I've been asked by other chain mailers if I made my own jump rings.  Well, I don't.  Most chain mailers don't make the wire for their jump rings, either.  Few jewelry makers really make all the components they use. 

This wonderful demo from the Turkish jewelry artisan, Forced Work, shows how this gorgeous braided wire bangle is made from scratch. That is, he starts from literally a round block of metal. In the past, jewelers would start from an ingot.  Apart from a few modern electric tools, this workshop could well be a glimpse into what ancient jewelers had to do.

It's fascinating to watch the whole process starting from reducing that block of metal through a rolling mill to get a rough long, long length of wire.  Notice how he draws out the wire to a precise diameter by hand?  This step requires strength.  Today, machines do the drawing out of wire for commercial purposes. 

There are lots of annealing steps. I was fascinated by the fiery kiln which had a simple push mechanism to drop the hot wire into a water bath at the back. 

I liked how he does some wire twisting while braiding.  He also flattens the braided work as he goes along. 

This artisan made precise cuts to the braided wire for soldering. The decorative cutting at the end was the crowning touch!


Before You Go:
Disclosure 

This blog may contain affiliate links. I do receive a small fee for any products purchased through affiliate links. This goes towards the support of this blog and to provide resource information to readers. The opinions expressed are solely my own. They would be the same whether or not I receive any compensation. 
 ______________________________ 
Original Post by THE BEADING GEM