tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10825892514705866572024-03-07T08:55:09.779-05:00The Wild InsideFun and Funky to Upscale and Traditional Jewelry!The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-15839711733267205492015-10-28T15:39:00.002-05:002015-10-28T15:51:10.803-05:00Commitment comes together in a bracelet<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-owGfAhtyiFdizhO9_IT5JwPRx1MJXJPonD4jRrRm0a2cwhjnMepwykM9aoH2pHK1xxxH2yZmkqp2Mp-xtBt8i7JHGxaVw5LtSgW3BtnA3Z9V_tRFGMGPKPO26arMZPGyIYkFkDrcY3d/s1600/Commitment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-owGfAhtyiFdizhO9_IT5JwPRx1MJXJPonD4jRrRm0a2cwhjnMepwykM9aoH2pHK1xxxH2yZmkqp2Mp-xtBt8i7JHGxaVw5LtSgW3BtnA3Z9V_tRFGMGPKPO26arMZPGyIYkFkDrcY3d/s1600/Commitment.jpg" /></a></div>
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It's been a while, I know. Things have slowed down considerably in the jewelry studio over the last two or three years - clutter, dust and mouse scat had become the norm down there. As the annual Arts Fest I help coordinate, and family issues, began taking up more and time, I just gradually slowed down on the small business stuff .. jewelry making, shows, contributions, etc. It's OK. When I do get down there now, it's less about "I need to" and more about fun, inspiration, a special request, or just mucking about among the tools and components. Kinda like the early days again. More about fun, less about work. <br />
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Fortunately, I've had a couple cleaning jags down there because I had a request from a cousin a couple months ago for an "engagement bracelet". Feeling a tad rusty, I was initially hesitant but suggested a chat and the possibility of moving forward if his thoughts on a piece were within the scope of my abilities. Turns out they were, so we chatted .. and I took notes on important variables. He wanted a tree, the initials of their first names (A & G), a symbol of their faith, and some color. OK then ..<br />
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I began with the tree. I actually have a metal tree stamp, but it's only about a half inch across. My thought was to put their initials beneath the branches; but even with the relatively large collection of metal alpha stamps I have available, none of them were small enough to fit beneath the branches of the tree in the metal stamp. So .. my next idea was to look for a bigger stamp and create a charm in metal clay. I was grateful to discover a lot of them out there, though I purchased and returned three before I finally hit on one that was the right size and depth for clay. Originally, the initials requested included those of the recipient's two sons. I played around with it a bit in polymer clay. This was the best impression that came out of it. After sending the image off for comments, it was agreed that perhaps just the initials of the two getting engaged would be best.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkBo-h9i9nQQ10EdbHbsa3LPcNsB3t2aofJqm_Lk836kJ_t-q6LKp9lctHt-CN7JIaEGpWhrW99tJfv0VfbQkTZBg3Ru9WoqjSt5P3gGfAp94B7tdtqcNoW39dlI0y0JhbZigNeXvdDr4/s1600/Polymer+clay+beta+-+test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBkBo-h9i9nQQ10EdbHbsa3LPcNsB3t2aofJqm_Lk836kJ_t-q6LKp9lctHt-CN7JIaEGpWhrW99tJfv0VfbQkTZBg3Ru9WoqjSt5P3gGfAp94B7tdtqcNoW39dlI0y0JhbZigNeXvdDr4/s400/Polymer+clay+beta+-+test.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Because the resulting metal clay piece was going to be on a bracelet - which usually get pretty hard wear - I had at first thought of doing the charm in PMC+ or PMC3, both of which are stronger out of the kiln than PMC Original. However PMC+ and PMC3 only shrink about 12% to 15% in the kiln. In order to find a stamp large enough to allow for the inclusion of letters beneath the branches, when I finally found a cutter large enough to encompass the entire impressed image, the resulting piece was just shy of a quarter in size. I could make a thinner charm, but the resulting piece would be quite a bit larger than I wanted it to be. Though Mitsubishi no longer makes PMC Original (much to my dismay), I had some available in the drawers beneath my kiln. PMC Original shrinks around 25% in the kiln .. I knew this was what I wanted and was glad I had some left!<br />
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This is the piece in PMC Original clay setting beside a quarter. When
set on top of the quarter, the edge of the coin is all that can be seen.
I ended up cutting the charm about 4mm thick. I cut and re-cut the
thing repeatedly because one aspect or another was off. I kept thinking
the tree was out of balance, but when I finally got the letters the way I
liked them, I realized that the base of the tree was the defining
factor for the tree. And I knew the upper right would shrink back toward
the center a bit in the kiln.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2XRCh40ihc4Udwea-9VoScFILY13IgjmKvmxSXjGRqqJgmBsClfi1dFTH0zsAQM3U6P5WzYnOM6tYYlY_z5L85ZJYCOxkDrMiR0bUSLLHjqU4w4sXKLui8aZykfF2-svf0UjxABtYmKJ/s1600/Clean+up+progression.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO2XRCh40ihc4Udwea-9VoScFILY13IgjmKvmxSXjGRqqJgmBsClfi1dFTH0zsAQM3U6P5WzYnOM6tYYlY_z5L85ZJYCOxkDrMiR0bUSLLHjqU4w4sXKLui8aZykfF2-svf0UjxABtYmKJ/s320/Clean+up+progression.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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From upper left to lower right is the progression through sanding from fresh cut clay to ready for the kiln (the green is 400 grit, gray 600, pink 4000 (front and back), blue 6000, and there were a couple others in between and at the end, but these revealed the most dramatic changes from one grit to the next). I was pleased when the piece came out of the kiln. Such a tidy, substantial little charm!! Now about the size of a dime, I popped it into the tumbler with some steel shot and soap for a couple hours to clean off the silver "sparkle" and harden it a bit.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyUFTXLRMX6kqCcuUwlmsPsN0zEw8niKBrs8eCLELgL6l-9KrjhpnAbBXnzwrPHGGnxuniuBYvlsa0T-zKWc8lTnrG4JoHEt-whuU3aFNDpPbYhzpHEbEUYF-lK56ffKMjtVTfYteDZ1g/s1600/patinated+charm+with+coins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtyUFTXLRMX6kqCcuUwlmsPsN0zEw8niKBrs8eCLELgL6l-9KrjhpnAbBXnzwrPHGGnxuniuBYvlsa0T-zKWc8lTnrG4JoHEt-whuU3aFNDpPbYhzpHEbEUYF-lK56ffKMjtVTfYteDZ1g/s320/patinated+charm+with+coins.jpg" width="320" /></a>Once out of the tumbler I dropped the charm into a small dish of liver of sulfer and blackened it all over. Once cleaned up, the impressed areas remain black and help the design to pop. With coins on either side you can see how much the piece shrank in the kiln. The nice thing about PMC Original is that no matter how big you begin, the entire design is maintained.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rfoWiroRzby9-M_DgnlUVEQJrkX_OCdFL0W8YJhfDGiUixlVFukwYGNxsu4szz6KYYZ-PypO-wfYtzcR_V9MtYr25ZuB5O96v2GeuG4CHG0TFnRom5fVl9sEJ0tx5SAhgpyT3KUfx65j/s1600/Charm+cleaned+w+ss+chain+-+test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rfoWiroRzby9-M_DgnlUVEQJrkX_OCdFL0W8YJhfDGiUixlVFukwYGNxsu4szz6KYYZ-PypO-wfYtzcR_V9MtYr25ZuB5O96v2GeuG4CHG0TFnRom5fVl9sEJ0tx5SAhgpyT3KUfx65j/s320/Charm+cleaned+w+ss+chain+-+test.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
This is what it looks like finished and patinated (or antiqued) next to
the bright silver Byzantine chain to which I will attach it. I did go in
later and darken up some of the center of the tree before finishing up. I had already made a length of chain while I was waiting for a wrist measurement. I had a couple ideas about working the next variable, color, into the mix, but couldn't continue without a measurement. As I was given birthdays in that original call about the bracelet, I thought birthstones would be appropriate.<br />
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As it happens, the birthstones were for September and July. Birthstones are different depending on who you ask - you can find contemporary, traditional, and several other more obscure choices in between. But if you Google the birthstones for either month, the top of the page shows ruby for July and sapphire for September. The more traditional choices. And I just happened to have both in my arsenal. From the beginning my thought was to put the stones on either end, one attached to the clasp and the charm, the other attached to the clasp "catch" ring. Before I could even mess around with some ideas, I had to enlarge the holes in both stones. I'm not sure why, but all my precious stone beads have very tiny little holes. I've only ever strung them up with 14 and 18 karat gold; I've never considered mixing them into a bracelet like this. Most are pretty small, too. But I wound and cut 18 ga wire into 3.5mm rings for the Byzantine weave, and the two faceted stones I chose (about the same size donut shaped beads) were just the right size for this elegant but sturdy small chain weave.<br />
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I'm sorry I don't have photos for this part, but as ruby and sapphire are both in the corundum family of gems - just one step down from diamond in hardness - the only thing I could use to open the holes was a diamond drill bit. Thought I had some, but could only find carbide drill bits. I did, however, have an electric diamond tipped bead reamer. I've only ever used it for pearls, but what the heck. My first attempts, just holding onto the stone and giving it go, left me with a hot bead pretty darned quick! So I set the stone into my pearl drilling jig, dipped it into a dish of cool water and tried again, under water. Bingo!! Not quite like a knife through butter, but a whole lot easier and quicker than I thought! I had both stones drilled through to accept a piece of 18 ga wire in about five minutes. Yay!<br />
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Once I had better information for bracelet length, I played around a bit with the stones. I didn't like them at the ends at all. Too much going on with both stones, the clasp, the charm .. it was way too busy and would have skewed the weight and design. So I removed a short length of chain from either end and inserted the stones between them. I wasted a little wire even at this stage trying just a wrapped loop with the loops the same size as the woven rings .. wasn't quite right. So I tried again and double wrapped the loop. Perfect! I opened all four of the wrapped ends (one on each side of both stones) then flattened and filed them smooth before tucking them back into their wraps so they wouldn't catch on anything. I don't normally need to do this, but 18 ga wire is kinda hefty .. a straight, clean cut on the end of the wire would have left a noticeable tubular end. And it would have caught on sweaters and fine knits. Annoying, to say the least.<br />
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This is what the wrap looked like on the sapphire (you can see the forged and filed end on the left). And it's obvious from the photo why I needed to be able to use 18 gauge wire on the stones - it blends in so much better with the rest of the bracelet. I also wanted the entire bracelet to be secure. If I had left the bead holes as they were, I could only have used 26 or 28 gauge wire, which is akin to thread (and is often used that way by folks who do intricate wire weaving with it). Bending wire repeatedly will naturally work harden it, but too much bending and the wire will become brittle and break. Excuse me while I pat myself on the back :-) I'm just so pleased with the end result!!<br />
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The last variable was "faith". Another coincidence was that I happened to have two or three small, delicate crosses in my component drawers. Another wonderful coincidence is that when attached to the Tree of Life charm, it sets nicely on top but still allows the initials and tree to be seen. I love it when things work out!! <br />
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I will mention that at some point after I attached the stones but before I added the clasp and charms, the length of chain, now adorned with two lovely stones, spoke to me. It said patinate. I've made and sold a lot of Byzantine bracelets. They're very impressive, hefty, and sturdy .. they're purchased by men and women and can be dressed up or dressed down depending on the clasp and - like this one - add ons. I have one I love. But most of those I've sold I've left silver. I don't know why, but this one just cried for some additional definition. So I dropped the chain, stones and all, into a dish of liver of sulfer. Not for as long as the charm, or I would have spend days cleaning the thing. As it was, it took a while. The end result was worth it. <br />
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What I really loved about this piece was the symbolism throughout .. the tight weave of the rings is so very appropriate for an engagement bracelet! And both stones are rich with symbolism for romance, marriage, integrity, devotion, passion, positive energy, peace and serenity.<br />
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There's always so much involved along the way when designing a piece like this, and I often wish I could be there when the piece I've created is given.<br />
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Ah well, I can at least hope the bracelet is well received and that both it and they hold up over time.<br />
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Joy and Peace Anthony & Grace<br />
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<br />The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-60317892293288872242013-06-23T11:45:00.001-05:002013-06-23T11:47:32.373-05:00Mare's Wares Arts Fest!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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</xml><![endif]--><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: large;">I help coordinate an
incredible arts & entertainment event on the St. Lawrence River every year,
and once again the property behind Mare’s Wares Pottery on Route 37 will be
transformed into a stunning outdoor gallery and entertainment venue hosting a
wealth of talent, fun and food!<br />
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From its humble beginning as a local “Festival of the Arts” just a few years
ago, Mare’s Wares Arts Fest has grown into a popular local arts and
entertainment event. The vision has always been to present a full day of art
and entertainment: music, quality handcrafted artisan goods, wine makers,
farmers and agricultural products, food, authors, body workers, theater and
kids activities, etc. In its sixth year, the event is still in its infancy and we
continue to learn from our annual efforts, but each year sees gains in new and
interesting participants and fans anxious to experience them. <br />
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A few of the new and repeat vendors in 2013 include five North Country wineries
who will be offering wine tasting and bottle sales; Home Again Farm’s alpacas
(and their products); Fragile Planet Wildlife Foundation with a selection of
exotic creatures; pony rides and puppet shows available throughout the day for
the kids; pottery wheel work and raku firing; rug hooking with Helen Condon,
chair caning with Bill Balling, and Tracy Cox of Inlay Design Studio and Custom
Guitars will be demonstrating his considerable talent with custom stringed
instrument design and inlay. The event lost its psychic on short notice in
2012, this year the show is promising three! The show features a variety
of live music throughout the day, many new and returning talented artisans will
be displaying and demonstrating their craftsmanship, and Mullin’s Catering,
LaMont’s Food Fair, Carriage House Bakery and Not Your Average Cookie will be
providing a variety of mouth watering fare.<br />
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Photos of past shows and vendors, as well as this year's participants, are
included in photo albums on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mares-Wares-Arts-Fest/127924893899044?sk=photos_albums" target="_blank">Mare’s Wares Arts Fest</a> Facebook page and are
accessible to the general public. Here are some of the few artisans and other
vendors who will be participating this year (we continue to add photos
daily):<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.614581725233356.1073741826.127924893899044&type=3" target="_blank">Arts Fest 2013</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: large;">The 2013 Mare’s Wares Arts
Fest is brought to you by North Country Public Radio (Canton), SeaComm Federal
Credit Union (Massena), and Creative Connections (Ballston Lake) on Canada Day,
July 1, from 12:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Everyone is welcome, and there is no charge
to get in - stop by and check it out for yourself!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bring your friends and family and make a day
of it. There’s nothing to lose, and a whole day of fun to be had! </span></div>
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<![endif]-->The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-10870721718384884482013-01-03T19:14:00.001-05:002013-01-04T08:11:08.124-05:00Shadow and Light<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">In Chinese philosophy the concept of Yin-Yang, often called "yin <i>and</i> yang" - literally meaning "sha<span style="font-size: medium;">dow and light" - is used to describe how seemingly opposite or contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world; and how they give rise to each other as they inter-relate to one another. The concept lies at the origins of many branches of classical Chinese science and philosop<span style="font-size: medium;">hy, as well as being a primary guideline <span style="font-size: medium;">of traditional Chinese medicine. Which is why a local veterina<span style="font-size: medium;">rian looking for something special to gift some lab mates, all <span style="font-size: medium;">learning the art of acupuncture for animals, asked me if it was possible to make some earrings with the yin yang symbol on them<span style="font-size: medium;">. She suggested the yin yang symbol, but I thought I might be able to fin<span style="font-size: medium;">d a Kanji symbol (Chinese character or calligraphy) that might work just as well - I ha<span style="font-size: medium;">d "balance" or "healing" in mind. <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X1xBBOXPhYxQdCyO4-nMiVrdMtqvnOWRTPqLAneCveRhGsdGzvqa-uc_wWY_mgWChuqzp1U7ZJVwpHx_fMGPR5ylYQiQfhwmK071z8al57TJmSIoqQTB5Sqx8CcMgHjPserLtwpAk8nX/s1600/Kanji.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1X1xBBOXPhYxQdCyO4-nMiVrdMtqvnOWRTPqLAneCveRhGsdGzvqa-uc_wWY_mgWChuqzp1U7ZJVwpHx_fMGPR5ylYQiQfhwmK071z8al57TJmSIoqQTB5Sqx8CcMgHjPserLtwpAk8nX/s1600/Kanji.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br />Kanji characters are
elegant on so many levels <span style="font-size: medium;">-</span> individual characters often convey abstract
meanings all by themselves and when combined can be used to communicate
complex meanings. And they're all lovely to look at. However, I
couldn't find what I was looking for, if I was to proceed as I had
intended; so I went back to her original idea of using the yin yang
symbol.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazh6ZhFKpPf-FubBAtQ2NaLsRppDfEQ3_AADjj05Jm31bMe0X0s59QiUMc27HeW31g4_cbhH7hPppwQUh7tntN2dkrOT-y7Gc14btqwrYLlpnEs3XOUWvzCOdGC7qzaBa7oMnlsEmLtvy/s1600/Yin_Yang_art.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazh6ZhFKpPf-FubBAtQ2NaLsRppDfEQ3_AADjj05Jm31bMe0X0s59QiUMc27HeW31g4_cbhH7hPppwQUh7tntN2dkrOT-y7Gc14btqwrYLlpnEs3XOUWvzCOdGC7qzaBa7oMnlsEmLtvy/s320/Yin_Yang_art.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What
I decided to do <span style="font-size: medium;">when <span style="font-size: medium;">she</span> initially approached me with the commission was to</span> make the earrings out of fine silver metal clay. There
are a multitude of different metal clays out on the market now
(including but not limited to copper, bronze, sterling, & gold), but
what I use is the very first kind that came out called PMC (Precious Metal Clay<span style="font-size: medium;">)</span>, created by
Mitsubishi in 1990. When PMC comes out of the kiln it is 99.9% silver ..
