How The Best Silver Jewels In The World Are Made

Silver jewels made by the Miao are admired worldwide

, yet the craftsmanship is rarely known. A little knowledge of it helps you appreciate your Miao jewels a lot more.

The craftsmanship that the Miao silversmiths use today is over 1000 years old. Until recently, it remained a secret , often passed down from father to son, and not to someone who was not a member of the family.

The products are usually handcrafted from beginning to end. And because each of the small details receive careful treatment, the whole pice of a jewel is made to an excellent quality.

Usually, it takes as many as 30 steps to make a Miao jewel. And here is how it works.

First, the Miao artisans melt the silver with a oil lamp and a copper blowtorch. They use only 99% pure silver for the best quality of the products.

Next, the silver liquid is allowed to harden into solid silver bars or paper-thin silver slices.

Then, the solid bars are hammered into silver plates with required shape, and the slices cut into hundreds of tiny silver lines. The task require great skills which in a large determines the intricacy of the details of a jewelry piece.

Next, the silver plates from previous step are fixed in a rosin board for ease of engraving. The jewelers slightly heat the rosin board to make the surface soft and sticky.

The step of engraving is allegedly the most difficult in the whole making process. Designs are first drawn with a pencil, and then engraved with sharp steel sticks. A light hammer, made of the horn of a water buffalo, is used to strike the sticks and help make the design.

To make flower petals, a Miao artsian will have to carve silver threads as thin as human hair, braids the threads into a thicker line, and then twist the tiny lines into the required shape.

To complete the making, the Miao artisan solders the finished silver pieces together.

Making Miao silver jewels is anything but easy. Thanks to the numerous delicate details, a simple one could take many days to finish.

by: David Cheng

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