Goldsmithed Jewelry

Goldsmith Ann Biederman creates handmade jewelry reminiscent of ancient cultures.

Ann Biederman is a goldsmith who has been making art since she was a child. Today she creates unbelievable handmade jewelry reminiscent of ancient cultures. With her fascination of the art of ancient civilizations, and a quest for discovery, she came to master the art of ancient jewelry making. Her pieces are truly timeless.

Each piece of jewelry starts out the same way. Ann alloys all of her gold by hand. She use 24 karat granules, which are very soft, and alloys them to 22 karats so they are a bit harder. She puts the gold in a charcoal block where a hole or line is dug out. The gold then melts in a line (to make a wire) or a rectangle (to make a sheet of gold). It is alloyed by adding silver and copper and then heating them together using a torch. It becomes a liquid puddle and then is shaped in another charcoal block where it is cooled. To make wires, it is then pulled through a rolling mill and draw plates until it is the desired thickness. The metal must constantly be annealed so that it doesn’t crack or split. Once she has made the wire, she can begin.

On the show, Ann makes an Egyptian necklace with turquoise, carnelian and lapis inlay. The gold is cut, shaped and soldered to form pendants. This particular necklace will have strips in the shape of a lotus flower. These inlays are called bezels and will house the stones. Jump rings are made to attach to the beaded strings. They are created by coiling the wire around wooden dowels. Then they are fused together in a beehive kiln, and soldered. Ann cuts the stones on a lapis wheel and shapes them with a diamond cutting wheel. The stones are then set with epoxy. She solders beads together at intervals, creating four strands for each side. To string fringe beads from the bottom, she attaches them with gold wire that is held over a torch flame until the gold balls up. This will hold the beads on the wire. Finally, a clasp is added.

Ann’s classical jewelry has such an authentic feel, you may think they were dug up on an archaeological dig. Each of her well-crafted pieces are dramatic and soulful.