A silversmith works with precious metals such as gold and silver. The "smith" part of the name indicates that hammers are used for shaping the silver (the word smith derives from the word smite, meaning to hit or strike). Flatware (knives, spoons and forks), hollowware (hollow vessels) and jewelry are all crafted in this

manner.

The smith begins with a thick piece of metal called

an ingot. The ingot is hammered with a sledge-

hammer on an anvil to thin the metal. Then the

piece is placed over a stake, and the raising

process begins. When the shaping is finished, the

final smoothing is done with a planishing hammer.

Decorative pieces such as handles and finials are

added after the final planishing. These pieces are

cast in sand molds and are attached to the body

of the piece with silver solder. Sometimes the smith

uses a jeweler's saw or a sharp tool to create a

pierced design in the object being crafted. Finally,

the piece is polished using pumice (a volcanic ash),

tripoli (decomposed limestone, less abrasive than

pumice), and jeweler's rouge (powdered red iron

ore.) These final steps require a great deal of time,

often more han the shaping of the piece itself.