not sterling (which is 92.5%<span style="font-size: medium;"> silver)</span>.<br />
<br />
Mitsubishi makes three kinds of silver clay: PMC original, PMC+ and PMC3. They each have varying degrees of microsco<span style="font-size: medium;">pic</span>
silver particles, binder and water in them which affects how long you
can work with them before they begin to dry out, how much they shrink in
the kiln, and how strong the resulting piece is out of the kiln. PMC+
and PMC3 have less water and binder and both create a stronger end
product. This makes them good for things like rings, clasps or entire bracelets, which all get <span style="font-size: medium;">a lot of</span> abuse. I usually make earrings and pendants out of PMC
original, which shrinks more, though I used PMC+ for <span style="font-size: medium;">the</span>
earrings because I didn't need a lot of shrinkage. In fact, I was hoping for very little<span style="font-size: medium;">, and PMC+ shrinks only about 10% to 12%. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The <span style="font-size: medium;">thing that held me up the most in completing the commission was finding an appropriate image <span style="font-size: medium;">I could use to make an impression in the clay. I have <span style="font-size: medium;">a drawer full of rubber stamps of all kinds<span style="font-size: medium;">,</span> as well a<span style="font-size: medium;">s a few <span style="font-size: medium;">antique metal molds and a few </span>molds I've made myself. Though, alas, there's not a single yin yang s<span style="font-size: medium;">ymbol among 'em.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpP-ST1OhNBJclnAEpte_DchTVluA0VCfcuxJMvut48L7pfA7Qgxh3ShlEhyphenhyphenv-3lQd2WYztGk8Z2DMcvOKO3Q2SLpMoBtAY6KruKO477J21ygAOqPOiDMD4EMm08-uBZXN6YwrtaNl9Aj/s1600/Sample+images.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnpP-ST1OhNBJclnAEpte_DchTVluA0VCfcuxJMvut48L7pfA7Qgxh3ShlEhyphenhyphenv-3lQd2WYztGk8Z2DMcvOKO3Q2SLpMoBtAY6KruKO477J21ygAOqPOiDMD4EMm08-uBZXN6YwrtaNl9Aj/s320/Sample+images.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Here are some of the impressions I was <span style="font-size: medium;">able to get out of t<span style="font-size: medium;">he few <span style="font-size: medium;">Yin Yang stamps I found online. I returned several stamps that were unusable due to their size or desi<span style="font-size: medium;">gn.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: medium;">Some websites only show the resulting stamped image and not the actual stamp .. <span style="font-size: medium;">the stamp its<span style="font-size: medium;">elf must make a clear<span style="font-size: medium;">, <span style="font-size: medium;">just deep enough, impression. Not all rubber stamps <span style="font-size: medium;">work well for this process.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">T</span>hese impressions were all made in silver polymer clay, not metal clay,
just to give you an idea of what the images look like. All of the top
three, surrounding the quarter, were just too big (OK for a pendant, but
too large for earrings - <span style="font-size: medium;">even with PMC original's 30% shrinkage</span>). And - for one reason or another - I just wasn't happy with the resulting images from any of them.</span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YvPhaIwYHlk_ETE_5TQG-bRNkCJ6gzL2EvexxatpxWXVnpH7utVaECMYv4iaerSuvFx_h5GIuWBYRzmDE4tB4xzWTvkImwLfQMBWyZcYXOLTCgTQpf7-KaQFD0pklHUNQdnks8bvl-Ei/s1600/Sample+images+-+wax+seal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YvPhaIwYHlk_ETE_5TQG-bRNkCJ6gzL2EvexxatpxWXVnpH7utVaECMYv4iaerSuvFx_h5GIuWBYRzmDE4tB4xzWTvkImwLfQMBWyZcYXOLTCgTQpf7-KaQFD0pklHUNQdnks8bvl-Ei/s320/Sample+images+-+wax+seal.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The smaller </span>stamped examples along the bottom came
from a lovely little wax seal rather than a rubber stamp like the other
three (a serendipit<span style="font-size: medium;">ous discovery</span> after <span style="font-size: medium;">a LOT of searching and </span>several rubber stamp failures!!). It<span style="font-size: medium;"> was</span> the right size, the design is nice and even, an<span style="font-size: medium;">d the stamp impresse<span style="font-size: medium;">d</span> well .. <span style="font-size: medium;">relatively well, anyway. I did have some issues getting the image to stamp even<span style="font-size: medium;">ly in metal clay<span style="font-size: medium;">, but was able to work most of the trouble spots out while the <span style="font-size: medium;">dis<span style="font-size: medium;">ks were still in their clay form.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrza8NhTLte3STRw6IvqUkBZVoXtxrHln9BW8nTiwPBOOmxxp25MMJsFCfu8qIpm3zWU3STU_cFmb2koLbkuqI039v5et3_VWI7-QH24Lurkw_apO1aBVqFqLa6GLo3VqY_bLo0kpotyg/s1600/Dried+clay+-+single.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrza8NhTLte3STRw6IvqUkBZVoXtxrHln9BW8nTiwPBOOmxxp25MMJsFCfu8qIpm3zWU3STU_cFmb2koLbkuqI039v5et3_VWI7-QH24Lurkw_apO1aBVqFqLa6GLo3VqY_bLo0kpotyg/s320/Dried+clay+-+single.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dried PMC earring prior to cleaning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After cuttin<span style="font-size: medium;">g and sufficiently drying, the little pieces must be cleaned up .. I use a<span style="font-size: medium;"> small emery bo<span style="font-size: medium;">ard to clean up areas like the little ridge along the left bottom of the d<span style="font-size: medium;">ried piece shown. I then use a series of successively finer micro sand papers (beginning with 400 gri<span style="font-size: medium;">t and working up to 8000 grit) to smooth out other min<span style="font-size: medium;">or issues and to create a shiny finish. I also had to <span style="font-size: medium;">use the point of a small<span style="font-size: medium;">, rou<span style="font-size: medium;">nd file to deepe<span style="font-size: medium;">n and define the <span style="font-size: medium;">two small impressed circles in each of the ten earrings (the commission was for five pair). I did that first so that success<span style="font-size: medium;">ive sanding would eliminate any rough edges around the circles.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9sbXjlwvmWykhjh1y7AIp6KNxz1gxWWcVnSwYn-yh2ElGBi0DMggng7T-DYQmr2gFx1knLwcOUzFj0HFcQw0udC2hAx9tlqFZ-VTe1opIZHj8dpVMTUX-6m-5nmBcYcCKT28xki6htS_/s1600/LOS+bath.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9sbXjlwvmWykhjh1y7AIp6KNxz1gxWWcVnSwYn-yh2ElGBi0DMggng7T-DYQmr2gFx1knLwcOUzFj0HFcQw0udC2hAx9tlqFZ-VTe1opIZHj8dpVMTUX-6m-5nmBcYcCKT28xki6htS_/s320/LOS+bath.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Once out of the kiln, I tossed everyt<span style="font-size: medium;">hing (the earrings and <span style="font-size: medium;">two shelves worth of additional pieces) into the tumbler. This work hardens them just a bit and cleans off the fine silver "glitter"</span></span> surface created by the kiln. I then patinate<span style="font-size: medium;">d</span> them with liver
of sulfer (some<span style="font-size: medium;">times called antiquing)<span style="font-size: medium;">. I dis<span style="font-size: medium;">covered a longer lasting and more stable gel version of liver of sulfer several years ago and love it! <span style="font-size: medium;">A cou<span style="font-size: medium;">ple drops in a dish of wa<span style="font-size: medium;">rm water<span style="font-size: medium;">, then drop your clean pieces in. Unfortunately, deeply impressed segments of<span style="font-size: medium;">ten don't darken - no matter how long you <span style="font-size: medium;">le<span style="font-size: medium;">ave them in there. When that happens, I take a very <span style="font-size: medium;">tiny brush, dip it in Black Max (another, quicker, way to an<span style="font-size: medium;">tique) and just briefly to<span style="font-size: medium;">uch the spots that need to be darken<span style="font-size: medium;">ed. The letters in the pendant tags, the little circles in the yin yang design, even the line delineating the left side from the right, all needed a <span style="font-size: medium;">bit of help. Patinating a piece like this, especially one with a deeply impressed design, helps to make the design as a whole <span style="font-size: medium;">"pop<span style="font-size: medium;">".</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: medium;"></span> <br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After the Black Max dries, I take a <span style="font-size: medium;">small piece of "<span style="font-size: medium;">000" steel wool and clean off the <span style="font-size: medium;">surface of the pieces. This will bring out the shine on the surface portions and leave the blackened segments so that the design shows.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlPrf10rjtLY7HMwbjy3U-xb30GY7BC5DFSI3mOadcQa3fNYMDi7sxLeXIwe_5UKWbF0jYLBKThGfkHAmm_CfxsgFBi-NADbFgKXeANMIZK_AzEigLoFtXUVLrvtO471127u9gAjeWBDp/s1600/cleaned+w+wax+seal.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmlPrf10rjtLY7HMwbjy3U-xb30GY7BC5DFSI3mOadcQa3fNYMDi7sxLeXIwe_5UKWbF0jYLBKThGfkHAmm_CfxsgFBi-NADbFgKXeANMIZK_AzEigLoFtXUVLrvtO471127u9gAjeWBDp/s320/cleaned+w+wax+seal.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ten little earrings with wax seal and original pre-kiln size</td></tr>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After all that, all that's left is to add the leverback earring portions<span style="font-size: medium;"> and </span> package them .. print off some earring cards</span></span> and pop them into a box for delivery. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t3bLrBwFG9Sly__CfLKrmB3BQgEyqglIVojoSg6WovE_MQgV9IntXWnEvEbjzqL32ifo4yPD8zlOwPGpOSiiyuJkUcaWtRhfYZ1TvvTmdp3mOEs-rMWZqtBNLHbDvKTCh6ylf5gvRgJ1/s1600/all+stamps.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9t3bLrBwFG9Sly__CfLKrmB3BQgEyqglIVojoSg6WovE_MQgV9IntXWnEvEbjzqL32ifo4yPD8zlOwPGpOSiiyuJkUcaWtRhfYZ1TvvTmdp3mOEs-rMWZqtBNLHbDvKTCh6ylf5gvRgJ1/s320/all+stamps.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All five polymer clay examples, plus the finished product!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="font-size: medium;">T</span>here was a lot more frustration in <span style="font-size: medium;">impressing<span style="font-size: medium;">, cutting and finishing</span> them than I thought there would be. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I ended up having to use the large, open, round end of a cake decorating point to cut them out after I impressed them .. it was the only thing I could find that was the right size. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">If <span style="font-size: medium;">I d<span style="font-size: medium;">idn't press evenly when I pressed the wax seal into the clay, I'd get one side thinner or fatter than the other. <span style="font-size: medium;">And <span style="font-size: medium;">there was no way to determine if I g<span style="font-size: medium;">ot it right, except to cut<span style="font-size: medium;"> out the desi<span style="font-size: medium;">gn. I rolled up the clay and started over more than once. And PMC+ dries out relatively quic<span style="font-size: medium;">kly, so there's not a lot of time to m<span style="font-size: medium;">ess around</span></span>. An additional concern was the little ring at the top that allows the <span style="font-size: medium;">silver yin yang s<span style="font-size: medium;">ymbol to attach<span style="font-size: medium;"> to an earring. I've soldered things like this onto kiln<span style="font-size: medium;">-fired pieces<span style="font-size: medium;"> before, but I was concerned about doing it perfectly .. ten times. So I used a little fine silve<span style="font-size: medium;">r </span>embeddable jump ring, which is a ring with a small tab<span style="font-size: medium;"> on it that inserts into the clay (it looks like a tiny little tennis racket .. the <span style="font-size: medium;">entire thing is only about 7mm long</span>). The cut out clay pieces had to be thick enough to accept the insert, and just inserting the tab turned into yet another learning experience (and resulted in as many <span style="font-size: medium;">clay re-rolls and starting over as the impressing and cutting portions did). If I didn't <span style="font-size: medium;">inse<span style="font-size: medium;">rt exactly into the center of the cut disk, the tab would create a small bulge through the front or back. Not so ba<span style="font-size: medium;">d out of the back, but <span style="font-size: medium;">a b<span style="font-size: medium;">u<span style="font-size: medium;">lge like that ruins the look of the design on the fron<span style="font-size: medium;">t. You can see a slight bulge on the dried clay below, which hasn't yet been cleaned. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3RGmSc1_URcQxqIXZ70yiWlK2pszT97I0ulE7uOmjv7Szkz-QCdKNQtn7FF42AXpvfgwFcw0-FgNZKqJLTya57ZdcmthC4NjbbCJdLxUuvHF9yIP7wbMd8BtWbKN06Neq1PjA-fhwIfo/s1600/Impressed+clay+back+-+single.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM3RGmSc1_URcQxqIXZ70yiWlK2pszT97I0ulE7uOmjv7Szkz-QCdKNQtn7FF42AXpvfgwFcw0-FgNZKqJLTya57ZdcmthC4NjbbCJdLxUuvHF9yIP7wbMd8BtWbKN06Neq1PjA-fhwIfo/s320/Impressed+clay+back+-+single.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was understandably th<span style="font-size: medium;">rilled once they were all completed, packaged, and ready to be <span style="font-size: medium;">delivered .. YAY</span>!!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: medium;"></span><br />
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The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-77819576638101984742012-12-12T10:24:00.001-05:002012-12-17T10:16:18.528-05:00With All My Heart Redux<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<![endif]--><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial Rounded MT Bold","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">A little over two years ago (August 2010) I made a bold little piece called</span> </span><a href="http://thewildinside.blogspot.com/2010/08/with-all-my-heart.html" target="_blank">With All My Heart</a></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTy3B9iPRw0DCQKUBmZS49WKWBj_o4Pmv5hdCErSeHXPKdIXJrwKs_UTbCdvo3RmQgCGWb-5oP7xOaWEPcZZgKcKjGxlhiLY246dNkEsgBHvLp0TjHDkgpDNNgSVntLOUQ8MAKZ202Ha8j/s1600/With+all+my+heart+-+N1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTy3B9iPRw0DCQKUBmZS49WKWBj_o4Pmv5hdCErSeHXPKdIXJrwKs_UTbCdvo3RmQgCGWb-5oP7xOaWEPcZZgKcKjGxlhiLY246dNkEsgBHvLp0TjHDkgpDNNgSVntLOUQ8MAKZ202Ha8j/s200/With+all+my+heart+-+N1.jpg" width="126" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The original necklace</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;">This was originally meant to be a
one-of-a-kind piece, but in late July of this past year someone left me a
comment on this post:<br /><br />“How do I order this key to my heart jewelry?
