Ring sizing

Determining proper ring size is one of the most often asked questions asked of me in my silversmithing business. There are several ways to measure your ring size. Some are more accurate than others.

The most accurate way to measure your ring size is to have it measured by a jeweler using a ring sizer. A ring sizer is a collection of plastic or metal rings that have proper ring sizes stamped on them. You simply try on the rings and note the size of the ring that properly fits your finger. All jewelry stores and many department stores have ring sizers that you can use. A few of my customers have used sizers at Walmart. It is quick and easy but requires a trip to the store.

You could also buy ring sizer if you want one. Jewelry supply stores offer ring sizers for sale and many of them have web sites. A popular web site for jewelry supplies is Rio Grande Jewelry Making Supplies. They can be found on the web at www.riogrande.com. I also offer sizers through my Etsy shop here. I don't make any money on these. I only offer them as a service. It is $6 and includes the sizer, shipping, and packaging.

Another accurate way to determine ring size is to measure a ring that fits your finger. Just measure the inside diameter of the ring. If the ring is out of round, take several measurements and average the measurements. Following is a chart of inside diameter measurements in millimeters and corresponding US ring sizes. If in doubt about the size go up 1/2 size.

Ring size    Diameter in mm                       Ring size   Diameter in mm
4                 15                                             4.5             15.3
5                 15.7                                          5.5             16.1
6                 16.5                                          6.5             16.9
7                 17.3                                          7.5             17.7
8                 18.1                                          8.5             18.5
9                 19                                             9.5             19.4
10               19.8                                        10.5             20.2
11               20.6                                        11.5             21
12               21.4                                        12.5             21.8
13               22.2                                        13.5             22.6  

Without precision measuring instruments it is hard to measure 1/10ths of a mm. It is sometimes easier to measure the circumference of your finger to obtain a ring size. Wrap a string around the knuckle of  your ring finger and then measure the string. Following is a chart of finger circumference and corresponding ring sizes.

Ring size    Circumference in mm          Ring size   Circumference in mm
4                 46.8                                      4.5              48
5                 49.3                                      5.5              50.6
6                 51.9                                      6.5              53.1
7                 54.4                                      7.5              55.7
8                 57                                         8.5              58.3
9                 59.5                                      9.5              60.8
10               62.1                                     10.5             63.4
11               64.6                                     11.5             65.9
12               67.2                                     12.5             68.5
13               69.7                                     13                71

If you carefully measure, the last two methods should give you a good approximation of your ring size. Some jewelry web sites have a paper ring sizer you can print out and wrap around your finger to obtain your ring size. In my experience they are pretty inaccurate. Size of the image can change during  scanning and/or printing that will give an inaccurate reading. I tried two such sizers this morning and both measured smaller than the correct size. Some web sites selling rings just want to make the sale. If the ring is too big, they will resize it (for a fee, of course). 

If you are thinking of  buying a ring over the internet, I suggest you have your finger sized by either a jeweler or send for a ring sizer. If you send for my sizer I will guarantee the ring I make will fit or I will resize it at no cost.      

There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.

I believe that Sir Winston Churchhill, the great British leader of WWII, had it right when he quoted the ancient Greek proverb, "There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man." (or woman, boy, girl). I am not alone in this belief as many other people have had this quote attributed to them including the American Humorist Will Rogers and President Ronald Reagan. Nowhere was this more evident to me than at the Juvenile Detention/ Treatment Facility where I worked for 9 years.

This facility for troubled youth was located on a ranch setting with horses, cattle, and other farm animals that the kids regularly interacted with. The horses however, were the focus of the treatment program. The horses were the focus because they were effective at helping those kids. In some cases they worked miracles, touching kids when nothing else could.

We had a diverse population of kids at "The Ranch". Some were there because they were in trouble with the law, some because of mental health issues, some were abused or neglected, and some were there because no one wanted them.

I remember in particular a boy who had never really bonded with another living being before. His file listed his parents whereabouts as "unknown". He had been in a series of foster homes without making any important emotional attachments to anyone. At first he did not want to work with the horses. When he finally did decide to give the horse thing a try, he picked a horse that was on the low end of the pecking order. I guess it was a horse he could relate to. He grew to love the horse and was able to use the relationship with the horse as a bridge to finally make some meaningful relationships with staff and other residents.

After he had been there for about 9 or 10 months, he asked me what he had to do to stay at the ranch. I asked him why he wanted to stay. He replied, "This is the best place I've ever been." I asked him what made it good and he quickly answered "the horses". After a short pause he added a couple of names of people. I thought it was sad that he considered a juvenile detention facility the best place he had been but was pleased to note he had some relationships with people that were important to him. He went on to add, "If I do good  I will graduate the program and will have to leave. If I do bad I'll be transferred to the state run detention facility. So what do I do?" Seems unfair that a kid of 13 is put in that situation.

