7 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Metalsmithing

I got into metalsmithing through the gateway drug – beading. I knew I wanted to make more complicated designs that involved sheet metal and solder and, like any good DIYer, I learned (read - screwed up) as much as I could on my own before I set out to find an expert to teach me. I'm stubborn like that. Luckily, I had someone to guide me when I picked up my first torch. But a lot of things I figured out through trial and error, through melted silver and funky bezels, through moments of staring at a workbench wondering why I thought this was a good idea. Nearly two decades in, I can say with confidence that it was absolutely a good idea, but there are a few things I wish I had known when I was getting started.

Whether you're just starting out, thinking about taking your first class, or coming to metalsmithing from another craft like metal clay, here are some lessons that would have saved me the most time, money, and mild existential crisis.

1. Good tools matter but you don't need all of them at once

Cheap tools will frustrate you and slow your progress. A decent set of files, a good pair of flush cutters, and a reliable torch will take you further than a drawer full of mediocre equipment. But you don't need to invest in everything at once. Start with the basics, learn what you actually use, and invest from there. Jewelers who have every tool ever made are the ones who spent thirty years buying one good thing at a time.

2. Measure twice, cut once. It's not just a saying

Silver is expensive. Time is expensive. The thirty seconds you spend double-checking your measurement before you cut, saw, or solder is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. This applies to ring sizing, stone settings, proportions, and every other moment where you're tempted to just eyeball it. You are not as good at eyeballing it as you think. Neither am I.

3. Your first pieces will be terrible and that's exactly right

Your first solder join will be lumpy. Your first bezel will be slightly crooked. Your first ring will fit someone, just maybe not the person you intended. This is not failure. This is the process doing exactly what it's supposed to do. For every experienced metalsmith you admire, there's a box somewhere full of early work they'd be reluctant to show you. Get through those pieces, enjoy the process, and learn from every one of them.

4. Mistakes are just design opportunities you didn't plan for

Somewhere along the way you will do something wrong and accidentally create something interesting. A texture that happened because you dropped something or a shape that emerged from a crack or a fold. Start paying attention to your mistakes instead of just correcting them. Some of my favorite designs have come from moments that didn't go according to plan. The skill is learning to recognize when a mistake is worth keeping.

5. Learn to solder properly before you learn anything else

Soldering is the foundation. Everything else – stone setting, construction, finishing, fabrication – depends on your ability to make a clean, strong join. If your soldering is shaky, everything you build on top of it will be shaky too. Take the time to really learn it. Practice on copper then practice some more. When your joins are clean and consistent, the rest of metalsmithing will seem easy-peasy.

6. The finish is where the magic happens. Don't rush it

You can make a technically perfect piece and ruin it in the finishing stage by being impatient. And you can take a mediocre piece and make it look extraordinary by finishing it with care. Sanding through the grits, burnishing edges, knowing when to add patina and when to let the metal speak for itself – these are skills that separate work that looks handmade from work that looks handcrafted. There's a difference, and it lives entirely in the finish.

7. Community changes everything

Metalsmithing is a solitary practice. You're alone at your bench, working through problems at your own pace, in your own world. That's part of what makes it wonderful. But the makers who grow the fastest are the ones who find a community. A class, a guild, a conference, an online group is where they can ask questions, share discoveries, and be around other people who get unreasonably excited about new patina techniques. Organizations like AMCAW for metal clay artists are a great place to start. Your people are out there. Go find them.

One more thing

The single best shortcut I know is learning from someone who has already made all these mistakes for you. A good workshop won't just teach you technique. It'll compress years of trial and error into a day at the bench, and send you home with a finished piece and a lot less frustration.

If you're near Richmond, Virginia, come spend some time in my studio. I've been making and teaching for nearly two decades and I still learn something new every time I fire up the torch. There's always room at the bench.