I am in afghanistan and would love to get it for my girl at home.”<br />
<br /><br />It was actually a few months before I saw the
comment. I’m supposed to be able to moderate comments, so they don’t post until
I see them, and I should get an email telling me I have comments to moderate.
But not this time. Not sure what happened, but I contacted the guy, whose name
is Jon, apologized for the delay and asked if he was still interested. As it
happened, he was!</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;">“It is beautiful and (we)<we> have that
special "Key to my Heart" relationship so this piece is very fitting
and she will love it. I wish I could use the key she gave me in a gift but I
believe we will gain quite the key collection in time :)”</we></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #999999;">I had sold the original piece at</span> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mares-Wares-Arts-Fest/127924893899044" target="_blank">Mare's Wares Arts Fest</a> <span style="color: #999999;">in July of 2011, but told him I had all the materials and could make
another. So we discussed payment, shipment, delivery, etc. As it was to be a
Christmas present, I only just shipped it. But THIS time, I photographed the
process along the way.</span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;">
</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;">I don’t know if he’d be interested in the
process, but I find myself interested in explaining it. At art shows, which are suppos<span style="font-size: large;">ed to be </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">(though aren't always) </span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;">filled with vendors who hand craft their products, </span>I still get the
occasional browser in my booth who'll ask “did you make all this?”, which only serves to make me
wanna grab ‘em by the collar, pull ‘em in close, and explain how each and every
piece on display is made. OK, maybe not. Well, I might think it, but I<span style="font-size: large;"> would</span> never actually follow
through (grin). This piece took me a little longer to complete than it might have because of a few
complications, so I thought I’d
take a few shots along the way.</span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgRpq6m5s4QXkf0tuQ-A4idAKGrXcyQ-ZFd6IMLbpAJtyQXgI0oY2Md3axBZCHsdEPwDj0mEM70vDdoDhxqWzrpSX7f3FsTqgaeqDgJ3a5t94EYFdkLrZQ6OrAfefUfr6fckfYxrjUmn-/s1600/Components+assembled.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPgRpq6m5s4QXkf0tuQ-A4idAKGrXcyQ-ZFd6IMLbpAJtyQXgI0oY2Md3axBZCHsdEPwDj0mEM70vDdoDhxqWzrpSX7f3FsTqgaeqDgJ3a5t94EYFdkLrZQ6OrAfefUfr6fckfYxrjUmn-/s320/Components+assembled.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of the components assembled on a cork board work space.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;">I assembled everything and put it all together on my work space so I could think about the order in which I needed to <span style="font-size: large;">proceed</span>. I cut two 19.5" lengths of sterling silve<span style="font-size: large;">r </span>chain for the main part of the necklace and a small 1" piece from which the little puffy heart hangs; I added - and fused - jump rings to the three components that will hang from the pendant; I wire-wrapped the little piece of coral and connected it to the eye pin that then goes through the puffy heart and will attach to the bottom of the short length of chain. I used heavier 16 gauge wire for the hook clasp, 20 gauge wire for the pendant that holds the three components shown, and lighter 22 gauge wire as a finishing touch wrap where the strung segment connects to the chain.</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh875xUYy5BRQvDdbGQBdvKjDEpUjzFpIrZMS_oQbnQib7-lBjiH9hloJAy2DWk1jWVTU966sG5BgSsAExzzh9FgOO5V_zmIenir3QmX9gwLD5fSJucooEDBvzlVwAvz6wKDHrQfs3QaDr4/s1600/LOS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh875xUYy5BRQvDdbGQBdvKjDEpUjzFpIrZMS_oQbnQib7-lBjiH9hloJAy2DWk1jWVTU966sG5BgSsAExzzh9FgOO5V_zmIenir3QmX9gwLD5fSJucooEDBvzlVwAvz6wKDHrQfs3QaDr4/s200/LOS.JPG" width="190" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chain, hook clasp & small components</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;">After I had everything assembled, I began patinat<span style="font-size: large;">ing individual silver <span style="font-size: large;">pieces. <span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I never used to like using liver of sulf<span style="font-size: large;">ur</span>. I always <span style="font-size: large;">preferred bright and shiny silver to artificially blackened pieces. But blacken<span style="font-size: large;">ing, and then cleaning, the silver really does add visual interest. And in the case of the <span style="font-size: large;">De T<span style="font-size: large;">out Mon Coe<span style="font-size: large;">ur tag, it <span style="font-size: large;">was necessary to make the letters really pop and more easy to see.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The letters in the fine silver tag really pop after a dip in LOS!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;">There are times when I can dip an entire finished piece into warm liver of sulfur, but I didn't want to do that with this piece; I had more control over the components by dipping and cleaning them individually. And the little puffy Thai silver hearts had already been patinated a bit, so I didn't want to have to clean them off again.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXMQd700J3Fp1czPgNkVS0-9Gs5Vq4LAUE1URz6wfBU50h9fFNaXJXg4ZJqcWvs1ysfp-ALX9FX46F81usddd73YYE7nfCOuoyVXrF47gLyKo4tzAj9OzILcRGSHyrmPy0HFltDmC2CA5/s1600/completed+pendant.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixXMQd700J3Fp1czPgNkVS0-9Gs5Vq4LAUE1URz6wfBU50h9fFNaXJXg4ZJqcWvs1ysfp-ALX9FX46F81usddd73YYE7nfCOuoyVXrF47gLyKo4tzAj9OzILcRGSHyrmPy0HFltDmC2CA5/s200/completed+pendant.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Completed pendant, ready to string</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;">I<span style="font-size: large;">n the original piece, I used half hard silver wire for the round pendant piece<span style="font-size: large;"> that holds the three pendant elements; but I couldn't find any of my 20 gauge half hard wire. It's on my reorder list, so it's possi<span style="font-size: large;">ble I used it all <span style="font-size: large;">to make ear wires this summer. </span></span>Ah well. So, what I had to do was work harde<span style="font-size: large;">n the wire a bit. I just put it on my steel <span style="font-size: large;">block and worked it over with a small rawhide hammer. This hardens the wire without forging it. Still .. even with <span style="font-size: large;">half hard wire, this segment of the piece can be mangled, so it should be<span style="font-size: large;"> handled with care when storing and wearing<span style="font-size: large;"> it.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjJYHB_1aUvlYsa0ZnTcM03H_sHjKOXYKt3oP6O3VSYiXSEXEwseZpyJhz7zmko-vjrloUAfhvRKCF-NNf6MVQmTF86-YDwQyxnrD32-AmwniieXlxTJ1Q90WjuW-w7B0mTmyEUw0riWe/s1600/Partially+assembled.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggjJYHB_1aUvlYsa0ZnTcM03H_sHjKOXYKt3oP6O3VSYiXSEXEwseZpyJhz7zmko-vjrloUAfhvRKCF-NNf6MVQmTF86-YDwQyxnrD32-AmwniieXlxTJ1Q90WjuW-w7B0mTmyEUw0riWe/s320/Partially+assembled.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Partially assembled</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The po<span style="font-size: large;">rtion of the piece connect<span style="font-size: large;">ed to the chain is strung on Soft Flex beading wire. <span style="font-size: large;">This is 49 strands of fine <span style="font-size: large;">nylon coated stainless steel. It comes in multiple strengths and I used <span style="font-size: large;">the .024 diameter "heavy" type, because it's a relatively he<span style="font-size: large;">fty piece and I wanted <span style="font-size: large;">it to hold up over time. Generally when I use beading wire on a piece, I end <span style="font-size: large;">it with <a href="http://thewildinside.blogspot.com/2007/03/bead-tip-is-wonderful-thing.html" target="_blank">bead tips</a>, tiny little bead <span style="font-size: large;">cups with hooks. The cups hold the knot (yes<span style="font-size: large;">, this stuff can be knotted), and the hook allows the strung piece to be connected to a cl<span style="font-size: large;">asp. On this piece, however, a bead tip wasn't going to work.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtZO4WZKerRUkPutV6G6SQvLsrEYX2Snoqfga18oE0g_tga12GWEu5E3W4A1BPAg6rekpPBZa7erYD4HqUIQnLaLQ0W0ZGOF_6ZIXJt_1aHmLszRDv259N6PSbVWEf-7fyyyXc9lDmzyG/s1600/Crimp+bead+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUtZO4WZKerRUkPutV6G6SQvLsrEYX2Snoqfga18oE0g_tga12GWEu5E3W4A1BPAg6rekpPBZa7erYD4HqUIQnLaLQ0W0ZGOF_6ZIXJt_1aHmLszRDv259N6PSbVWEf-7fyyyXc9lDmzyG/s320/Crimp+bead+(2).JPG" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beading wire through a crimp bead</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">The design was such that I had to use a cr<span style="font-size: large;">imp bead. I<span style="font-size: large;"> really don't like or trust crimp beads. They're tiny little sterling silve<span style="font-size: large;">r tubes through w<span style="font-size: large;">hich <span style="font-size: large;">the beading wire is strung. The<span style="font-size: large;">n with a special <span style="font-size: large;">cr<span style="font-size: large;">imp<span style="font-size: large;">ing tool, which has two separate crimping stations included on it, the cr<span style="font-size: large;">imp bead is smu<span style="font-size: large;">shed against the wire. The first crimp <span style="font-size: large;">creates a crease down the middle of the tube making two separate channels .. through w<span style="font-size: large;">hich each piece of wire passes. The second <span style="font-size: large;">crimp <span style="font-size: large;">brings the two channels together and rounds them out a bit. If you do it right, it should be secure. But even when you do it correctly, it's not always secure .. and somewhere down the line, the thing will release its hold on the wire and your piece will come unstrung. That doesn't happen with bead tips (the hook on the bead tip may open and release the clasp, but <span style="font-size: large;">the strung p<span style="font-size: large;">iece remains intact, so you don't lose any of your beads)</span></span>.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyDsLzbaXCFPgR_IhaJTxZPjwegqM38X8dzdY0TfZTVZzIzfsbL9zqn3e2q3A7q2hzUv8AlipbBz5XqUKU6GXdH-eHOt-XP_fAa9JXhbbe_BkScI0xBDX-45aUwX3L072AcxY-eW_lAEk/s1600/Crimped+Bead+.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyDsLzbaXCFPgR_IhaJTxZPjwegqM38X8dzdY0TfZTVZzIzfsbL9zqn3e2q3A7q2hzUv8AlipbBz5XqUKU6GXdH-eHOt-XP_fAa9JXhbbe_BkScI0xBDX-45aUwX3L072AcxY-eW_lAEk/s200/Crimped+Bead+.JPG" width="177" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 1st crimp creates two channels</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;">But I have used crimp beads like this before and have found ways to reinforce or strength<span style="font-size: large;">en </span>them when the design calls for their use, like this one did. It amazes me that even expensive pieces like those you might find in the Sundance Catalog use them (<a href="http://www.sundancecatalog.com/product/handmade+jewelry/new+arrivals/bracelets/jubilation+bracelet.do?sortby=ourPicks" target="_blank">here's</a> <span style="font-size: large;">a lovely little example that <span style="font-size: large;">could have been made sturdier with gold-filled bead tips instead of crimp beads)</span></span>. Not only are they untrustworthy, they are a relatively unattractive way to "finish" a piece. Just my humble opinion (and a designer soap box issue, as you might have determined); but if you're going to charge a couple hundred dollars for a piece, as Sundance often does, it should be both attractive <i>and</i> sturdy. So ...</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFGhRoySf2_tc96Zb61lgIaNHd_WySK98HBrq_j-7AnVQs3LqtfergL66-HDnbkT5wMaC7Vop2azSJUYO-HbW-k5G2S50uheQFj0_pqejRPa9xUjmLTVW1zCF6xYJ9DnK-g-BYkmXtIHk/s1600/Almost+done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFGhRoySf2_tc96Zb61lgIaNHd_WySK98HBrq_j-7AnVQs3LqtfergL66-HDnbkT5wMaC7Vop2azSJUYO-HbW-k5G2S50uheQFj0_pqejRPa9xUjmLTVW1zCF6xYJ9DnK-g-BYkmXtIHk/s320/Almost+done.JPG" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost done!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">.. this is what the connections look like once both of the crimp beads have been attached (that little extra piece of beading wire on the right will be tucked into the silver bead). I couldn't possibly, in good conscience, leave it like this. So I dipped a couple pieces of 22 gauge wire in some fresh liver of sulpur and wrapped th<span style="font-size: large;">ose areas where the crimp beads and the beading wire me<span style="font-size: large;">et. This not only adds a nice finishing touch, but it also adds a bit of strength to the beading wire and crimp bead connection. Any <span style="font-size: large;">favorite piece that's worn <span style="font-size: large;">and handled a lot can be sub<span style="font-size: large;">ject to breakage, but I<span style="font-size: large;"> do whatever I can in the design process to make it more difficult for that happen.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zRipn9ypq97VavNS6x4K8eIhs5jpkHlHCOHH0heoSC9U-ebF6lN65hvMQvoqgJbYQ6B9U0nUqIUs8hITKDU90l9wWdAd_2e0QdQLNrfHV7Vugj05gjjLs0CsnJ7RIgLFUWna_la7vFRM/s1600/Done.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2zRipn9ypq97VavNS6x4K8eIhs5jpkHlHCOHH0heoSC9U-ebF6lN65hvMQvoqgJbYQ6B9U0nUqIUs8hITKDU90l9wWdAd_2e0QdQLNrfHV7Vugj05gjjLs0CsnJ7RIgLFUWna_la7vFRM/s320/Done.JPG" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The finished piece!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">So, here it <span style="font-size: large;">is! The <span style="font-size: large;">necklace proper is around 30 inches or so long<span style="font-size: large;">, the pendant is <span style="font-size: large;">an additional</span> 3.75" long. I really love this piece and <span style="font-size: large;">after I sold the first one in July of <span style="font-size: large;">2011, had fully intended to make one for myself. So this one should have been mine <span style="font-size: large;">(smile). I wore it with various white t-shirts all summer long (though it would probably look just as good against a black one). I truly hope the recipi<span style="font-size: large;">ent loves it as much as I do (and did). Lucky girl!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">I made some matching earrings, too .. they weren't part of the order, but I had a couple set backs (I had orig<span style="font-size: large;">inally promised delive<span style="font-size: large;">ry mid-November) </span></span>and Jon was so wonderfully <span style="font-size: large;">patien<span style="font-size: large;">t and understanding th<span style="font-size: large;">at I included them as a concession to his patience.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1fUOZAis3s8FsgqWaml26O5qNFdte5dwEZP7agJ3mfTJbbEPAf2wV45wwZq1r-vl6X21SgTNxJxGD-HdO1q0tpA41oPH6wneF9xplObzpTVjq89e7Br3V3xyeAW0Wgd1pRCFSK94n-2P/s1600/earrings.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1fUOZAis3s8FsgqWaml26O5qNFdte5dwEZP7agJ3mfTJbbEPAf2wV45wwZq1r-vl6X21SgTNxJxGD-HdO1q0tpA41oPH6wneF9xplObzpTVjq89e7Br3V3xyeAW0Wgd1pRCFSK94n-2P/s320/earrings.JPG" width="226" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="color: #999999;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Plus, if she's not in the mood to wear the la<span style="font-size: large;">rger, <span style="font-size: large;">bolder</span> piece, she can still wear the earrings and reme<span style="font-size: large;">mber <span style="font-size: large;">both the gift, the giver .. and that</span></span> she's loved!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-62517795752122574262012-09-17T08:23:00.001-05:002012-09-17T08:23:34.236-05:00Byzantine, with a twist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I got crazy and cut a bunch of rings a couple weeks ago with the express purpose of making a few more Byzantine bracelets. However, I wasn't in the mood for the same 'ole thing and created a couple new versions of this popular chain .. with a twist. The bracelet in my previous post included a fabulous clasp I made from fine silver clay. This version uses a combination of sterling and 14k gold-filled rings to complete the chain. And to punch up the sparkle power I added a relatively new cut of Swarovski crystal to this bracelet. I was pleased with the result! I liked this one so much, I made two, slightly different, versions. The one below places the gold-filled rings in the two-by-two position .. the other version has the gold-filled rings in the alternative position (where the sterling rings are in this photo). Though the two bracelets look about the same side-by-side, the second version uses more gold-filled rings and is, therefore, a bit more costly. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfhGKKG_uuvqbBoOA7q6jzAjhl3Y9YURg63MxI-jq5sdMMHoZ_FzBz8JaAA0_tWQAlpphvKRkaKn3U_CrFKJJTHiPAX5kq5yudYrS0im2SkCNZuKV568N0F4knSKWekLK999hvASJ03SD/s1600/Crystal+Byzantine+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirfhGKKG_uuvqbBoOA7q6jzAjhl3Y9YURg63MxI-jq5sdMMHoZ_FzBz8JaAA0_tWQAlpphvKRkaKn3U_CrFKJJTHiPAX5kq5yudYrS0im2SkCNZuKV568N0F4knSKWekLK999hvASJ03SD/s320/Crystal+Byzantine+3.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div>