A girl came to the ranch shortly after I started work there. She was totally uncommunicative to men. She would not acknowledge my existence when she came over to the arena to participate in horsemanship class. But about 6 weeks later I knew I was making progress when she responded to my, "Good morning, how are you?", by speaking to her horse, "Smokey, TELL MR. KING I AM JUST FINE!! "For the next couple of months we communicated through her horse. I'd tell Smokey to tell her something and she would answer back by telling Smokey what she wanted me to hear.

Then one day while we were talking through Smokey, she she told him (just loud enough for me to hear) about some horrific abuse her mother forced her into. Later that day she told her therapist about the abuse during a group therapy session. At that point the healing began. The horse gave her enough courage to tell someone about what happened to her.

Eight years later she came back to the ranch to visit. She was well dressed. She had a nice car. She said she was a regional manager for a large corporation. She watched a horsemanship class, took a chair out, and sat in the arena while I fed the horses and did afternoon chores. When I got back she told me, "I just had to sit here at the place that saved me". There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a-- girl.

Other Metals Used in Silversmithing

Last week I posted about the metals I usually use for my silversmithing projects. As a followup I'd like to talk a little about the other metals containing silver that are sometimes used in silversmithing. Metals that I seldom use for reasons I'll explain in this post.

The first metal I'd like to discuss is silver plate. Silver plate is composed of a base metal with a very thin layer of silver on the surface. A common base metal is brass but other metals are sometimes used such as nickle, copper, or German Silver. The base metal is immersed in a solution containing silver ions. An electrical charge is introduced and a thin layer of silver metal is deposited on the surface of the base metal. Sometimes this layer of silver is as thin as 1/1000 of an inch. Heavy silver plate is considered to be any silver deposition of 4/1000 of an inch or greater.

The most common problem with silver plate is that it can wear away leaving the base metal visible. I recently was asked to estimate the value of a plated cup that had the brass base metal exposed on the handle. And I won a silver plated belt buckle at a horse show that showed the base metal after a few months of wear. Even under moderate use the silver plate can be worn away. For this reason I never use silver plate in any of my projects.The hallmark for silver plate is "silver plate", "quadruple silver plate", or "silver on copper" among others, but most plated items are not hallmarked.

Another metal used in silversmithing is silver overlay. In this process, a layer of base metal is bonded to a thin layer of sterling silver. The sterling is usually between 10% to 20% of the entire thickness of the metal. This layer is much thicker than silver plate and is resistant to wear. Overlay is tough enough to be used in horse gear such as buckles and conchos. It is used because it is quite a bit cheaper than solid sterling.

When using silver overlay the edge needs to be covered up as the base metal is visible. Also, when engraving, I have cut through the silver layer, exposing the brass in the engraving. I believe solid sterling makes a higher quality product and seldom use overlay. I do use it to match a lost or damaged part of a set or when the customer requests it. "Sterling Silver Overlay" is the hallmark for this product.

German Silver is another metal used by silversmiths. It is also known as nickle silver. However, German Silver contains no silver. The silver color comes from 20% nickle and 20% zinc with the remaining 60% being copper. It is increasingly being used as base metal for silver plate since the color is similar and doesn't show as bad as brass or copper when the silver wears off. There are many registered hallmarks for German Silver. Most are designed to try to confuse the buyer into thinking this product is actual silver. They include "German Silver", Nickle Silver", "Afgan Silver", "Alpaca", "Mexican Silver", and many others. The hallmark for German silver plated by silver is "EPNS" (ElectroPlated Nickle Silver).

German Silver is cheap and easy to form and engrave. I used it a lot for practice when I was first learning. I rarely use it anymore because German Silver has no residual value. Even though I form it and engrave it the resulting item is basically worthless.

I hope these posts have given you a little information with which you can use if you are wanting to buy silver or silver containing items. Or have something custom made.

How I Make a Concho Pendant

 I recently had an order for a concho pendant and the buyer wanted to know how it was made. This blog post is in response to her request. The order is for a 1 1/4 inch domed concho with a brass overlayed giraffe. The concho will have a plain edge and a stippled background.
The first thing I did was to see if I might have some sterling left over from a prior job that was big enough for the concho. I looked through my scrap box and found a piece of solid sterling plate that would work.

A couple of years ago I had an order for 16 headstall conchos. I cut 18 blanks in case I made a mistake. I had one left. (Does that mean I had to redo one?)

After cleaning up the sterling I hallmarked the piece by stamping my name and "sterling" on the back.

Next I domed the concho. I used a piece of plexiglass with a 1 1/4 in hole cut out of it as a die. I sandwiched the die, the silver, and a piece of polyurethane in my hydraulic press and gave it a few pumps-

 which resulted in a nicely domed concho.

