A little more than a year ago, Clarlin Rivera opened her Atelier and Showroom in Gol Plaza in La Romana designing jewelry with a focus on silversmithing and crafting “unique pieces of jewelry as an extension of the wearer’s personality.” The artist began her career in 2007 after finishing a two-year program in San Juan Puerto Rico where she learned to make jewelry using semi-precious stones, cubic zirconia, leather, and medieval jewelry – a personal favorite. Today, Clarlin shares with us a video of the in-depth process of turning silver sheet metal into beautiful wearable art.
Following her studies in San Juan, Clarlin continued on to study Goldsmithing for four years at Syntra Brussels in Belgium and then returned to her home country of the Dominican Republic to start her business. She tells Casa de Campo Living her design style is contemporary: “You can wear pieces from my collections now and also over ten years because it’s a matter of style, not fashion. I love to design with clean lines and geometric shapes, and most of my jewelry has a name or a story attach to it.”
A photo posted by Clarlin Rivera Joyas De Autor (@clarlinrivera) on
In her video, Clarlin gives an insider’s look into the step-by-step production process from raw materials to the final details. The ring is made of silver, and what may look like a complicated process to the novice, takes the expert approximately 30 minutes!
Measure the size of the finger with the ring sizer
Mark your silver sheet to saw your ‘ring blank’
Saw a ‘ring blank’ and form a band with pliers – making sure to touch the ends, otherwise the ring will not solder
Cover band with flux and place it on the honey comb for soldering. Place a piece of solder where ends meet and wave the flame over the band. Phases in the soldering process include: (1) Flux will turn very white, (2) Sterling silver band with turn slightly orange, and (3) Sterling silver band will turn a dark gray. Solder will run.
After ring is soldered, dip into water to cool, then place in the ‘pickle’ until it turns white and afterwards rinse with water
Shape the ring using the ring mandrel by pounding it with the wood hammer and then file the soldered part of the band to create a smooth surface
Sand the entire surface of the band using 3 different levels of grit sandpaper (ex. 400, 500, 600- grit) and then you’re ready to polish!
A photo posted by Clarlin Rivera Joyas De Autor (@clarlinrivera) on
Clarlin Rivera notes the process is not complicated but time-consuming especially when sanding the pieces if the design has a lot of details. Rings and earrings are among the designer’s favorite things to craft, but she also does custom work sighting it as cherished part of her job, “I get to make my clients dreams come true and see them happy with the final piece after they have been following the whole process; it’s the best reward I receive.”
Stay tuned for more from the talented silversmith and jewelry designer as we delve into what’s next for the brand and the reveal date for her upcoming fashion show! To see Clarlin Rivera’s products in person, visit her showroom in Calle Altagracia.
Clarlin Rivera Paredes was born in La Romana, Dominican Republic in 1981, where she currently resides. During her career, Rivera has done collective exhibitions at the “San Juan Beauty Show” in Puerto Rico in 2007 and 2011. She was also part of the collective exhibition entitled “Eindwerk” in Syntra Brussels, Belgium and in 2013 at “RotaBazaar “in La Romana. In 2015, she launched her store opening with a fashion show.
Location: Gol Plaza – local #6B, Calle Altagracia No.13, La Romana, República Dominicana.
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am – 12pm and 3pm – 6pm
