One of the skills you are taught as a silversmith, in fact a smith of any kind of fine metal is piercing. Piercing is the term used for removing sections of metal with a very fine tooth saw. It is a very precise practise that takes some learning before you master it. It is the bane of many silversmiths, as is chain-making, and requires a high degree of perseverance and concentration. Accuracy is paramount.

I’ve always admired very intricate and delicate designs produced in jewellery, from the astonishing filigree work of Moorish silversmiths, to the beautifully complex knot-work of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons, and indeed the work of master-crafts-persons like Faberge. Of course many techniques are often employed in a piece in order to achieve the desired effect, one of which will undoubtedly involve the piercing of metal which is an integral part of being a metal smith. However, what…