The Library of Work and Play: Working in Metals

by Charles Conrad Sleffel

Tools: Shears, files, draw plate.

Directions: Cut a piece of silver, No. 20, the size of any one of the above designs. Cut a piece of No. 24, ¹⁄₁₆ in. wide and long enough to go around the stone, to make a bezel. Be sure that this bezel fits close and tight around the stone. Bind the bezel, and solder. After soldering, fit the bezel again to the stone, for the soldering is apt to change the shape. File the bottom off perfectly flat; clean the surface of that part to be used for the back of the pin. Bind the bezel on this piece, wash with borax, and solder it in place.

Pin: This can be bought at any jewellery store. However, if you wish to make your own, you can do so in the following manner: Place a piece of No. 16 wire in the draw plate and reduce it a little. This drawing through the plate stiffens the wire, and this is just what is needed in a pin; otherwise it would bend when pushing it into the scarf. When you think it is stiff enough, file the end to a long needle point. Cut it off about 3 ins. long. Bend the blunt end down at right angles ¹⁄₈ in. Place this end against the back of the pin in such a way that the bent end will be against the plate and a little above the centre. Bind it in place and solder it on tight. Be careful to heat just as little of this pin as possible, for you remember that heating a piece of silver red hot softens it, and you must heat it red hot to solder. So confine the heating to as small a space as possible. Sometimes I soak a piece of cloth in water and wrap it around the pin, covering up all except the part to be soldered. This prevents it from softening.

To place the stone: The stone is put in and the bezel is pushed against it and holds it in place.

This is a very plain scarf pin without any pretence at design. Scarf pins can be made in all shapes, sizes, and all sorts of cut out designs.

All silver should be polished smooth and made free from scratches. The polishing hardens the surface of the metal. This is why silver jewellery of all kinds becomes brighter and smoother the longer it is worn.