Anticlastic forming is a skilled and specialized hammering technique that has been used by silversmith for decades in the construction  of traditional sterling service items such as teapots and ladles.

  Popularized for it’s unique form and structural properties by master metalsmith Heikki Seppa in the late 1970's, this technique was later adapted and applied to the manufacture of jewellery by a number of contemporary American jewellers in the 1980’s. These jewellers found that by miniaturizing the hammering process they could now create spatial sculptural jewellery forms, that were both volumetric and light weight.  
 
Using a specialized hammer, the skilled metalsmith
achieves his intended design by hammering the
material into a specialized form known as a
sinusoidal stake.

Structurally quite different from traditional forms such
as a dome or bowl , the anticlastic form has two curves
generated in opposite directions at the same time. This
unique structural characteristic gives the anticlastic form
considerable strength that is well beyond that of the original material. The apposing's curves also create a substantially increase the forms ability to gathering & reflective light when compared to traditional forms.







One of the main benefits of hand forging is the fact that jewellery produced through this method is substantially stronger  and more flexible than jewellery  produced by other techniques such as casting or fabrication. As the skilled  crafts person applies the repeated hammer blows required to shape the metal, the material  becomes  less porous and  more compact  resulting in a hardness and temper not achievable by any other process. We think you will find that our forged jewellery is superior strength durability to other cast product or fabricated on the market and is unconditionally guaranteed for its quality.

Heikki Seppa “Hyperbolic Paraboloid”