There was a transitional period between college and university when I worked at a jeweller’s shop manufacturing silver rings by hand to sell in National Trust centres and gift shops. I thought each silver ring would require millenia of labor, and each silver ring was custom manufactured to the end starting the next, but I was infinitely mistaken. The silver ring making process was a lot more organised than that to make sure output was profitable and the stocks were kept high enough for unexpected demand.
The first part of the process is turning the basic silver wire bought in large rolls of different weights into ring shapes. This is done using a special steel rod shaped like a very long taper. The raw silver wire is secured tightly at both ends and then using a twisting handle at the other end of the vice it is turned and wrapped tightly into a spiral until each turn of the spiral is as close to a ring shape as possible. Fingers vary in size so the rings must be made in a variety of sizes to accommodate such finger-girth-variances.
Cut each ring down the center to create half-rings; at this point you will have to learn to use a jeweler’s solder and flux with the steadiness of a sharpshooter. Lay the raw silver rings on a heat resistant board in rows of 10 and throw in the flux to the joints. Moving carefully along each ring, you heat the silver ring up using a circular motion until its molten hot but not melting, once you see a silver flash the flux has melted and bonded with the silver.
After the two ends are fused together using tongs you drop the ring into boric acid to pickle and clean away the flux. Blast a stream of water at your rings afterwards.
Finally, use a mandrel to shape the rings, remove any rough edges, and use a ball bearing container to polish these rough silver circles into works of art. The whole process requires a lot of hassle but it is worth it in the end once you see the finished products. Each ring sold for only a few pounds and you got paid a mere 10 pence per ring making this venture more worthwhile for the experience than the money. How much you earn is directly proportional with how fast you worked.
Your morgan silver dollar is coming up right away. Look for the american silver eagle in the store.