Metalsmithing

Metalsmithing is the craft of shaping, forming, and ornamenting metal objects through heating, hammering, cutting, and joining. Practitioners work in jewelry, hollowware, sculpture, and decorative arts, applying traditional techniques with modern tools to create functional and expressive pieces. The field has roots in many cultures before the industrial era, with goldsmiths, silversmiths, blacksmiths, and coppersmiths developing techniques that continue to influence contemporary practice.

Common techniques include forging and planishing to shape hot metal, annealing to relieve stress, soldering and welding to join parts, and casting, including lost-wax casting, for complex forms. Decorative methods such as chasing and repoussé, engraving, filigree, and patination complement finishing work like polishing and sealing with enamel or lacquer.

Materials range from gold, silver, copper, brass, and bronze to iron, steel, and aluminum, often in alloys that adjust hardness, ductility, color, or workability. Tools include an anvil or stake, forge or torch, hammers, tongs, files, saws, drills, punches, and a variety of clamps and jigs. Safety practices emphasize ventilation, eye protection, heat-resistant gloves, and careful handling of hot metal and sharp tools.

In modern practice, metalsmithing blends traditional craft with design inquiry and studio-based production. It encompasses personal studio work, commissioned pieces, and educational programs, with communities and guilds that document techniques and uphold standards. The field continues to evolve through collaborations with jewelry designers, sculptors, and craftsmen who explore form, function, and material behavior.