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I have a tendency when I'm in the studio to just ... go .. with a design. I think of something that I believe will work, pull out all the materials, play around with it for a while, then put it together. Unless the design is something truly complicated, this process usually works well for me. However, it's generally not until after the piece is complete that I write up the material list and cost. As I have recently (and in the past) sold several expensive pieces, I don't worry too much about this. Though many jewelry designers are much more aware than I of what a piece will cost before they assemble it, I find that if I thought about that aspect too much, I'd probably never create anything. My only concession to this "make it first, price it later" type of thinking is my ongoing collection of tools and materials for polymer clay work (a much less costly material with which to begin a piece). Despite having played with a few simple polymer clay designs, I know in my heart that the types of pieces that will live up to my standards (and which I will be proud and happy to display for sale) will most likely take more time to complete than some of my precious metal and stone designs. The types of polymer clay pieces that have caught my eye are complicated little works of art that require some skill, made by artisans who have been working with the medium long enough to have acquired the necessary skills. So, while I continue to explore some of those skills in the books I've purchased on the topic, I can't help but continue doing what I do. Especially since I still enjoy working with precious metals, stones and pearls. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qcBVdVmVunvAkq8v01LaPoXP_Jp5EGHfQ-y-EWk_XZNdrROVglqnkBvG92KRK8l0XuCeKKXGlR8wsg8OGHitXtJ6A8MgVeEawiPUkwjpIkGDPloVuoY-sjZ8U0eE_xDp0CjHAhA-FfFG/s1600/Crystal+Byzantine+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qcBVdVmVunvAkq8v01LaPoXP_Jp5EGHfQ-y-EWk_XZNdrROVglqnkBvG92KRK8l0XuCeKKXGlR8wsg8OGHitXtJ6A8MgVeEawiPUkwjpIkGDPloVuoY-sjZ8U0eE_xDp0CjHAhA-FfFG/s320/Crystal+Byzantine+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Despite the high cost of gold and silver, I continue to purchase and work with these materials. They remain a good investment, both for creating and purchasing. I doubt silver will ever again be at the $4 an ounce price it was when I began this business adventure. And while I don't use quite as much "high gold" as I once did .. 14k, 18k, 22k, etc. .. 14k gold-filled materials are a fine substitute. I often find myself having to explain that an item (like this bracelet) made with 14k gold-filled materials is barely a step down down from a solid 14k gold item (and a huge step up from anything that's plated, which I would never use). Items made with gold filled materials are considered professional jeweler's quality. 14k gold-filled wire is made by forming a tube of solid 14k gold which is then "filled" with a base metal. The gold is bonded to the base metal with heat and pressure. The base metal is also gold in color and is made up of almost the same mixture of metals (usually a brass alloy) used to bring 24k gold down to 18k, 14k, 10k, etc. The exterior of the product is solid 14k gold, and everything you can see or touch is a solid layer of 14k gold. The gold layer on gold-filled wire is approximately 100 times thicker than gold plate - and because it is bonded with heat and pressure, it will never tarnish, chip or wear. While I occasionally still use solid gold materials in my pieces, using 14k gold-filled wire, chain and components allows for designs with the beauty and value of 14k gold at considerably less cost than a solid 14k gold piece.<br /> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFauOJoCIT3p7Fu1Td0CBoQvFWBLuEJPuCB2bmrU8beD-KyNKolSuU1necghSSAnH9MDNlMtRF7pSduGd7bKZwQD_A4CL84SKUmtflsW1rcaCISuP1fH-PoThfpTNOPwxQapaEDy3gN-TM/s1600/Crystal+Byzatine+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFauOJoCIT3p7Fu1Td0CBoQvFWBLuEJPuCB2bmrU8beD-KyNKolSuU1necghSSAnH9MDNlMtRF7pSduGd7bKZwQD_A4CL84SKUmtflsW1rcaCISuP1fH-PoThfpTNOPwxQapaEDy3gN-TM/s320/Crystal+Byzatine+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I would love to make an all-gold version of this bracelet .. but at the current price of gold (hovering just below $1,800 an ounce), even a 14k gold-filled version would be outrageously costly. So .. I compromised a little. I may even have to make one of these closer to my size to go with the one or two other gold and silver pieces I regularly wear. Combo pieces like this bracelet go well with both silver or gold .. though the crystals on this design punch up the overall gold flavor considerably. It's a lovely piece!The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-84646263912782792732012-08-29T14:37:00.000-05:002012-09-16T11:20:54.630-05:00Zentangles and Jewelry<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I can't remember when I first became aware of Zentangles .. though I DO know that it was through one of the many jewelry magazine subscriptions I was receiving. There was an article on the art form which really intrigued me. Anyone can do it, and there are "Tangle" books of all sorts available with designs to try. Though the place to begin is at the Zentangle site <a href="http://www.zentangle.com/" target="_blank">http://www.zentangle.com/</a>- click on the little "play" button at the bottom to see a slide show of various designs (or go to their blog link in the upper right corner to see what creative things people are doing with them!)<br />
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At the time I was interested in trying to make my own photo sensitive texture plates out of a Zentangle design for use with metal clay, then it occurred to me that getting a rubber stamp made from a Zentangle might be the better way to go. Helen Breil beat me (and probably a whole lot of others) to it. She took the idea and really ran with it. I have to admit, it was much easier to just buy one than to go through the whole process of making a bunch of Zentangle designs, and then send them off to .. where ever .. to be made into rubber stamps. I imagine it would take a whole lot more time and $$ than it did to purchase the five I have. Helen currently has twelve designs. You can see them here: <a href="http://www.helenbreil.com/Textures.php" target="_blank">http://www.helenbreil.com/Textures.php</a>. I purchased Mambo, fandango, Conga Line, Tango and Watusi .. though now that I can see some of the newer versions, I may have to buy another one or two!<br />
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For the past four years or so I have been stocking up on various tools and materials with the intention of getting into Polymer Clay designing. When the price of silver and gold skyrocketed, it seemed like an interesting medium to play with; especially since I was seeing a lot of impressive jewelry being made with the stuff. I've been collecting books, tools of all kinds, acrylics, silk screen sheets, at least one DVD ... and clay. A whole lotta clay (after doing very well at several recent shows). Helen is a Polymer Clay artist - she's got a website (and a Facebook page) full of some of the fun stuff she's done with her own texture tiles <a href="http://www.helenbreil.com/" target="_blank">http://www.helenbreil.com/</a> .. and I had originally purchased the texture plates for polymer clay. </div>
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However, I ended up using one for the first time a few weeks ago to make a fine silver (precious metal clay) clasp for a new Byzantine bracelet (for which I cut all those rings recently). It was the Mambo texture I used; and I have to say, I was initially concerned that there wasn't enough depth in the texture tile to really allow for a good impression. This is quick photo I took of the Mambo tile (they're all about 4" x 5").<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZei765v5DF7yqDyCnE3SX-JJGU_xAduaRQ7ZEsxD3ErDgAcrHgEtcXBYFwmXiqpKS3-15XdFeEGrJp6yur3VsJ_xGFuIdGTIxlnJHcRNrVyOXVv69LwgoY57o3TU40PN9GxnQSUyhSUq0/s1600/Mambo+texture+plate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZei765v5DF7yqDyCnE3SX-JJGU_xAduaRQ7ZEsxD3ErDgAcrHgEtcXBYFwmXiqpKS3-15XdFeEGrJp6yur3VsJ_xGFuIdGTIxlnJHcRNrVyOXVv69LwgoY57o3TU40PN9GxnQSUyhSUq0/s320/Mambo+texture+plate.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And this is the bracelet and clasp that came out of the experiment! I thought it impressed quite nicely!! The finished bracelet is a little too big for me, which is just as well as I'd be inclined to keep it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1vRUCK8KEnqH0Mk5lUMsYJclP2LUCbYSohU1agQPZ-jCpB1o1n6yw8rvs7blTL18swuZhOWnHb0OSNoQWLu3bSbw7wUMEjPEq7Y9cs5oeZAo5upZIjA4shJ5-pU_df9wUVnX6QISmWEa/s1600/Nautilus+Byzantine+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ1vRUCK8KEnqH0Mk5lUMsYJclP2LUCbYSohU1agQPZ-jCpB1o1n6yw8rvs7blTL18swuZhOWnHb0OSNoQWLu3bSbw7wUMEjPEq7Y9cs5oeZAo5upZIjA4shJ5-pU_df9wUVnX6QISmWEa/s320/Nautilus+Byzantine+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have a couple of clay stamps I use with metal clay (and will probably use with polymer as well); one is just my business name, the other is my logo. The name seemed more appropriate for this piece. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6ug3fc8OWCe1ynsdo_tIKOJHWDwyHyx5Hmr6fgGcIJkjPauk2HYQswt8rWKN8K4IPHnBXXT3_BIOGIglBIRku6sh5TAV6QWLeMkR9QksloddnZwpOYwj74vLkKN42u40_v3aYzDC0Kdb/s1600/Nautilus+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin6ug3fc8OWCe1ynsdo_tIKOJHWDwyHyx5Hmr6fgGcIJkjPauk2HYQswt8rWKN8K4IPHnBXXT3_BIOGIglBIRku6sh5TAV6QWLeMkR9QksloddnZwpOYwj74vLkKN42u40_v3aYzDC0Kdb/s320/Nautilus+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I thought the finished design, as it appeared on the clasp, looked a little like a Nautilus. So that's what I call it. It's much more impressive in person (did I mention I'm still getting used to this new camera?!?) : ) <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqe0XTHr9Lh8t41rV-2i9rGWIUJHpsDA25sFh2P1ONyfcBbs5hFhPY_286qlt_NZMIlEQ4a4hpLVOOmjKjV_tvgmOhmdK_GwzgFUq7kdY8NqVdK42dOQ7-e6vzOrt4_S12cDlR_eiqjJNW/s1600/KaranNautilus_Byzantine_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqe0XTHr9Lh8t41rV-2i9rGWIUJHpsDA25sFh2P1ONyfcBbs5hFhPY_286qlt_NZMIlEQ4a4hpLVOOmjKjV_tvgmOhmdK_GwzgFUq7kdY8NqVdK42dOQ7-e6vzOrt4_S12cDlR_eiqjJNW/s320/KaranNautilus_Byzantine_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-87993661346432267662012-08-28T11:01:00.000-05:002012-08-28T13:11:49.905-05:00Been a long time comin' ..So, it's been a while. Lost my enthusiasm there for a bit. Also lost my laptop hard drive and my camera. Well, maybe "lost" is the wrong word. The laptop was seven or eight years old, the camera at least that or more. Neither owed me anything and the laptop was a workhorse .. and it was time to move on from Win XP. I have since replaced both, the camera just recently though .. and have experienced the frustration of learning to use a new device. You all know what I mean .. it doesn't do what you hoped or what you expect or what you were used to. You get there, of course. But it's time consuming.<br />
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I recently wound and cut jump rings for the first time in quite some time. Long enough to have destroyed an expensive cutting blade on my first attempt. Fortunately, I had a back up. I thought it might be fun to record the experience for once. I made the mistake of using my Samsung phone camera rather than a tripod and my new Canon Powershot, however. So please accept my apology for the few (OK, several) out of focus photos. I will have to order more sterling and gold-filled wire before I can give it another go (and that's coming soon); but thought you might like to see the process anyway.<br />
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I have a collection of mandrels in different sizes that fit into the chuck of a chargeable drill. The Jump Ringer kit I bought came with a manual winding tool, but the drill is loads faster. However ... one can slice a finger with an errant piece of wire end pretty quick. The green tape is called Alligator Skin, and prevents accidents. I usually put leather "thimbles" on the tips of my fingers and then wrap the tape around them. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdkTNFbw70VX-fzJ_XHbolgfiusijtT-9Pu5FQLe15ZUwXWlW2rP2WKE0hmv1l9SVfF1SxLgAVE1f47Mgueonxezp_wcvEtNjq0t68CU1X7UvP5wEzsUhL8dsRVmkZhMFV9WeYhbgxH3g/s1600/Winding+wire+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWdkTNFbw70VX-fzJ_XHbolgfiusijtT-9Pu5FQLe15ZUwXWlW2rP2WKE0hmv1l9SVfF1SxLgAVE1f47Mgueonxezp_wcvEtNjq0t68CU1X7UvP5wEzsUhL8dsRVmkZhMFV9WeYhbgxH3g/s400/Winding+wire+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I wind all the wire I will be needing first. I try to remember to make the spiral lengths short enough so that there will be room in the cutting trough for the blade. My original Jump Ringer kit came with a shorter cutting block. I purchased separately the one I use in these photos. Otherwise, I would have had to wind the spirals at about half to three-quarters of their existing length.<br />
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Before cutting, I liberally cover the area on top of the wire spiral .. the part through which the blade will be cutting .. with a waxy lubricant. Your blade is likely to last a lot longer if you do this (that is if you haven't already destroyed one through thoughtless procedure).</div>
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There are four different trough depths on each of the four sides of the cutting block. The wire spiral goes in the center of the trough .. again, so that the blade has room on the front and back end of the trough when you're cutting. The lid with the slit (for the blade) goes on .. the two little thumb screws hold it down. <br />
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The spiral should ideally set just a bit above the edge of the trough. The reason I destroyed a blade was that my spiral sat TOO high. Silly girl. At $10/blade, that's a costly error. <br />
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This is the blade housing .. it's attached to a flex shaft (I suppose you could use a Dremel, but I'm not certain). The blade is visible in the photo below .. it fits into the slit in the top of the cutting block, and the sides of the housing fit snugly on either side of the cutting block. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc1JWwTRU08_7B2m3KgPCI8euTTZjGaRyc4d3sOnE1FjNs-TEWDEqLPx1Q9qJm1L1WoU5uPCFA3F0ObqNNZSaTTPc1QmXLjPDTSSrhub-0GKYOo89-1ZE1k6lSOl-ABn3ymYZ9rGCPSsh/s1600/Cutting+wire+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc1JWwTRU08_7B2m3KgPCI8euTTZjGaRyc4d3sOnE1FjNs-TEWDEqLPx1Q9qJm1L1WoU5uPCFA3F0ObqNNZSaTTPc1QmXLjPDTSSrhub-0GKYOo89-1ZE1k6lSOl-ABn3ymYZ9rGCPSsh/s400/Cutting+wire+6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of my more blurry shots .. sorry. When you're assembling the blade and housing on the flex shaft, you want to be sure you have your blade on correctly, so that it cuts in the right direction. Putting it on upside down is another good way to destroy a blade. Had a left handed jewelry maker in the studio once, showing her how to use the device .. after a couple false starts, we ended up purposely putting the blade on wrong, and then moving the Jump Ringer housing from left to right instead of right to left. It's a wonder we didn't strip the blade of all its teeth in the process!! <br />
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When you remove the cover after cutting, your spiral is now a bunch of independent rings. Yay! <br />
