The New Silversmith: Innovative, Sustainable Techniques for Creating Nature-Inspired Jewelry

In The New Silversmith, jewelry artist Nicole Ringgold shares her cutting-edge sculptural torchwork techniques for creating hand-fabricated, nature-inspired jewelry in sterling silver.

Taking an innovative approach that challenges metalworking’s conventional wisdom, Ringgold creates intricate designs by fusing and carving scraps, and minimizes the need for chemicals by using tools in visionary ways. .

• Essentials. An overview of safety rules, as well as metal, tools, and torch and how to use them.
• Projects. A variety of techniques, illustrated by stunning projects ranging from simple chain designs to a textured branch to a delicate dragonfly, provide inspiration as well as instruction.
• Access to online tutorials. QR codes throughout the book link to concise how-to videos.

With The New Silversmith, you’ll learn to create sumptuous earrings, pendants, bracelets, and rings in sterling silver that celebrate natural forms with this revolutionary, zero-waste approach to jewelry making.

Nicole Ringgold is a silversmith living in Winthrop, Washington, located in the North Cascade mountains. Her art is inspired by her natural surroundings: plants she encounters while hiking through the mountains, the shapes of rocks she plucks from a river, a sound, glimpse, or smell. Her botanical jewelry is hand fabricated, not cast, dipped, or electroformed. She starts with silver sheets and wire, sawing, soldering, filing, texturing, forming, oxidizing, and polishing every piece. Her intention is to recreate natural forms in silver with as much detail as possible, with the goal of making the metal appear alive. She teaches silversmithing workshops in her home studio and around the world. For more about Nicole’s work, workshops, and tutorials, visit nicoleringgold.com and @ringgoldnicole on Instagram.