How to Hammer Silver Jewelry

Silver is a soft, precious metal that is commonly used to make items of jewelry, such as rings, necklaces and bracelets. Pounding a chasing hammer onto the surface of the silver creates individual patterns, designs and textures. Once you master jewelry hammering, you can use the same technique to hammer wire and other soft metals such as copper, aluminum and brass. You can purchase the tools required for this tutorial from craft stores or from online retailers.

Place the piece of silver jewelry onto the anvil block, with the side that you wish to hammer facing up.

Hold the hammer in your right hand (or left hand if you are left-handed) approximately 3 inches below the head of the hammer.

Press down on the edge of the item of jewelry with your free hand. If the piece of silver is too small to hold and hammer at the same time, you will need to use an anvil clamp. If you are hammering a ring, place it onto a long metal ring holder.

Gently tap the surface of the silver with the ball end of the chasing hammer. Start off softly and slowly; it's easy to add more dents, but you can't remove them so easily. Continue to pound on the surface of the silver until you have achieved the desired textured effect. Rotate the piece of jewelry and press down on the hammered section. Gently tap the hammer onto the flat section of the metal, using the same technique.