Next I cut off the flange with a jeweler's saw. That is a skinny blade!

 I cut the concho slightly larger than what I needed so I could true up the edge with my belt grinder.

   

I wrapped a piece of 12 gauge sterling around a piece of round stock for the bail. 

I had already scanned some artwork into the computer, so I printed it out, glued it to the piece of brass and cut it out with the jeweler's saw.

I lost my photographer at this point. My grand daughter had to go home and help her mother. So now I only have two hands to work my tools and the camera. Bummer! And I lost some good company. Really a Bummer!

The next step was to solder the giraffe to the concho. After the giraffe (or figure, initials, brand, date, logo, or whatever) is soldered on there are several things you can do to finish the concho. Most of the time I will engrave the background with a Western Bright Cut scroll pattern. Sometimes I'll leave the silver plain and buff it to a high shine. This customer wanted the background stippled. Stippling means to evenly make a bunch of small dots that covers and fills in the background. I stipple with my air powered GraverMax engraving machine. While engraving the GraverMax has a small piston inside a handpiece that vibrates and provides a little assist in pushing the tool through the metal. While stippling I just hold the tip of the tool above the metal and the vibration causes the tool to tick the metal, leaving a small dot. My tool for stippling is a sharpened steel rod. This photo shows a small area being stippled on a practice plate of brass.

The design on the left of the plate is some bright cut scroll work.

All that's left is to clean up the concho and it's ready to ship. This one will go to a customer on the East Coast.

So that's the process of hand making a simple concho with an overlay. Most of what I do is a little more involved than this. I will often put a flange with a scolloped or pointed edge around the domed concho. Most of the brass figures usually have a western theme such as horseheads, brands or initials.

As you can see making a concho by hand is an involved process. The maker puts some time and effort into it. Uses quality materials. And I like to think, a little of his/her soul. This is unlike the manufactured conchos that are stamped out of brass by a machine. One crunch of the die and the concho is cut, domed and embossed. Then it is plated with 2/1000th of an inch of silver. Hundreds are made in an hour. Thankfully there are still people that appreciate genuine hand made items. And it seems there are more people discovering handmade stuff all the time.

4H Working Ranch Horse Clinic

No blog post yesterday because I was giving a horsemanship clinic at the Cassia County fairgrounds to some 4H kids. I was up early gathering gear and got home late. I had 8 students for the morning session and 4 for the afternoon/evening. I had a great time and I think most of the kids learned something and had some fun as well.

One of the things that made it a pleasant experience was the help and support from everyone involved. Many parents and 4H leaders showed up to support the kids which made it nice. Rosie Davids, the county 4H coordinator, attended, provided snacks, and made sure things went well. Dena Jarolimek, the WRH Show Superintendent, reserved the fair grounds, took entries, arranged for the use and shipping of the cattle, set up the arena, and generally ensured everyone had a positive experience. Mike (Dena's son) had a busy day hauling cattle, participating in the clinic, feeding and watering stock, sorting calves, and taking responsibility of the roping dummy and other equipment.  I had the easy part. I showed up and played with horses and kids.

Having been a youth counselor in a treatment/detention facility and a public school teacher, it was very gratifying to see the support and interest everyone had in making a great activity for those kids. During the 9 years I worked at the Idaho Youth Ranch (the treatment facility), I worked with quite a few kids that did not even know the whereabouts of their parents. To have someone or anyone, show up and support them at a clinic would have been something they would have never even dreamed of. Yet in this case every kid had a parent or 4H leader haul in their horse and stay to watch and help. They had someone there who had an interest in them and what they were doing. I believe that, in at least one case, a relationship between a girl and her older retired 4H leader was strengthened that will help that girl for the rest of her life. 

I recently received a call from a guy I had in my 4H club about 10 years ago. His dad was in jail and his mother had some substance abuse issues. More that once I went over and rousted his butt out of bed and hauled him over to feed his pig and clean the pen. Shortly after he completed his 4H project he got involved in some substance abuse problems of his own and wound up going to adult jail. He said he called because he had some friends over to watch a ball game and they got to talking about "things". He wanted to let me know that he was married, had a little girl. and had been sober and gainfully employed at the same job for over 4 years. The noise of people talking and the TV faded away and he said he locked himself in his bedroom because he didn't want his friends to see him and, that's where he keeps "IT".

He said "IT" was his blue ribbon for his pig from the county fair. He said he looked at it every day while getting ready for work. He said the ribbon reminded him that he had been successful. He said  he could continue to be successful and meet his goals if he worked at it. He said he wanted me to know. You can't tell me that 4H doesn't work. You can't tell me that 4H doesn't change lives.

