How are the jewels made?

With love and enjoyment! But besides that, everything is made using beautiful stones aquired from all different places. I am not a lapidary, so I buy my stones finished and ready to be designed into jewely.
I really enjoy most stones, but the more interesting the pattern the better! All the metal work is made using sterling silver, fine silver, or argentium silver sheet, round wire, and fine silver bezel strip (it's what is used to wrap the stones). 
I also enjoy using vintage silverware at times. Some being silver-plated (SP) and some being sterling silver.
Brass and copper are sometimes a feature in the designs as well. 
I do not cast any of my work, therefore each piece is unique and truly one of a kind. 

~ What is Argentium silver? ~
- Argentium silver is .940, meaning it is 94.0%  silver. 
- Sterling silver is .925, meaning it is 92.5% silver.
- Fine silver is .999, meaning it is 99.9%  silver. 

The benefit of argentium silver is its ability to easily fuse to itself.
Melts like buttah! They add a touch of germanium to the silver which helps with tarnish resistance and brightens the silver. 
It can also be incredibly brittle during the firing process, so it takes time to understand how to work with it. I have found over the years it is great for certain projects, but not so much for others!
Each type of silver has its place in the process of jewelry making.