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I run a piece of copper wire through them while they're still a little bit stuck together by the Bur Life, twist the two pieces of wire together to make a little teardrop shape, and drop a bunch of these little bundles into the tumbler with a little Dawn dishwashing liquid and water. I leave them to tumble for anywhere from 30 minutes or so to a few hours (sometimes I just forget!). The tumbling not only cleans off the waxy lubricant, it also shines up the rings and work hardens them a little bit. Just a little bit. But every little bit helps .. depending on what you intend to do with them. <br />
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I did manage to get a few shots of the two items I ended up making with my new jump rings, and I promise I'll post those next. I even used the Canon .. though with a whole lotta frustration involved. I mean shouldn't macro mean close-up? Then why all the blur when you move in close. I'm thinking I might have to actually look at the manual! But .. I did get enough photos to post and will do that soon! <br />
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<br />The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-30294312785257396742011-03-04T09:18:00.008-05:002011-03-04T10:50:59.123-05:00Ch ch ch ch changes ...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS_IcPY8KRQNYIxuskl_TbcFENZ1i8fvj5mtL95KJJc9OH28GgVp4S75osNxZIHHwsRFahUXvwLewDOn_XASGQKMncXf8hi22pnBTE_PPAmr7tSNFghI1-li8gzr2YnnJQQ23WE4pt7e7/s1600/Remembrance+anklet+wooden+hand.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 396px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNS_IcPY8KRQNYIxuskl_TbcFENZ1i8fvj5mtL95KJJc9OH28GgVp4S75osNxZIHHwsRFahUXvwLewDOn_XASGQKMncXf8hi22pnBTE_PPAmr7tSNFghI1-li8gzr2YnnJQQ23WE4pt7e7/s400/Remembrance+anklet+wooden+hand.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580252663833954450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NLjvjkdIJ6bCLUOqR7fX1-s2v_al5dSp511f3v9nDJHj9SS6VqX31vk9D39tJmHYOgso72xMUkldWk8BsO-MNggHbMdNSfNcaSKYeKjc1NQbxFx8A6WGA5HV6B1eWekJ-sZnfR9S0IMf/s1600/Remembrance+anklet+diagonal.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 388px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NLjvjkdIJ6bCLUOqR7fX1-s2v_al5dSp511f3v9nDJHj9SS6VqX31vk9D39tJmHYOgso72xMUkldWk8BsO-MNggHbMdNSfNcaSKYeKjc1NQbxFx8A6WGA5HV6B1eWekJ-sZnfR9S0IMf/s400/Remembrance+anklet+diagonal.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580252405787897730" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkJDMG99uXmp_do4ieE3YY40bDKzW7pbYKxBLMEbTUTT0SzYBQLqgHmo2dE1tcNagabRGs6ZEO34onNZtqF3-02crjOt7CG_cGzSTCNWq-rLJREkLbM-889ZHF_PNavwOPcdG1pOEwNbE/s1600/Remembrance+anklet+2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 372px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkJDMG99uXmp_do4ieE3YY40bDKzW7pbYKxBLMEbTUTT0SzYBQLqgHmo2dE1tcNagabRGs6ZEO34onNZtqF3-02crjOt7CG_cGzSTCNWq-rLJREkLbM-889ZHF_PNavwOPcdG1pOEwNbE/s400/Remembrance+anklet+2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5580232417253896034" /></a><div>Maybe it's just that my brain is wired in a strange way, but when I get a commission to create a special piece, it almost always starts out in my mind one way and inevitably ends up being something entirely different when it's completed. Perhaps this creative process is common in those who do this kind of thing; all I know is that it's a fun, stressful, creative and frustrating adventure every time .. and I love it. Especially since the end product is usually as much of a surprise to me as it is to the recipient!</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkJDMG99uXmp_do4ieE3YY40bDKzW7pbYKxBLMEbTUTT0SzYBQLqgHmo2dE1tcNagabRGs6ZEO34onNZtqF3-02crjOt7CG_cGzSTCNWq-rLJREkLbM-889ZHF_PNavwOPcdG1pOEwNbE/s1600/Remembrance+anklet+2.jpg"></a></span></span>This Remembrance Anklet began as a request by a friend of mine on behalf of five women (the five named on the tags) who wanted a special retirement gift for a friend of theirs. The recipient wanted an anklet - I don't make many these days, because they just don't sell much up here, but got the measurements and started thinking about how to go about it.<br /><br />The spokesperson for the group and I went back and forth regarding using initials, versus entire first names, and whether or not to add crystals or stones to indicate birthdays for each of the five and to create a little sparkle in the piece. I also toyed with different clasps .. a commercial clasp vs a handcrafted item. I decided I could do complete first names; but putting five name tags on a length of chain (even ten inches of chain) is going to take up most of the space. So I had initially looked in all my various supplier catalogs for existing blank sterling tags of a particular size and shape with pre-punched holes on either side. The longest name was six letters, so I needed something long and narrow, yet high enough for the letter punches I have in the studio.<br /><br />I wasted a lot of time in that process .. most of the blanks I found were round, square, too big, too small, not pre-punched, etc. I knew I wanted a sort of elongated oval .. that was my ideal; and perhaps there's a source out there somewhere that sells exactly what I was looking for, but none of my usual sources had anything like it. So the sterling chain and charm piece I had originally planned on wasn't going to work. There was nothing for it but to create the thing from scratch. I have some sterling sheet and could have cut out five ovals and punched them all in the appropriate places before adding the individual letters. But as I had some PMC3 on hand .. the strongest of the three silver metal clays .. I decided to make the thing entirely out of fine silver. An added benefit of using PMC3 is that the initial letter size would end up being about 10% to 15% smaller when they all came out of the kiln (which wouldn't have been the case if I'd stamped directly onto sterling silver blanks).<br /><br />Well, the decision wasn't exactly a mistake, because I loved the finished piece, but geeeeeeez! Can't tell you how many times I rolled and re-rolled a piece of clay because I didn't get the letters P E R F E C T. I finally decided that as this was a handcrafted piece, the natural flaws in the piece were indicative of the "handcrafted" process and were to be enjoyed as part of the love and attention that went into the giving of the gift and the making of the gift. Not your machine-made piece of perfection, but a solid piece of backbreaking work (believe me, all that micro sanding of each and every little name tag charm was indeed back breaking <grin>). And I won't even mention the trouble I had with the kiln .. oy!<br /><br />After I had all the charms cleaned up, fired, tumbled, work hardened, and then dapped to create a slight curve, I wound and cut a length of fine silver wire into all the rings used to connect the pieces and create the additional chain needed to bring the length out to what was needed (plus a little more, just in case). For just a moment .. and a moment only .. I thought about adding the "birthday crystals" to dangle prettily at the end. But it wouldn't do .. it was no longer the kind of design that would support crystals aesthetically. So, what I used were small Thai silver beads .. which are also fine silver. They're a lot sturdier than the crystals would have been .. and they meld into the design so much better. As the rings in the chain were large enough, I was able to create a long, narrow hook clasp that I'm certain will prove to be secure and which could hook into any of the rings along the length for a perfect fit. Once all the rings were fused, I went down the entire length of the chain and tapped around each and every ring on an anvil to work harden them for strength. And after all THAT, I dipped the entire piece into a dish of liver of sulphur to blacken it .. I mean really blacken it. Then I systematically went over the entire piece with steel wool to clean up most of the blackening, but allow the letters to "pop" on the name tags. The final touch (like adding the title page to a paper you've slaved over for weeks!) was tapping my business name into the back of one of the tags. </grin></div><div><br /></div><div>I hope the recipient was as truly happy with the end result as I was .. not having sold it directly to her, I only have the word of my go-between (which was positively glowing <smile>). It's always great to sell a piece I've made .. but these particular kinds of sales never fail to make me feel like I've really accomplished something. The emotions attached to it are a little more intense and personal, and that just makes it all so much more worthwhile.</smile></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-7995158360348750142010-08-13T07:25:00.010-05:002010-08-18T22:36:49.240-05:00With all my heart<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDdZ7aXEDdYChWC1i_dJYN67U8_HAMHXodnsl2gMnDVEaGvGZbJsr8uNakUeYmw9CLf26LPaXUovGE8kX4Y6kQgDch46L86rZCo9eZp9IJUnn3mrugADcBE2FDDD1scZMJo38R54c9kKg/s1600/With+all+my+heart+-+N3.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieDdZ7aXEDdYChWC1i_dJYN67U8_HAMHXodnsl2gMnDVEaGvGZbJsr8uNakUeYmw9CLf26LPaXUovGE8kX4Y6kQgDch46L86rZCo9eZp9IJUnn3mrugADcBE2FDDD1scZMJo38R54c9kKg/s400/With+all+my+heart+-+N3.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5504870332467947954" /></a><div>I honestly believe that necessity is the mother of invention. There are books (and websites) full of this kind of "positive attitude overcomes adversity" type quotes and phrases .. heady things like Nietzsche's "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger" as well as lighter fare, "When given lemons, make lemonade" .. and the more poetic "Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head .." by Shakespeare. I love that. It really gets to the heart of the matter. Sometimes there is a silver lining. And sometimes things happen for a reason .. whether or not one can work with that is up to the individual. Easy enough to feel sorry for yourself. I tried not to do that, but when you can't work (and I really couldn't at first), it's a bit depressing. Spent a lot of time and money looking for a "quick fix" .. chiropractic, physical therapy .. acupuncture. </div><div><br /></div><div>All of which helped a little; but my all-encompassing issue has always been chronic yeast and I think I knew down deep that it was feeding the inflammation and I'd have to do something drastic dietwise before my wrist would begin to heal. So, I finally got down to it about six weeks ago. While strictly monitoring my diet in an effort to beat out the yeasty beasties and ever so slowly repair my painful wrist, I've had to rethink my jewelry designs. Things improved dramatically after I went on a modified allergy elimination diet .. and I continue to be able to do things around the house and in the studio that I couldn't back in May and June .. but it's still not quite 100% yet. There are more than a few designs in my inventory (or long gone) that were real wrist-wrenchers in their creation. I'm aching - so to speak - to get back to the elaborate and time-intensive chain maille and wire wrapped bangle designs that leave me feeling so incredible satisfied when a piece is completed! However, while I attempt to keep from doing any more harm to my wrist while I continue to pump up my inventory, I've necessarily had to change course a bit. Stringing was the least painful thing I could do, but, you know .. been there, done that. And there are more beaders out there than ants in an anthill. If the right design comes to mind, I will still occasionally toss in a beaded design (and there are some old beaded design favorites that continue to do well) .. but I'm all about new and different. I like learning and trying new things. </div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uzlJYlbazBls1jWkPDidpvUf5IwigBTRPvElUXKvYW4R_xkA9kwB2iscM2sv3jezSfXvYjbz2V_wiisFrzN7wGop-yiGVeDVgJlROEbU9Y3dUGDaP6AmaKlaEjGuOiP9-c9EuLIezrZl/s400/With+all+my+heart+-+N1.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>So .. went in a just a slightly different direction with a new line of Talisman necklaces (bracelets may be forthcoming, we'll see). I'm not one to believe in things you can't see, but I do believe - as I've already explained - in attitude adjustment. And sometimes we need to be reminded that "every little ting will be ahright" .. that we hold the key to our happiness. It was this "key to happiness" thing that had the lightbulb shining over my head this time. I bought a bag full of old skeleton keys from an antique dealer when the whole Steampunk fad emerged as the "new thing". I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with them, but I'd also purchased a bunch of old watch parts (and got a bag full of old watches, too) in a casual search for Steampunky components. I'd had visions of resin-encased bits-n-pieces pendants, but am still experimenting with clear resin .. and wanted to stay away from chemical fumes while I continue to heal. One day I was just messing around with some fine silver fun phrase tags I'd made .. affirmations, declarations, cliche things .. and came up with this lavish piece I call "With all my heart" (inscibed in french on the little fine silver tag). It just kind of took off from there.</div><div><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iag-0hGMM3djsy_wLJGMrpFVpUkwkR8Imfa-F6Dcj4VPulNN8Mm8XbnYDZnQQccxddsuQxvCXOE0ayWHHFI37-aYrWsQ3drr2ckVlEEhKh6_7lfAzaVpR1p9WV0-8PfncR6noOkjs1tt/s400/With+all+my+heart+-+N2.jpg" /></div><div><br /></div><div>I haven't yet photographed them but I've also created "Sea Change" and "Live Juicy" (a recommendation made popular by the colorful and ever-positive Sark). And I have additional tags awaiting their own necklaces for "Je ne sais quoi", Jois de vivre", "one day at a time", "this too shall pass", "In vino veritas", and one about an acorn that I'm still working on. I had toyed with calling them Affirmation necklaces .. but "Talisman" had a better feel. One of the definitons I found was, "anything whose presence exercises a remarkable or powerful influence on human feelings or actions." That was closer to what I was trying to do when I thought about the idea behind the pieces.</div><div><br /></div><div>These jingly and sometimes musical little pieces make me happy .. I've tried to make each of the three I've created so far different in design from each other, but this, the first, is really glorious! It's got almost three feet of patinated sterling chain; bright, bold coral; and a little puffy Thai silver heart. It's long and substantial, yet when I wore it around last weekend for a test-drive, I forgot I was wearing it .. well, until someone mentioned it. Which happened a lot. This is one of those pieces I may have to keep.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll try to get the others up soon, but things are a little crazy at the moment .. I have a two-day show this weekend here in Ogdensburg. A 2nd "annual" Wine, Beer & Food Festival .. for some unfathomable reason split between two locations: the Lockwood Arena over on the corner of Main and New York Avenue and The Dobisky Visitor's Center down by the water. I'll be in the Dobisky Center with a bunch of other artisans .. the better of the two locations, I'm thinking. Especially since that's where all the beer, Bar-B-Que and entertainment will be. Saturday 11:00 to 6:00, Sunday Noon to 5:00 .. stop over if you're in the area! It's supposed to be an absolutely gorgeous weekend!<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>(Thanks to Heather Wynn for the design idea!)</div>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-75055420978441907352010-06-20T15:54:00.009-05:002010-06-20T16:17:33.286-05:00Still Spinnin'<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQ_zIh_nijP12xG6xwM0eKY9VjQ97hqcWCk4doLBfvTHrkM5aTi0PoJgFkZPvTEiU59IYlUhFZwg4rX94ryTRtl-F3SPwvaVolkuU7ZR8jebTbW9hk_hkYusbh0AZV1jsd9_J4grCMva8/s1600/W-Jungle-Cat-pendant.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 352px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQ_zIh_nijP12xG6xwM0eKY9VjQ97hqcWCk4doLBfvTHrkM5aTi0PoJgFkZPvTEiU59IYlUhFZwg4rX94ryTRtl-F3SPwvaVolkuU7ZR8jebTbW9hk_hkYusbh0AZV1jsd9_J4grCMva8/s400/W-Jungle-Cat-pendant.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484962644337120850" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span></b></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 153, 153); "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I've been doing a whole lot less stringing over the last year or so, mostly because I've been having fun with wire and metal clay, among other things. But I've had to put my beading cap back on and come up with some designs that put less strain on my wrist as it seems, after almost five months, that I'm still dealing with some pain and discomfort. For a while I couldn't even make a simple wrapped loop on an earring. That isn't the case any longer, but working with anything thicker than 18 gauge (dead soft) wire has me reaching for the Ibuprofen before bedtime. I feel a little improvement now and again, when I realize I can do something I couldn't do even a couple weeks ago without pain, but it's been very slow. I have every confidence that I'll get to the other side of this, but while I'm waiting I have to think about the few shows I have coming up. So .. I rummaged through my collection of materials this week and found a whole box of Czech glass seed beads!