Learn how to seal rough opal and opal cabochons to use them for copper electroformed jewelry. Opals are very delicate and soft stones so they need lots of care in sealing them so the copper sulfate solution does not touch the crystal’s surface.
Read MoreIn this post, I teach you how to saw out any shape out of sheet metal. You’ll need to print out a template of the shape you want. Then glue it to your sheet metal so you can saw it out with a jewelers saw. I tell you the best glue to use and saw blades so you can get the best results!
Read MoreSilversmithing can become very technical and involve math and science but once you get started soldering it can become like second nature. I ran a poll to see what you all wanted to learn and “soldering basics” was on that list.
Read MoreI've been quite busy with my jewelry business because of the holiday shopping season. I will be getting back up and blogging soon. So don't worry, Maker Monologues is not going anywhere!
Read MoreI've been wanting to create this tutorial for a while and I've finally got around to it. If you're new to silversmithing then I highly suggest you check out my other tutorials; How to Make A Silver Ring Band and How To Make A Bezel Setting first because prong settings, although they look easier to make, are actually quite difficult.
Read MoreFind answers to questions such as:
There are some valid safety concerns about copper elctroforming in your home, especially in a small space or a space with children and fur babies. I get asked a lot about the safety precautions you all should take while working in this medium so I'm going to go over as much as possible in this guide.
Read MoreI've gotten a few questions about my process of sealing finished copper electroformed jewelry so I thought it was time to tackle this. This post is for beginning electroformers who are just getting started in this medium.
Read MoreI keep seeing a lot of questions in Facebook groups and forums about which website service provider they should go with; Squarespace or Shopify? I've done business with both platforms' eCommerce capabilities and have come to my own solid conclusion which I'm going to share with you today.
Read MoreSpring cleaning season is upon us and I'm feeling the need to get organized! We all know how to organize our homes, our offices, linen closets, kitchens, etc. There are a plethora of videos, blogs, and books online teaching you how to get more organized in your life. But what you don't see often is how to organize your digital life. I don't think there's a KonMari method of how to organize your product photos on your computer (actually, I wouldn't know because I haven't read the book, but it wouldn't surprise me if she did. If you know, tell me in the comments below!).
Read MoreWhen I first started silversmithing I thought for sure a prong setting would be easier to tackle before trying to make a bezel setting. I was told over and over by my smithing friends that I should master bezel making before attempting a prong setting.
Read MoreSo, how are we going to write our story in a way that makes people want to care? You start out about how your story is going to impact your customer. I'm talking about your About page. I've put in many hours learning about human psychology and how I can write my About page in a way that makes my customers care and want to keep reading.
Read MoreTrying to repeat a fun texture you accidentally achieved through copper electroforming can be quite frustrating. We don't want to leave it up to our power supply to decide whether we get that cool texture or not. So I'm going to show you a way I've been able to achieve that texture.
Read MoreI get asked a lot about what stones, fossils, bones, and shells need to be sealed with a protective coating before putting it into the copper electroforming bath. Also, what is the best way to seal these things so they don't get etched, dissolve or contaminate our bath?
Read MoreIt's the last post in The Branding Series where I partnered with Creative Market! Today we're going to put our brand together into a brand style guide. This is a centralized place where your color palette lives, your patterns, fonts, logos, etc.
Read MoreSo, today's lesson will be creating our logos. It depends on your graphic design know-how and how elaborate or simple you can go or want to go. Since this is a DIY series I'm going to walk you through how I created my logo for my jewelry business, which is a bit more elaborate, and also my plans for my Maker Monologues logo.
Read MoreOne of my biggest issues when I started electroforming was trying to find out the true size of my ring. Often, the epoxy would create a lump on the inside of the ring behind the stone leaving huge gaps when I put the ring on my ring mandrel to find out the size.
Read MoreYou might be thinking "what does texture and pattern have to do with branding? We're not picking out a sofa here." Like choosing graphic elements it's an optional choice. But before you decide to not choose these things let's take a look at some brands that I think are excelling in this department.
Read MoreCopper electroforming solution is made with a blue crystal called copper sulfate, among other ingredients such as sulfuric acid and brightener if you use the Midas Bright from Rio Grande. As you use your solution the other ingredients start to dry up when you don't replenish your solution with distilled water.
Read MoreToday's post is all about choosing those icons, graphic elements, social media icons, and photo props that we want our brand to be associated with! This can be anything from stripes to cats to sunglasses to tools. Anything can be an icon for your brand.
Read MoreMaker Monologues is a blog for makers, creatives and small business owners. Learn how to create jewelry through copper electroforming and how to run an online business.
Hey Maker! My name is Brittany Witt and I'm the owner + blogger here at Maker Monologues. I'm also a jewelry designer + metalsmith. I love teaching aspiring metalsmiths everything I know about silversmithing and copper electroforming! Read more...
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