretty easily — all I do is omit the half-inch link and connecting jump ring to shorten them up.

My big challenge is getting decent photos of the new versions without my light tent. 🙄 I need to try harder.

#silversmithing #joinin

Bad photo of the new earring design featuring a 1-inch stamped silver bar with dangling bead. I make these from scratch from fine silver strip and wire, sterling silver wire, and, in this case, lapis lazuli beads.Better photo of the original earring design featuring a 1/2-inch and 1-inch stamped silver bar, joined with a jump ring, with dangling bead. I make these from scratch from fine silver strip and wire, sterling silver wire, and, in this case, lapis lazuli beads.
Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-18

Forgot to share this photo of the third ring I made. This one fits my ring finger but I'd like it to fit my index finger so I might try to stretch out the band a tiny bit. Again, I need practice with ring sizing; I just can't seem to get it right. #silversmithing

It's turquoise and sterling silver. The tiny balls are wire but the three large balls are hand formed, soldered on silver balls

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-14

This morning I discovered that the ring I made yesterday that was larger than I planned — heck, it was my first try! — only fits my fingers in the afternoon when they're swollen up from whatever the hell causes them to swell up in the afternoon. In the morning, the ring is loose enough that now I have to worry about losing it. I guess I'll be selling it after all.

I'm hoping to make two more of them today. I'd like to have an inventory of rings for my next show, in January. #silversmithing

Maria Langer | 📝💎🌵🛥️mlanger@mastodon.world
2025-12-13

From the school of Nothing Goes to Waste In Maria's Studio, every three pairs of earrings on the right yields one pair of earrings on the left.

Scrap? What scrap? Those cutouts are earring components. 🤣 #silversmithing

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