</span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">There are any number of secreted, forgotten surprises down in my studio .. boxes, bags and baskets full of stuff stashed away for later use. You know how it is .. if it isn't out where you can see it, you tend to forget it's there. Most of the seed beads I have are 6/0 size .. a bit larger than what I wanted for a multi-strand necklace that began materializing in my head. I needed something that would allow three or four strands to fit nicely into the sterling Bali cones I also found while rummaging. These matte black beads were perfect for the job! (There are some other colors I found to play around with as well .. this one just worked with the color scheme I needed at the moment).</span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The little pale green beads are chrysophrase, a real pretty stone that often looks like it's illuminated from within. They're interspersed with 4mm sterling silver round beads.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWHAYSe5jqEuQYY8nY6uWPIrvhuX69OEvjz_XGRUOVTh7pj3__62DPcjCIfNBELhnxvIskfNu5zlSBdQ2aHQrSGgUQ-bP9k9Q_Na2imvJzdNVY2Ns85biJEo7mxAY9ATlXZLZXYPFUTpGD/s400/W-Jungle-Cat-flat.gif" /></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The cones that capture the strands at the clasp are absolutely gorgeous examples of granulation. These were hand made (not cast) by artisans in Indonesia .. each one of those little dots is applied one at a time. You should be able to click on any of this photos and see the piece close up.</span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The toggle clasp is also an Indonesian hand made component. You can usually tell the difference between truly hand made Bali components and those that are more cheaply cast by the way they look upon closer examination. "Bali Style" components which are cast look sort of like they were partially melted in the sun. Because the silver is poured into a mold instead of created from scratch, the individual design features lack the sharp detail of individually placed design segments - they run into each other instead.<br /><br /><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSZedUd9GkVuwc9vo7rGJ4gcI-_gfZxZGG57qhEeU8iRL0qoX0zUxT48j8VrrV2rmx-ad_8aMXm36DE00RxIxCsb14vUW3GOMF7EYw19NlyxD7efzX0xa0Becyr50jsN2rKtyJHffG3TD/s400/W-Jungle-Cat-on-white.gif" /></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The pendant is turquoise and is hinged in the center .. it's also removable, so you can wear the strands without the pendant, if you choose. The first thing I thought of when I put all the colors together was a panther .. you know, black as night .. with green eyes? But I couldn't name it "Black Panther" without thinking about the 60's and the negative connotations .. so I called it "Jungle Cat" instead. </span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;margin-bottom:14.0pt"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#339999;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It's currently in a beautiful Arts & Crafts oak display case at Mare's Wares Pottery on Route 37 in Morristown .. the site of an upcoming show on July 1st. Look for more information about the show at either www.artisansoftherivervalley.com or on Facebook at "Mare's Wares Arts Fest". If you're in the area, stop over .. it's going to be an incredible day!</span></span></b></span><span style="language:EN;mso-ansi-language:EN"> </span><span style="language:EN"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none"><span style="language:EN"> </span></p>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-81089319866984416822010-03-29T07:23:00.006-05:002010-03-31T07:25:41.781-05:00A Positive Spin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK8-ZO9yVHGwBIDr_LMj9em7CiIBbeL9m5MnyzwW3kIub4HdV5iBbJrMANSocrHmrecY3MMXqd3bGdQnnnqGqWCk-OlxhWQKymQpBl6R4qAi9Mhw89LVFUBmcF-7Cs9iDEmQLVFzGV7IT/s1600/W-Spring-Fling---wave2.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 348px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoK8-ZO9yVHGwBIDr_LMj9em7CiIBbeL9m5MnyzwW3kIub4HdV5iBbJrMANSocrHmrecY3MMXqd3bGdQnnnqGqWCk-OlxhWQKymQpBl6R4qAi9Mhw89LVFUBmcF-7Cs9iDEmQLVFzGV7IT/s400/W-Spring-Fling---wave2.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454031267330742082" /></a>I've been out of commission for several weeks due to a repetitive strain injury in my right hand/wrist. It just amazes me whenever I do something like this to discover just how much we use a particular muscle or body part! The problem was caused by a little too much laptop data entry .. it seems I overworked the joint in my right thumb, which created a little swelling in my wrist, just below the thumb pad. I feel like I've gotten a rather painful anatomy lesson. It's difficult enough turning the ignition key in my car, or shifting, or washing dishes, or opening a jar, or dressing, or putting on a jacket, or brushing or drying my hair .. making jewelry was out of the question.<br /><br />However, after cleaning up portions of my studio - which could be done without hurting myself and was sorely needed - it was tough not to develop a whole bunch of ideas while putting away wire and pearls and stones and findings and stuff. It was an idea from an artisan friend though that finally had me thinking about what I might pull together, despite my (hopefully) temporary incapacity.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvOiWw96gl9h6piyh_KeSOFq0TwkMbHmfTE94yDaCG11ZDjmROIi0HdYgfBSew5nju5fvg7gS3HrN66J4sQIWSv4MgYGNYdMp7LEvq5mEDL204BQkEW7VvwfIffuuMIf2330D0ZdBpZAH/s1600/W-Spring-Fling---checkerboa.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 393px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUvOiWw96gl9h6piyh_KeSOFq0TwkMbHmfTE94yDaCG11ZDjmROIi0HdYgfBSew5nju5fvg7gS3HrN66J4sQIWSv4MgYGNYdMp7LEvq5mEDL204BQkEW7VvwfIffuuMIf2330D0ZdBpZAH/s400/W-Spring-Fling---checkerboa.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454030944524170226" /></a>The idea was a donation .. she and I and several other friends are part of an artisan group covering three local counties (check out the link to the Adirondack Artisans Guild over on the right). My friend's daughter is coordinating a fund raiser at the school where she works in California and suggested that our group might open ourselves up to a whole new market if we were to donate as a group. I'd totally forgotten about it until the last minute, so didn't have a whole lot of time .. plus I couldn't pull together the sort of wrist wrenching wire work I would have liked to have created for what I saw as an opportunity to advertise along with my tax deductible contribution. I always think of California as ahead of the curve in style and accessories .. I wanted something a bit different and eye-catching.<br /><br />So .. I pulled out one of my funky fine silver toggle clasps .. this one is about 8 grams of pure silver and is textured on both sides, as you can see from the photos here (one side is a sort of checkerboard, the other is a wavy pattern). I might have normally fused some smaller fine silver rings to both ends and attached something with stones and silver beads and more fine silver connectors. But I thought that stringing a bracelet would be less stress on my wrist, which turned out to be the case. The clasp is about an inch across though .. a single strand, unless relatively large beads were used, would be overwhelmed by the large clasp. <div><br /><img src="http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif" alt="Add Image" border="0" class="gl_photo" /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMD5U6tGcV7j9d0kHofYTliwxgcU3Yl9sPJIGDA5cIk-8Ciqk4Wsc2l9wNRfvsq_Tccn_Mxb5Xardnxpui5iLwnV7e6JqvfKwEPoSx9UM6mD11Kcnu0-9bI8_QrBrDa3kT9qiWJSG8ZRF/s1600/W-Spring-Fling---wave.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrMD5U6tGcV7j9d0kHofYTliwxgcU3Yl9sPJIGDA5cIk-8Ciqk4Wsc2l9wNRfvsq_Tccn_Mxb5Xardnxpui5iLwnV7e6JqvfKwEPoSx9UM6mD11Kcnu0-9bI8_QrBrDa3kT9qiWJSG8ZRF/s400/W-Spring-Fling---wave.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454030585345180994" /></a>I spent an entire day working out the design, color scheme and additional beads to be used before I finally began to assemble it. It was seasonably warm and sunny last week when I put it all together .. mid 40's, which is seasonable for this time of year in northern New York! I had initially chosen some peacock blue pearls .. they looked fabulous with the silver accents, but it was so dark. So I went rummaging through my pearl drawers and found these pretty, bright, and very Spring-like Celadon-colored fresh water pearls. And as it happened, I had some similarly colored 6/0 Czech glass beads to fill in the strands. I originally tried to use them to make the bead loops attaching the ring portion of the clasp to the strand, but they turned out to be just a tad too big. It was difficult to get the bar part of the toggle to fit through the hole when the 6/0 beads were taking up so much space inside. Fortunately, I found some smaller seed beads that fit the bill .. both in size and color. The rest of the strand is comprised of little three-sided Thai silver beads, some tiny little fine silver nuggets I made, and some very cool "gear" shaped beads made of silver-coated ceramic.<br /><br />I have to tell you, it's been a LONG time since I've used crimp beads in a piece. I spent a good half hour looking for both crimp beads and the special tool one needs to attach them to a strand. All of my strung pieces use either beads tips or French wire to attach a beaded strand to a clasp .. but I couldn't figure out a way to attractively do it. The problem with crimp beads is that if you crimp a little too enthusiastically, you'll destroy and weaken the integrity of the wire inside the crimp bead; if you don't crimp firmly enough, the wire will ultimately work its way out of the crimp bead and all your beads will slide off and disappear. </div><div><br />I was delighted both by my ability to still be able to crimp properly AND with the design and look of the bracelet when it was done! It's very bright and Springy .. I called it Spring Fling. Hey, I was on the clock .. it was the first thing that popped into my head. It'll do : )</div><div><br />The event is scheduled for May 1 and is called Moroccan Nights: An Evening in Casablanca .. and doesn't THAT just conjure up a whole bunch of wonderful images in your mind .. dark, smoky jazz clubs, slinky gowns and swept up do's, mysterious strangers ... Bogey?!?! The paperwork suggested that ALL items will be put online for bidding unless the donor requests otherwise .. and why would anyone request otherwise?? The school is www.vistamarschool.org .. and I'm assuming there'll be a link somewhere on their site to the silent auction items once they have them all in their possession. I'll certainly keep you posted! : )</div><div><br /></div><div>UPDATE: The link for the online auction portion of this event is up for viewing. Though bidding isn't possible until April 13, you can still scroll through what they've put up so far. I'm told there's a whole lot more to come. The site may be found <a href="http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?vhost=vistamarschool">here</a>. If the link doesn't work, just copy and paste this: <a href="http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?vhost=vistamarschool">http://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/AuctionHome.action?vhost=vistamarschool</a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilzy3Ay-W-dXGl9hCIzL9rmOt7w3AILL_5MyE3E46Wa8n5mRqQ2gmTT-g4JQV1uSyd6EKtimIuLF0r58DFmO8i-p3NJDyBcMNq6jheAsdlvAUQShRRqWZHevJm9Hdb2qb0okfVknP3P7ws/s1600/W-Spring-Fling---checkerboa.gif"></a></div>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-30402360937709673442010-03-01T08:16:00.005-05:002010-03-01T09:41:23.994-05:00Sweetheart Pin with pearls<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJWtsNByiV0UcxS6YYVjEUEPxBJyab_pdqCAmthdGP-tOvPc9HQWOjjUNIpOKvSBOT2l1n3jqmFEacMMu_opQmT8yLLlWBqW4hEqFQam1Y31tfX-wakmGjC1yw34y1tpkv0RHCTyVuAn0/s1600-h/W-1-Sweetheart-Pin-w-pearls.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 340px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUJWtsNByiV0UcxS6YYVjEUEPxBJyab_pdqCAmthdGP-tOvPc9HQWOjjUNIpOKvSBOT2l1n3jqmFEacMMu_opQmT8yLLlWBqW4hEqFQam1Y31tfX-wakmGjC1yw34y1tpkv0RHCTyVuAn0/s400/W-1-Sweetheart-Pin-w-pearls.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443654348680834754" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This large and fabulous pin design has taken on a life of its own. It began with a project by Sherilyn Miller from one of the many jewelry magazines to which I subscribe. I made the <a href="http://thewildinside.blogspot.com/2009/04/sweetheart-pin.html">pin</a> exactly as the project described, and even sold a few - which hadn't been my intention. I usually view projects like this as a chance to stretch my skills .. you make the project and hope that what you've learned spurs you on to other things. Even better, this one project has been the springboard for more variations than any other design project I've ever tried. From this simple pin design I came up with a beautiful bracelet idea .. called <a href="http://thewildinside.blogspot.com/2009/05/stream-of-consciousness.html">Tranquility</a> (though I called the one I gave my friend for her April birthday April Showers). I did so incredibly well with those bracelets - which varied slightly in size and stones, though remained always a soft shade of blue - that I'm working on trying another color scheme for it this year. It was the pin's most recent transformation that made me think that pearls and crystals might be the way to go.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>I might have ultimately come up with the pearl idea on my own, but it was a potential customer who saw at a small show in Watertown a similar pin I made for a friend of mine (who was wearing it at the time). It was the same size as this pin (I have made a smaller, more delicate version, but neglected to photograph it before someone purchased it) but was covered in three different stones representing the birthstones for my friend, her husband and their son. I explained to her what the stones on my friend's pin represented and she asked if I could do one in jewel tones. Not a problem, I told her. But after subsequent back and forth emails with multiple scans of various stones and crystals, she asked if pearls and crystals would work. Even better, I thought. Clean, simple, romantic .. with just a little sparkle.<br /><br /></div><div>I was pleased with the finished pin .. about five or six of the crystals are small, 4mm round, clear crystals with an AB (aurora borealis) coating on them. It adds just a little flash of color without going over board (though no matter how many shots I took, I couldn't get that little flash of color to show in a photo). I've got several drawers full of white and cream pearls, so I was able to create a pleasing mix of different sizes and shapes.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the moment though .. it's 2009 year-end and taxes that are scrambling the synapses in my cranium .. so the creative side of my brain is taking a break while the analytical side takes over. And that, my friends, is where the trouble usually begins ... </div><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned!</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOiGexkpwdj9beb5sH-l-b-Vjq-qizGLUvmqvJWb_m1S8blrxzCTH0CoWNYWaIlV1kCQPR4zxFJHyKTxjOL3m0etvbnliGkMNlTkpsx9ofqL4Tp68hgHZcVPQD4i3dCFgLktg1HbEP6Gy/s1600-h/W-4-Sweetheart-Pin-w-pearls.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 354px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsOiGexkpwdj9beb5sH-l-b-Vjq-qizGLUvmqvJWb_m1S8blrxzCTH0CoWNYWaIlV1kCQPR4zxFJHyKTxjOL3m0etvbnliGkMNlTkpsx9ofqL4Tp68hgHZcVPQD4i3dCFgLktg1HbEP6Gy/s400/W-4-Sweetheart-Pin-w-pearls.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443654333065428162" /></a></div></div>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-2205581309764425332010-02-07T09:49:00.005-05:002010-02-07T11:28:15.651-05:00It began with a bead ..