The Little Things You Don’t See in a Piece of Handmade Jewelry

The story behind my Ups a Daisy necklace, from little pieces of silver to a flower that catches the light.

I’ve always loved flowers, especially daisies.

They’re such simple, friendly little flowers. I have plenty of them growing in my yard, and they make me smile every time I look at them.

Having been born in the sixties, I suppose my love of daisies is also a little nod to that time. There’s something about them that feels cheerful and familiar to me.

So, when I decided to make my Ups a Daisy necklace, it felt natural to turn one of my favourite flowers into something I could create in sterling silver.

Of course, making a silver daisy is a little more involved than admiring one in the garden!

It Begins with Little Pieces of Silver

When you see the finished necklace, you see the daisies all together, bright and ready to wear.

What you don’t see are the individual pieces that came before them.

Each flower begins with separate silver shapes. I arrange the petals and centres, paying attention to how they sit together before I begin joining them.

At this stage, they don’t look much like a finished necklace. They’re simply little pieces of silver waiting to become something.

I enjoy this part of making jewelry. It’s when an idea begins to take shape in front of me, even though there’s still quite a bit of work ahead.

The Tricky Part: Bringing the Petals Together

Soldering is always the first big step in bringing all the pieces together, and for me, it’s the trickiest part.

I need the solder to flow properly while making sure those little petals stay exactly where I want them.

It takes care and attention. When the soldering goes well, the cleanup afterwards is so much easier. When it doesn’t, there’s more work to do before I can move on.

This is one of those stages that someone wearing the finished necklace might never think about. But it makes a real difference to everything that follows.

Once the petals are securely together, the flower is beginning to look like a daisy.

But it still isn’t finished.

The Work That Makes the Silver Shine

Next comes the filing and polishing.

These steps take time, and I don’t rush them. I work to remove the marks and visible solder, smooth the edges, and give the silver the finish I want.

I know I’m getting there when the petals feel smooth and the light catches them just right.

That’s when they really begin to shine.

It’s satisfying to see those separate pieces of silver become a finished flower. The soldering, filing and polishing may not be the first things you notice when you look at the necklace, but they’re what help bring the design to life.

From My Bench to Your Everyday

When I look at the finished Ups a Daisy necklace, I see more than a little silver flower.

I remember the petals laid out on my bench, the care it took to solder them together, and the time spent smoothing and polishing until they caught the light.

And I still see the daisies in my yard—the simple, friendly flowers that made me want to create this necklace in the first place.

That’s one of the things I love about making jewelry by hand. A finished piece carries all those little steps with it, even when you can no longer see them.

There's something deeply satisfying about taking an idea and turning it into something real. I shared a little more about the quiet joy of working at my jewelry bench in The Beauty of Making Something with Your Hands.

The Ups a Daisy necklace is currently sold out online, but I can make one to order. If you’d like to know more, please send me a DM for details.

I’m also hoping to make more Ups a Daisy pieces in 2027. After all, I don’t think I’ll ever tire of daisies.

— Tammy

The Maker of Beautiful Things