The Best Jewellery Textures & Finishes with Examples
Throughout the pieces handmade here at Artisan, we love to incorporate texture and it’s fun to get creative with straying away from more traditional plain and flat surfaces. Whilst we love the elegance and simplicity of polished finished surfaces, texture adds depth to the metal whilst also making it much more tactile to create a softer look. So many different varieties and looks can be created by using different textures and finishes, and it’s a secret weapon in making jewellery pieces entirely unique. Let’s take a closer look at some of the most popular choices…
Polish Finish:
Providing a ‘mirror like’ glossy and shiny appearance, a polish finish is the traditional finish that we all know and love! Achieved by using fine abrasives to 
remove any imperfections within the metal, the surface is left with an impeccable shine.
This example shows a wrap around style ring, handmade from 9ct yellow gold with a polish finish and flush set with a diamond in the centre.
Hammered finish:
One of the most popular choices of finishes here at Artisan, the hammered finish is renowned for its unique and intricate detailing. For this look, a hammer 
is used to create lots of small dimple shapes into the surface of the metal. Once formed, these shapes help to refract the light, in turn creating a gorgeous sparkle.
However, not all hammered finish pieces have to be shiny; Technically, to have a hammered finish on your jewellery is to have two finishes in one, as each piece is then either polished finish (to give a shiny appearance) or matte finish (to give a sleek, rough appearance).
The first example shows a simplistic 18ct yellow gold band with a polished hammer finish. The second example shows a silver band with a matte hammer finish.
Fabric Textured finish:
As the name suggests, initially this texture starts out as a piece of woven fabric. Alongside a flat piece of metal, the fabric sample is then rolled through a 
rolling mill. This process compresses the texture of the fabric into the surface of the metal, and in doing so actually completely destroys the fabric sample! As a result, the texture is passed through from the fabric onto the surface of the metal. Every single piece of textured metal is completely unique, because once a fabric sample is used, it can’t ever be used again.
This example shows a set of wedding bands handmade from 9ct white gold, complete with a fabric textured finish and polished edges for added contrast.
Satin finish:
By using a wire brush against the surface of the metal, miniscule lines are formed creating a brush finish. The final effect is a subtle and non-reflective 
surface, making this type of finish very popular amongst gents wedding bands, especially as it’s ideal for everyday wear.
This example shows a sterling silver ring with a brush finish, with a yellow citrine rub set in a 9ct gold setting.
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