Colby Ng’s Jewelry Making In-Depth Project

Hi everybody, my name is Colby Ng and I’m a Grade 9 T.A.L.O.N.S. Learner.

I chose jewelry making as my In-Depth Project this year because it was something brand new that I never would have pursued without In-Depth. In Jewelry Making you have to heat, cool, shape, hammer, stamp, solder, polish and so much more. Behind the scenes of every jewelry piece, you’ll see mistakes, hard work, tools, and learning. I learned so much and ended up with some amazing pieces of handmade jewelry.

Please click on the images for a clear close-up image.

This copper bracelet was the very first project I completed. I wanted to make it original so I engraved the bracelet with TALONS 2020. It may not be perfect, but that’s the whole point of handmade jewelry, no two projects will ever be identical.

This silver ring was my second project and is my first attempt at soldering. I bent, shaped, stamped, and polished this silver ring, and to finish it off I soldered it together and created my first ring.

These twisted copper rings were my third and fourth projects. I spent time twisting together two separate pieces of wire, and then hammered them flat to get the shape. I wanted some design, so I also went over the metal with a diamond file creating come indents and imperfections. After some polishing, they turned out great and these were some of my favourite pieces I made.

This was my fifth and final project of my In-Depth. My sister and I collaborated on making my mum a homemade Mother’s Day gift. I had to twist copper wire into different words and ended up with a great gift.

I’ll continue doing jewelry making after In-Depth is over and hope to keep learning more.

For more information you can check out my previous In-Depth posts, or if you have any questions I’ll be answering them in the comments below.

Thanks for checking out my Jewelry Making In-Depth Project!

 

48 thoughts on “Colby Ng’s Jewelry Making In-Depth Project

  1. Hello Colby,
    I enjoyed seeing the results of your hard work, It paid off. My favourite piece from your elaborate collection were the two twisted rings. I thought they were very cool. I was actually supposed to make a ring out of coins in a workshop, as a Christmas present from one of my aunts. How long did it take you to make the twisted rings?

    1. A few hours of work, but as you get better it gets a lot easier. Making jewelry is lots of fun and I’d definitely recommend trying it.

  2. Great to see Justin Comeau joining us this evening. Welcome, future TALONS 9. I like your creativity by including copper ribbons into an art piece. What did you enjoy most about this project and why?

    1. The best part of the project was using all the tools. From blowtorch to sanders and polishers it was very interesting to use new tools and create something new.

  3. Wow, Colby! These pieces look amazing! Great job on these (and your Mother’s Day gift – lucky mum Angie 😉

      1. Mommy (Angie) loved the collaborative project that the kids gave me. I love Haley’s art and I’m always begging for more. Imagine my surprise when this beautiful piece of art was presented to me for Mother’s Day. Thanks to this In-Depth project, I have a gift that is beyond anything I could have imagined! Love it!

  4. Hi Colby!
    I love that you chose jewelry-making for you in-depth project. It’s a wonderful skill to have! The gift you and your sister made for Mother’s Day is really pretty.

    In the future, do you plan on sticking with mostly hand jewelry or also expanding to other jewelry, like earrings and necklaces?

    These designs are amazing! Keep it up, buddy!
    Kailey

    1. Thanks so much!
      In the future I do want to try and make more jewelry like earrings and necklaces, and I’m trying to learn how to make a chain right now.

  5. I think your results are very beautiful! What types of metals intrigue you to work with in the future?

    1. If I continued doing this for a long time, I would want to try working with more silver, and try out some gold, but only if I had more experience, because I wouldn’t want to mess up.

  6. Hi Colby,

    Where did you get your inspiration for your projects? What kinds of safety precautions did you have to use when you were heating the metals?

    1. When I was with my mentor she set me up with projects, and when I was at home I was able to research ones online.
      For safety I had o set up a fireproof workspace and use surfaces that wouldn’t burn, I also used gloves while hammering. There are also special reverse tweezers for picking up the hot metal to guarantee you don’t drop it. However, when you cool the metal all you have to do is dunk it in water and it cools almost instantaneously.

  7. These are beautiful! Any chance you are taking commissions? I would love to purchase one of these! I can’t believe you are only in grade 9, your expertise is well beyond your years! Congratulations for a successful in-depth!

  8. I loved the jewelry you made! And I completely agree with your point about no two handmade pieces looking identical. Regardless, they look really professional!

  9. Although Covid meant that you had to do your projects at home, I loved watching you work. Not sure how you snuck the Mother’s Day project under my nose, but well planned out by you and your sister. I really think you could sell some of your work. Going into business with your sister could be a great business too. The painting with the wire work was breathtaking! Go for it!!

    1. Thanks! I’m interested in learning how to make a chain necklace, and I’ve been looking into it.

  10. This is a really cool project that you did! This all looks really difficult, and it’s really neat that you pulled it off! The really like the twisted rings, but overall, they’re all really well done!

  11. Wow, great work! This is such a unique project! Why did you decide to do your project on jewelry making? Awesome job!

    1. Thanks, I decided on jewelry making because it sounded interesting and I never would have the chance to do it otherwise.

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