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2f8_CWJWx2uPQ_PWLC4J5LbASl49TaFKbcSOVoQ5WFqYjs87jSC_Dq3qSFGuI5x_gjrMqhG6XHTgEyB2fBTVuxt5kirN6bqviArr7kXkwl9up50AnCYgG7BfXxVtkTqf4YVIzFx7qm-gu/s1600-h/W-Manic-Millifiori-3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2f8_CWJWx2uPQ_PWLC4J5LbASl49TaFKbcSOVoQ5WFqYjs87jSC_Dq3qSFGuI5x_gjrMqhG6XHTgEyB2fBTVuxt5kirN6bqviArr7kXkwl9up50AnCYgG7BfXxVtkTqf4YVIzFx7qm-gu/s400/W-Manic-Millifiori-3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435514891373571954" border="0" /></a>.. in the spring of 2009. The bead belonged to my potter friend, Mary Ann Evans. I had been showing off a bracelet I'd made which contained an old African trade bead, and she pulled out this large, colorful bead to show to me. It's about an inch and a half long and a half inch wide and appears to be a glass millefiori trade bead.<br /><p>Beads similar to this can be traced to ancient Rome, Phoenicia and Alexandria. Archaeological sites in Ireland uncovered canes dating to the 8th century that were probably made in Venice. Prior to the 15th century, glass makers were only producing beads from Rosetta canes. Like Chevrons, Rosetta beads were made by adding a number of layers of colored glass in a mold and then pulling it from either end into a long cane. The cane was then cut into short segments.</p> <p>Large scale Millefiori bead production began in the late 1800's. Beads were made by hand, one by one, built on a center glass core with solid color. Thin slices of colorful Rosetta cane were then pressed into the surface of the wound glass while still hot. Millefiori became one of the most commonly traded and popular beads. My friend's bead looked to be of a similar type .. singularly handmade. The glass core is black; and you can see two entirely different Millefiori slices were pressed onto the core. Here's a link to some similar examples: <a href="http://www.uniqueafricanarts.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=1566&osCsid=2fcca5d11bfc21f8a99...">Millefiori trade beads</a><br /></p><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQebz9-D_BSJYIEFnX5Bt0Z5uL3RDgcdWP2cKC3gsYyB3K7xX7TAo2ijehP8t4flxfXUpOYV5_MoDuoUkidWqlTzhwkj245ycgxBOw-CYPfowN8TTdS7lv3C6xGJcI7EWY0eDElexfGhVA/s1600-h/W-Manic-Millifiori-1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 372px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQebz9-D_BSJYIEFnX5Bt0Z5uL3RDgcdWP2cKC3gsYyB3K7xX7TAo2ijehP8t4flxfXUpOYV5_MoDuoUkidWqlTzhwkj245ycgxBOw-CYPfowN8TTdS7lv3C6xGJcI7EWY0eDElexfGhVA/s400/W-Manic-Millifiori-1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435514906686676146" border="0" /></a>She handed the bead to me and said "See what you can do with it." So .. I took it. And it sat inside a little zip lock bag on an area of my work bench where I could see it pretty much any time I was working. She had suggested "a pendant or something" .. but it kept whispering bracelet to me.<br /><br />Things were pretty crazy between June and November last year; but I think an idea began percolating almost immediately. Since the bead was so large, the piece had to be on an equal scale. But I didn't want it to be big and bulky, since the few things of mine Mary Ann owns are rather delicate. However, after discovering her wrist size was a nice average 6.5", I felt she could carry off what I had in mind.<br /><br />What I ended up doing was making it entirely out of fine silver links .. in a gauge heavy enough to allow for some attractive hammering and forging without the weight. The five links attached to the hook mimic the design splotches on the bead, and the mother of pearl and blue sponge coral beads pick up a couple of the dominant colors. Despite the heft of the trade bead, the bracelet is very light weight.<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHZ21uwb1Rl2Pd6FFmD9XpXBeRq5IAyecH_92mD34toty4_6JvhJYVsFMHx4szgUL3l0u3TUxgnNC3IKARzGcUxSWmfq8c-fZHtwKQE06WJnVNzIlrkGKIveCuNCvrhmDWkdq7uMTdRsq/s1600-h/Manic+Millifiori+-+MOP.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfHZ21uwb1Rl2Pd6FFmD9XpXBeRq5IAyecH_92mD34toty4_6JvhJYVsFMHx4szgUL3l0u3TUxgnNC3IKARzGcUxSWmfq8c-fZHtwKQE06WJnVNzIlrkGKIveCuNCvrhmDWkdq7uMTdRsq/s400/Manic+Millifiori+-+MOP.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435514913008558418" border="0" /></a>The larger of the links contains wrapped 2.5mm mother of pearl beads on fine silver wire. <br /><br />I've already given Mary Ann the bracelet or I would have taken another shot of this link .. there's actually a front and a back to the bead, and this, much to my dismay, is the back. The wire extending up to the bead isn't as prominent in the front. It still looks good, but I'm sorry I didn't notice that when I was taking the photos.<br /><br />As I've mentioned in previous posts about pieces containing fine silver, one can "harden" fine silver by giving it a good going over with a hammer. This changes the composition of the metal's crystals in such a way that a very malleable piece of wire becomes very rigid. It would be difficult to bend several of these links without a bit of effort. Because fine silver IS so soft, however, it's easy after flattening and hardening a link to add a little surface design interest with whatever might be at hand .. in this case, the smaller ends of several different types of hammers in my arsenal. It's a funky piece, to be sure; and I like it enough to maybe try a similar design with a slightly different focal bead. I have a whole lot of them from which to choose, so we'll see what kind of interesting pieces I can get out of this idea. This particular piece I called Manic Millefiori.<br /><br />Might be time to purchase some more fine silver wire!The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-31480899623698993952009-12-10T13:51:00.006-05:002009-12-10T16:00:42.540-05:00Prolific Progeny<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_tB8YKjIZe3gcmdNoQqd9sOJHPtJy5EEziub4urr_gJJgk_pylTwHl4CYDSelK-D_IDDbC261jyG_307tSoon_fx_gZ2OpV9XKOTv6ayg_lmuPBhXHD8VDAEJ40TQyqRumtm4FrLSjDq/s1600-h/W-Rufa---Cherish-3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7_tB8YKjIZe3gcmdNoQqd9sOJHPtJy5EEziub4urr_gJJgk_pylTwHl4CYDSelK-D_IDDbC261jyG_307tSoon_fx_gZ2OpV9XKOTv6ayg_lmuPBhXHD8VDAEJ40TQyqRumtm4FrLSjDq/s400/W-Rufa---Cherish-3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413683159405120850" border="0" /></a>I used to do "Progeny" bracelets all the time about six or seven years ago .. the kind with the little square sterling letters that spell out the names of the recipient's children or grandchildren. I still have some of those little letters, though I haven't used them in quite a while .. and they certainly would not have worked for <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> commission, which needed to represent 17 grandchildren! I doubt the recipient has a wrist sturdy (or long) enough to endure the weight of 17 little sterling names! But then, there are always birthstones ..<br /><br />What I like about this style of bracelet .. a one-of-a-kind special order using stones instead of names .. is that it's so very much more personal and private. Someone could look at this piece and have no idea that each and every stone represents a special little person. There are no doubt some women who would prefer the conversation-starting style of a bracelet with several names on it .. other women know what those names are and are bound to ask. And some women would love nothing more than to relate the glowing and talented natures of each and every name on her bracelet. This design allows for more subtlety .. someone might see it and comment on it; the recipient is then able to either simply express thanks for the comment (a positive comment, I hope) or go on to explain what the stones represent. I like the mystery of it. Some women like to keep a few special things to themselves .. or not. And sometimes it just depends on the moment.<br /><br />I will admit that 17 birthstones seemed a bit daunting at first; but I think I came up with a design that is not only balanced, but doesn't even seem like it contains 17 stones at first glance. I have a "Modern" list of birthstones posted in my studio, and it's this list that I use when anyone wants to talk about making a piece like this. I made myself nuts hunting up a list I could use .. there are so many different versions. I finally just found one that seemed to contain most of the recognized standards. This particular list contains alternative stones for several months, which turned out to be useful for this design, as I was able to use one of each for months that represented more than one child. The 17 stones used for this piece are as follows:<br /><br />4 Jan (garnet)<br />2 Feb (amethyst)<br />2 Mar (aquamarine)<br />2 May (emerald)<br />2 Jun (pearl, moonstone)<br />1 Sep (sapphire)<br />2 Oct (opal, pink tourmaline)<br />1 Nov (topaz, citrine)<br />1 Dec (blue topaz, turquoise)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9Y1jdySv158nnmmMsHf7QS2_TKvsb55CQzYIkS9lx-O8IOhMnNMoFLTTx0Al_LbLUMXgeHnyyyAgsmMMkVw5IfdTD8DBFYhyphenhyphen5mCMtcFYCMSF5wJ2bnUUwstdpaiUTk4nuz_rxqlIICpb/s1600-h/W-Rufa--Cherish-A.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 297px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY9Y1jdySv158nnmmMsHf7QS2_TKvsb55CQzYIkS9lx-O8IOhMnNMoFLTTx0Al_LbLUMXgeHnyyyAgsmMMkVw5IfdTD8DBFYhyphenhyphen5mCMtcFYCMSF5wJ2bnUUwstdpaiUTk4nuz_rxqlIICpb/s400/W-Rufa--Cherish-A.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413683167881761730" border="0" /></a>The only segments of the bracelet that use sterling silver are the lobster clasp, the wire used to wrap the small dangling briolettes, and the half hard wire I used to connect loose stones to each other or other segments in the bracelet. Everything else .. the CHERISH and heart charms, the large patterned rings, the smaller jump rings, and the ball-end headpins .. are all hand made and work hardened by me from fine silver. I would have liked to have made the entire thing from fine silver, but I couldn't work harden the wire I used to connect segments without mangling it. Even drawing the wire through a draw plate didn't harden it to my satisfaction (not enough to hold up under heavy wear, which these kinds of bracelets tend to get) .. so I compromised a little.<br /><br />The photo above shows the little heart charm and a fine silver extension chain to which is attached a small fresh water pearl disk, a peach moonstone, and a faceted lemon citrine briolette.<br /><br />Once I started thinking about it, I was able to come up with a design idea relatively quickly - though it ended up taking me five .. almost six .. months to complete (it was intended either for the recipient's birthday on November 30 - missed that one due to my anal retentive, gotta get it right, attitude - or Christmas). I would lay out some stones, but would keep coming up with new configurations. Then I'd be unhappy with the stone selection I had for the few more precious versions that were included: I had sapphires, emeralds and blue topaz, but they were all very small and wouldn't have stood out as a part of the piece the way I had wanted them to. Fortunately, I found a fabulous new supplier from whom I could purchase precious stones in small quantities (most stones and pearls come on 16" temporarily strung strands .. more spectacularly cut stones or specimens come on 8" strands or are sold by weight). This made all the difference! A full 16" strand of emeralds, sapphires or blue topaz like those used in this piece would have been hundreds of dollars. It took me a while to find all the replacement stones I wanted .. but it was worth the wait.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Xpg02xsRNZiy1BjazO4wIowLSMqEyg4E4mSg6Tsks18DA7qUk1alpJD6MUF5ev0fg9E2d3z6AXPwkWaniBwI5dJ2tbNpbHegE62pE3o8WeRKDN5J56VACdeJkrvkq3Sj6mFKv98tD4w/s1600-h/W-Rufa---Cherish-C.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh90Xpg02xsRNZiy1BjazO4wIowLSMqEyg4E4mSg6Tsks18DA7qUk1alpJD6MUF5ev0fg9E2d3z6AXPwkWaniBwI5dJ2tbNpbHegE62pE3o8WeRKDN5J56VACdeJkrvkq3Sj6mFKv98tD4w/s400/W-Rufa---Cherish-C.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413683180103336354" border="0" /></a>The pink stone on the left is actually an opal .. not the usual Australian type but rather a pink Peruvian variety (Peru has blue opals, too, but they're much more rare). I did finally find some traditional Australian opals .. but even though the strands were a bit costly, I was so very disappointed in their quality when I received them, I couldn't possibly have used them in this piece. The pale blue stone on top is an aquamarine. Since there were so many garnets, I used the smallest ones I had. They hang on either side of a sapphire on the left and a Swiss blue topaz on the right (and isn't <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> a pretty stone!?!)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I782pZeD_ARIAWUCjtly5kM2cCYjmkJfQclT9WKoyuQvMbdgRWmPnExPIOmm44ylZFshcvy0HixERbODvG3BLOpY3fiacSRMW_RIgaYBs4UXQBx5HPFMk2mD1M7-aQDbuoC4nqAUyvvq/s1600-h/W-Rufa---Cherish-D.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5I782pZeD_ARIAWUCjtly5kM2cCYjmkJfQclT9WKoyuQvMbdgRWmPnExPIOmm44ylZFshcvy0HixERbODvG3BLOpY3fiacSRMW_RIgaYBs4UXQBx5HPFMk2mD1M7-aQDbuoC4nqAUyvvq/s400/W-Rufa---Cherish-D.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413683186521695602" border="0" /></a>There's the second aquamarine on the left, two beautiful amethysts on the right, and two emeralds and a little pink tourmaline hiding behind them in the center. The large ring from which they dangle is made of fine silver (that's .999, or as close to pure as you can get) and is patterned on both sides. Adding the two patterned rings allowed me to add those smaller stones without taking up any length on the bracelet. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><br />The CHERISH charm was an after thought .. I knew I wanted to add a charm like that somewhere on the piece, but I wasn't sure what I wanted it to say, where I was going to put it, or how big or what shape I wanted it to be.<br /><br /> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aFNOGNuLjrGBSWcaFrA8IxDhpRJwVmR3BHs5S8oR0zV73XXbDsHskdTg9haFFgyGGMhDjHSh8ODgtZqOhBlq6FwWqxKDwoMew5hJOoJOTLx0QcbgGNZzYqP8XjyMWLhoXIEhxzB3cOXY/s1600-h/W-Rufa---Cherish-B.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aFNOGNuLjrGBSWcaFrA8IxDhpRJwVmR3BHs5S8oR0zV73XXbDsHskdTg9haFFgyGGMhDjHSh8ODgtZqOhBlq6FwWqxKDwoMew5hJOoJOTLx0QcbgGNZzYqP8XjyMWLhoXIEhxzB3cOXY/s400/W-Rufa---Cherish-B.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413683172108878850" border="0" /></a>It wasn't until I began to assemble the pieces that I got a better idea of what I wanted and how it would fit in. I knew what size the bracelet needed to be and had to lose a larger coin-shaped fresh water pearl in order to use the rectangular charm. I ended up putting a smaller coin pearl on the extension chain .. and was thrilled that it ended up balancing well with the little disk-shaped peach moonstone! I love it when it all works out!<br /><br />I call this one .. what else .. Cherish. Just in time for Christmas, too. Whew!The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-86686879741935039192009-10-23T07:35:00.007-05:002009-10-27T12:20:48.789-05:00A little sunshine on this dreary day ..<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dwKbSOxpS3fM_xG6y27B4VSc9J7Q8S_CygYZQpvDEnKc5Okc82TGkUgytaey6GCOGSwqDxnoWCZ0yYt-DS3GIinicxvqek1Jk-DknsVA77__HW91e95Pu2TcLsWR3VdED6tG0QwYQarV/s1600-h/Web-Southwest-Summer-5.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3dwKbSOxpS3fM_xG6y27B4VSc9J7Q8S_CygYZQpvDEnKc5Okc82TGkUgytaey6GCOGSwqDxnoWCZ0yYt-DS3GIinicxvqek1Jk-DknsVA77__HW91e95Pu2TcLsWR3VdED6tG0QwYQarV/s400/Web-Southwest-Summer-5.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395780128860364802" border="0" /></a>I don't make nearly enough pieces in gold, but when I do they're nearly always eye catching. Not that my sterling and fine silver pieces aren't eye catching as well, there's just something so sunny and bright about this metal! I call this one Southwest Summer .. it just oozes the colors of sage, adobe and dry heat - with a few fluffy white clouds and a blindingly bright orange ball in the sky.<br /><br />This burst of color is one of the things I love about lampwork glass beads .. that and the infinite creativity the artisans who make them seem to harbor in their bosoms. It's difficult not to feel a sense of fun in a piece full of lampwork beads!<br /><br />While I have several pieces that are solid metal, I think I will always include pieces that speak to me of a place or an emotion or a time which can be expressed with color. Some color combinations are like a song .. or a smell .. that invoke a wealth of thoughts or memories. A sort of sensory placeholder that just sort of pops up when the right combo is put in place. These memories or thoughts most often reveal themselves in the names I choose to give my pieces .. some are obvious, others not so much.