From the Bench │How long does it take to make a piece?

This is one of the questions I hear most often—and one of the hardest to answer.

My usual response is, "Forty-three years, plus at least twelve hours."

The forty-three years are the accumulated experience of daily work at the bench. Every piece I make carries the lessons learned over decades of hand-shaping silver.

The twelve hours is a rough estimate of the time it takes to create a single piece, from testing the gemstone in our gem lab to cutting, soldering, filing, and polishing. Some pieces are built layer by layer using sterling silver and fire, a process known as fabrication. As each component is joined, refined, and polished, the design gradually comes to life. Some fabricated pieces return to the bench one last time, where I hand-engrave details that complete the design.

The more sculptural pieces—such as my charms and animal pendants—begin differently. I first sculpt them in wax before they are cast in sterling silver using the lost-wax casting process. We have a small foundry at our studio where this casting takes place. Once the silver has been cast, every piece is carefully filed, refined, and polished by hand before it is ready to wear.

Whether a piece is fabricated or cast, the time spent making it is only part of the story. Every finished piece also carries the years of practice, patience, and craftsmanship that made it possible.

— Marcia
Body & Soul Silversmith