Sometimes being a 4H leader is a pain. But I continue to do it because I want my grand daughters to gain the benefits 4H offers. From my horse club and from the other clubs they are involved in. And, I think as human beings we have a responsibility to make this world a better place. In a small way, I can fulfill this responsibility through my association with 4H.

Fine silver, Sterling silver and Argentium

Recently I've had several people ask me about the various types of silver I use in my work. Some of them thought sterling was just another name for silver and had no idea there was a difference between the two. There are many different mixtures of silver and other metals, called alloys, that are used in industry and the jewelry trade. I normally use two alloys, Sterling and Argentium, plus fine silver for my silversmithing projects. 

Sterling is the most common alloy of silver used in jewelry and silversmithing. Sterling is a mixture of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Since pure silver is very soft and will wear away quickly, copper is added to improve toughness and abrasion resistance. Copper is used because it does not dull the bright shine of the silver. The copper does however cause the silver to tarnish over time. Hallmarks for sterling are the word "sterling" or ".925". These hallmarks are legal proof that the items are genuine sterling having 92.5% silver..

I use much more sterling than any other type of silver. I use it for most jewelry projects and for overlays on horse gear. Pictured to the right is hand engraved sterling overlayed (soldered) on a steel Salinas style horse bit. The sterling is shiny and bright and is tough enough to be worn by a horse.  


Fine silver is pure silver without any thing added to it. Although fine silver is soft it is still used in some applications where it is not expected to have much wear. The hallmark for fine silver is ".999". The item is legally required to be pure silver (at least 99.9% pure).

I use fine silver for inlays. In inlay work I cut a channel into steel (or other metal) and pound silver into the channel. Fine silver is easier to force into the steel because its softness. The surrounding steel  protects the silver from wear. Here is a photo of a snaffle bit I inlayed with fine silver stripes. This bit was done 15 years ago and the silver is still in good shape.

Argentium silver is an alloy of silver, copper and germanium. Like sterling it contains 92.5% silver. Germanium is added to greatly reduce the tendency of silver alloys to tarnish. Argentium actually tends to get whiter and brighter with age. The registered hallmark of Argentium is a flying unicorn. Since it is also a type of sterling containing 92.5% silver, some makers also add the "sterling" or ".925" marks. Some countries require the unicorn and a sterling hallmark on Argentium items.

I use Argentium for stone mountings on rings, when I want a contrast between types of silver, and when I want the item to be tarnish free. This mother's ring has the stones set in Argentium tubes.

There are other types of silver used in silversmithing that I do not use. I'll write a post another time outlining why I choose to use and not use the types of silver I do.

"I just love a good horse"

I was wasting time this past weekend by watching a little TV. Craig Cameron, the horse training clinician, made the statement, "I just love a good horse", during his presentation. Kind of made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I was glad to hear him say it. Made me feel like I was not the only old cowboy that was capable of those feelings. Since then I've reflected a bit on some of the horses that I have thought were special over the years.

The first horse that came to mind was Strawberry. Strawberry was a Mustang that was caught off the Bruneau Desert in Southwestern Idaho in the late 1950's. The adults on my grandfather's ranch called him Bruno but my grand mother and us kids named him Strawberry because of his red roan color. Strawberry did not care much for adults but he loved children. My father tried to ride him once while elk hunting. Dad rode him around for a short while then Strawberry sat down on his haunches like a dog. Just sat there. No amount of cussin' could get him to move. Dad got off. Strawberry stood up. Dad got back on, Strawberry sat back down. We switched horses and Strawberry gladly packed kids around for the rest of the week.

When I was about 10 years old my sister and I were riding double on ol' Strawberry. The saddle came loose and slipped under his belly. He waited for us to scramble out from underneath him. When we were out of the way he blew up. Buckin', kickin, fartin', and snortin'. After he got rid of the saddle he came over to us and waited patiently while we gathered up our gear and saddled him back up. We continued with the rest of our ride without any trouble.

My grandmother said she could always tell when my cousin or I was coming out to the ranch. She claimed Strawberry would come out of the back pasture and wait at the front gate for us. I don't know how Strawberry knew I was coming out to Grandma's but I am pretty sure my cousin Linda whispered in his ear and told him when she would be back!

Strawberry was a lucky horse. He had a good home, was well taken care of, and had the undying love of some kids. In his own way, I am sure he loved us back. Maybe he wasn't the only one who was lucky.

Now, nearly 50 years later, I realize Strawberry was just an old jug headed mustang with minimal training. But to a couple of kids, there was not a better horse in the world. And no horse would have  been better for those kids. Even though I've moved on to "better" horses, I still have a soft spot for Mustangs and strawberry roans.

There are a few other horses I think about as being special. But those are subjects for another post. Any horse come to mind when you hear, "I just love a good horse?"