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhpVIizeCDNO3oNID_XdfeELOAMzOU-QvtiG0dlNPtcP7IYbfCEzV6ubsHcYLjuRYtySO5vFTTTCmI6NLnIpz4UkdJfx1-ae7V9cZlFOgSLh_FmmfJADP80tviw25L7ygFtijlZ5VV9KU/s1600-h/Web-Southwest-Summer-2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhpVIizeCDNO3oNID_XdfeELOAMzOU-QvtiG0dlNPtcP7IYbfCEzV6ubsHcYLjuRYtySO5vFTTTCmI6NLnIpz4UkdJfx1-ae7V9cZlFOgSLh_FmmfJADP80tviw25L7ygFtijlZ5VV9KU/s400/Web-Southwest-Summer-2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395774106560487186" border="0" /></a>This one seems rather obvious, doesn't it? Despite the fact that the design is based on a similar silver version called <a href="http://thewildinside.blogspot.com/2009/06/twilight.html">Twilight</a> .. which used pale blue/violet color- changing lampwork glass beads .. Southwest Summer seems to fit the piece well. And if I hadn't told you of the design similarities, you might never had made the connection.<br /><br />OK .. I'm off to begin piecing together a commission for a grandmother's bracelet containing natural stones representing 17 grandchildren! While I've got a basic idea of the design features, I've yet to lay out the individual stones and decide what goes where just yet. And I'm thinking I'd like to make as much of it as I can out of fine rather than sterling silver, which will require a bit more care in keeping connecting pieces sturdy. Stay tuned ..The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-52127433949940615082009-10-18T10:29:00.004-05:002009-10-18T13:13:07.529-05:00A Good Day Was Had!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDsEba3LYpVEq-D-RKQNxXI9pvphSmuwZRTdfOxoWCuztvD_-rNGAZiuta7aBuxlhMorl279qyIhYGxuW08d03XyG4dA_bTrQujJFmMvqEFGjEQTg_FuPJ_mvyZTOa9GaRqmKfMiqNC4e/s1600-h/Web-Emerald-Isle-4.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzDsEba3LYpVEq-D-RKQNxXI9pvphSmuwZRTdfOxoWCuztvD_-rNGAZiuta7aBuxlhMorl279qyIhYGxuW08d03XyG4dA_bTrQujJFmMvqEFGjEQTg_FuPJ_mvyZTOa9GaRqmKfMiqNC4e/s400/Web-Emerald-Isle-4.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393982387849771698" border="0" /></a>I have no idea how I missed logging and photographing one of my higher-end pieces, but I did. And thankfully, when the customer who bought it wanted it reproduced in another stone, she was willing to give it up for a few days so I could log the materials used and photograph it for my records. It must have just been one of those crazy weeks when I was multitasking beyond my abilities. It happens.<br /><br />The necklace in question is called Emerald Isle and is composed of a faceted, graduated strand of emeralds separated at intervals with 18k and 22k gold beads and ending in a handcrafted 14k wire clasp. One of those simple but elegant little pieces. She bought it back on July 1 during the Mare's Wares Art Fest up here in Morristown; but she came to the Studio Tour our River Artisans put on in mid-August and asked if I could make another using the same gold beads but with a strand of aquamarine in place of the emeralds. I ordered several strands of aquamarine and found one out of those that fit the bill .. a very pretty 5mm faceted strand (the only graduated strand I could find began with a rather large 7mm center bead .. a bit too large).<br /><br />The only change I made was in the clasp .. the emerald necklace originally had an 18k gold hook clasp which I replaced with the 14k gold wire one I made. I explained to the customer that I still had the 18k gold clasp; and as the aquamarine necklace was a gift for her daughter's 40th birthday, she was fine with using the 18k clasp instead of a handcrafted 14k clasp on the piece.<br /><br />My only complaint about the whole thing was that neither necklace was easy to photograph .. or maybe I've just been away from my camera too long! I finally succumbed to my old routine of flat bed scanning the pieces .. though the true color of the two was still illusive, one of the things I have always liked about flat bed scanning jewelry is that there's little concern about clarity or fuzzy shots. The pieces are always pretty clear .. even if the colors aren't ; )<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILDO4TqTyNDwIh-3SEZ_0gAoya04NEKwW9P4rUXNxFhdZrMDHJWVPHPdHiBOC-cnOTRvtR0DiuFqok88iaIe1mTt3CSEnC6pV1lHkCPS6hAxiC-CQ43HQN74lYuSluovOkuytZfb5gFRl/s1600-h/Web-Emerald-Isle-1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiILDO4TqTyNDwIh-3SEZ_0gAoya04NEKwW9P4rUXNxFhdZrMDHJWVPHPdHiBOC-cnOTRvtR0DiuFqok88iaIe1mTt3CSEnC6pV1lHkCPS6hAxiC-CQ43HQN74lYuSluovOkuytZfb5gFRl/s400/Web-Emerald-Isle-1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393982381912558450" border="0" /></a>I have to admit, I was a little iffy about combining a pale aquamarine stone with gold .. the customer's daughter had expressed an interest in her mother's emerald necklace, which is where the idea came to purchase one for her daughter in her March birthstone. When I delivered the two necklaces on the 16th, even SHE thought she might not like the result; but in the bright light coming through the windows, it sparkled like sunlight on water. It really was a lot prettier than I would have imagined. She was equally pleased. I love it when it all works out!<br /><br />Of the two photos of the aquamarine necklace shown here, the one on the display device is closer to the true, pale shade of aquamarine. Though I think the scan is a bit sharper, and allows a better look at the clasp. It's nothing special .. there's a little Bali granulation at the base of the hook .. but in 18k gold, it was about 45% of the total cost of the piece. Invest in gold, folks!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerhsGh09Ten6mumrJ4fIu6SV-23R1ZjmaqlrexIXI1I7O6Cj8WJeRg54g2pcA5bDpdPW_cREssyrNwz1IgOvGrkuSag0JIuCBesjJa-u-_3sFjno4QlKYX3VTLT7BpLVuirG9WXiz-yD7/s1600-h/Web-Aquamarine-n-gold-2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgerhsGh09Ten6mumrJ4fIu6SV-23R1ZjmaqlrexIXI1I7O6Cj8WJeRg54g2pcA5bDpdPW_cREssyrNwz1IgOvGrkuSag0JIuCBesjJa-u-_3sFjno4QlKYX3VTLT7BpLVuirG9WXiz-yD7/s400/Web-Aquamarine-n-gold-2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393982405202982210" border="0" /></a>It's funny, but I've been on a sort of familia hiatus for the past couple of months .. helping out with issues revolving around family members .. and haven't been actively selling or doing any shows during this time. Then all of a sudden I sell two high-end aquamarine necklaces in one day! A nice surprise .. much needed and appreciated.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm-NieJdgtTZQvLjWNXv0wIDXRv8n3Md13Yg_dXLVTF1L8BqwsRWIXS2N6n8XdBg5y16KuUAvEzNi-pjitR8qZnC_itmTWLMuUUwLK18jYb34i4q3WBO4F3Ph2H6Tft2ePOQpRDbnF3NJ/s1600-h/Web-Aquamarine-&-Gold-4.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwm-NieJdgtTZQvLjWNXv0wIDXRv8n3Md13Yg_dXLVTF1L8BqwsRWIXS2N6n8XdBg5y16KuUAvEzNi-pjitR8qZnC_itmTWLMuUUwLK18jYb34i4q3WBO4F3Ph2H6Tft2ePOQpRDbnF3NJ/s400/Web-Aquamarine-&-Gold-4.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393982397478160978" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I sold the second necklace .. a longer, 21" faceted strand hand knotted on silk with a pretty little Bali toggle clasp .. to my mom's tenant! Go figure. He's a full-blooded Italian from my mom's old "Italian flats" neighborhood in Watertown and has been occasionally surprising her with lasagna, stuffed shells, and other gustatory delights on weekends when he has time to cook. It just happened that I was staying with her last weekend when he brought over enough for everyone. We got into a gab fest and after a bit the jewelry topic came up .. I had some fun pieces with me (including the emerald necklace which I had just picked up from the customer on the way down to my mom's). I think he told me he needed something for his ex .. who's birthday is October 22nd. What a guy, huh? So when I had to drive back down on the 16th, I brought the hand knotted aquamarine with me for my mom to show him that night. He called later that evening expressing amazement at my talent (I love those calls) and asking how much he needed to leave with my mom for the piece. He also expressed an interest in the solid silver necklace from a couple posts ago for a drum playing nephew named Sam. I'm still a little attached to that one .. but not so attached that I wouldn't sell it! Ah, who knows .. perhaps it was just the several bottles of beer talking .. dunno. I'm not a high pressure kind of sales person, so I'll just wait and see if the topic comes up again .. stay tuned!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyvM6WLaGw-Gnh0D5uYb7AuzBKurXt4su877MvP9Jog93xHlYA3hYBNKammcZVd1_L_F9HvO4wcDEqdB2MqDta25DFmk8ZjUbGAj9gSxDnBP1hL8dRhiCg42n_OaFOsD4neAejDPnShJd/s1600-h/Web-Lyra-1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 263px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNyvM6WLaGw-Gnh0D5uYb7AuzBKurXt4su877MvP9Jog93xHlYA3hYBNKammcZVd1_L_F9HvO4wcDEqdB2MqDta25DFmk8ZjUbGAj9gSxDnBP1hL8dRhiCg42n_OaFOsD4neAejDPnShJd/s400/Web-Lyra-1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5393982413568915026" border="0" /></a>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-21705455396041564592009-08-31T14:46:00.003-05:002009-08-31T14:59:06.156-05:00Justice at the Museum<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Od_um9Cfy0hhoHntIzSHXKE_ayKqhz8B_9PRUNrpOPOT-lgEsgWE19ihM2vAmSIxNNb4GtjrQvwiR-tIbn13EjmGkD7bRGQAyE9EwEspzsvtwRHR6eY5nG7NK814Wu766dtYHoZ-UnjN/s1600-h/SDO002.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Od_um9Cfy0hhoHntIzSHXKE_ayKqhz8B_9PRUNrpOPOT-lgEsgWE19ihM2vAmSIxNNb4GtjrQvwiR-tIbn13EjmGkD7bRGQAyE9EwEspzsvtwRHR6eY5nG7NK814Wu766dtYHoZ-UnjN/s400/SDO002.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376218603129860498" border="0" /></a>My husband, Ed - the Executive Director of the Frederic Remington Art Museum here in Ogdensburg - went in to work today expecting a special visitor and wasn't disappointed. He was able to sit next to Sandra Day O'Connor during a luncheon at the museum prior to the curator, Laura Foster, whipping off the group with whom she arrived for a cook's tour of the galleries.<br /><br />Being the tactful, sensitive and thoughtful guy he is, he asked her all about her .. how she felt about being the first woman appointed to the court, and the fact that women still make up such a small percentage of it, etc. What a treat! He called me once they were all in Laura's capable hands to tell me all about it. A brief brush with history .. and a photo to commemorate the occasion. Doesn't she look great!The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-2706509253888978002009-08-30T11:39:00.006-05:002009-08-31T14:46:30.485-05:00A year in the making<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh644AskHLISuwAQGUk4jTnI8lDK8wkKFfsPRNpCkVsMWik25uWb2uY5Fqu9dZ_7Gx-2-XdPSnD-Ql7Gg0TMD7psY-YerkHu1EhlGsN7rtkQEZxBv-qfcDd7UM_AV9tMqLX0HAynrs19qC7/s1600-h/Web-fine-silver-chain-4.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 276px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh644AskHLISuwAQGUk4jTnI8lDK8wkKFfsPRNpCkVsMWik25uWb2uY5Fqu9dZ_7Gx-2-XdPSnD-Ql7Gg0TMD7psY-YerkHu1EhlGsN7rtkQEZxBv-qfcDd7UM_AV9tMqLX0HAynrs19qC7/s400/Web-fine-silver-chain-4.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375825542670553042" border="0" /></a>Someone more experienced than I in the field of jewelry making once told me that in response to a customer asking how long it took to make a particular piece offered for sale she will tell them "about 30 years and a couple hours" .. because, of course, so many casual shoppers fail to think about the total amount of experience involved in making any piece when they ask a question like that. There is a flip side, of course .. the customer who oooohs and ahhhs over even the silliest little piece of frivolity (we love those customers .. especially when they're loud and vocal). But, it's the "how long" question I get more often than not; though in fairness, it's often in awe of a particular piece that the question comes about. But still, I think I may incorporate my jewelry acquaintance's response into my own response repertoire when dealing with that inquiry in the future.<br /><br />And with regard to the fine silver necklace which this post entails, the added time above and beyond experience was a year. If I had sat down and done the thing from beginning to end, it might've been more like a couple days (the precious metal clay portions require drying, connecting and kiln time) - but it began with a book, then a class .. then just recently some fine silver wire and deciding how to complete what I'd begun.<br /><br />It was actually a little over a year from start to finish, since what got me started was a book on metal clay that I received in the mail in the spring of 2008. The thought of making chain with metal clay really intrigued me, and I purchased some PMC3 specifically to give it a go. As often happens with these things, my show season began in earnest and there was little to no time to experiment or play in the studio. So .. I fired the few rings I'd made and tossed them into a round metal tin until a time when I could carry on with the project.<br /><br />It wasn't until early December 2008 that I thought of those rings again .. when I saw a week's worth of precious metal clay classes offered in Toronto .. by the author of the book I'd purchased! And, one of the classes was chain making! Major body vibrations. A trip to Toronto from Ogdensburg was about a four to five hour trip .. definitely doable. So I did it. Couldn't afford it .. did it anyway. Wasn't sure if the opportunity would come along again. A class scheduled the day before chain making was PMC Findings, so I signed up for both and was off to Toronto in mid-May.<br /><br />Much of the findings class was familiar to me, as I'd been making my own ear wires for some time; but there were some very cool tips, tricks and style innovations in a couple other areas .. like how to make a nifty little bail device out of 12 gauge fine silver wire (that I've yet to try, but I haven't forgotten!), or adding funky little PMC ends to a piece of fine silver wire to create your own headpins (sterling doesn't hold up well in a PMC kiln). I kept notes, not to mention scribbled all over the poor woman's book (well, my copy of it) because at $250 a pop for the class ($100 material fee was separate), you don't want to forget anything when after paying for the class you can finally dig up the funds to buy the materials necessary to make <span style="font-style: italic;">more</span> of all this stuff!!<br /><br />I made the two large "ring" segments for a toggle clasp that first day in the findings class (she had some awesome pastry cutters that are on my list for PMC use and purchase). I haven't yet fired the item that looks like a finger ring .. I have plans for it involving resin, and am still experimenting with clear, two-part resin. The smaller rings result when cutting the holes out of the toggle ring, and are saved for .. whatever .. miscellaneous projects later. I've got a collection of little rings and other various fired PMC pieces that'll find a place on a design when the mood strikes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjvX2_t5W9fXLS96M6ZIDzeUTLp4nBkoISwEK2DhOiELV1Ou66wQlWzkqjG4NBzCWvdkMdKGTCSYu7CXTB0zPmIo4_-HQwNCkbID0G4g2KR7OKyhv0eG40gInEKHrGMJG7okGoLYcuMKl/s1600-h/Web---clasps.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkjvX2_t5W9fXLS96M6ZIDzeUTLp4nBkoISwEK2DhOiELV1Ou66wQlWzkqjG4NBzCWvdkMdKGTCSYu7CXTB0zPmIo4_-HQwNCkbID0G4g2KR7OKyhv0eG40gInEKHrGMJG7okGoLYcuMKl/s400/Web---clasps.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375825508765625522" border="0" /></a>Thinking ahead for the chain making class, I brought the PMC3 rings I'd made in the spring of 2008 - good thing because it takes a LOT of PMC to make all those rings and a couple toggles! The rings I made previously (at home) set slightly above the larger clay rings in the picture of my work station that day. You'd think from this photo that the resulting chain would be pretty long once all the links were connected .. and you'd be wrong. As I was. The resulting length after firing was about 10.5". Too long for a bracelet, not long enough for any necks I know. Since I have a kiln of my own, and wasn't staying for day three, I very delicately wrapped all of my dried clay pieces up after day two and drove them home to fire them. I was absolutely thrilled with the results! But, of course I wasn't finished. I had only part of a chain!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCPFmtrMK5D7ICjYc4mC2j1VOQYsJpSoWv1tQeELzHve0uZXkmDLDbi_Kx3Wwn2bHoV9_jGJqgWDxUZh8V8TGQegS7bo2Qxcesk3WuwKP1gnC7hY-kAGgPU01gi35iP-tYdqNfP0BOYZY/s1600-h/Web---chain-genesis.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBCPFmtrMK5D7ICjYc4mC2j1VOQYsJpSoWv1tQeELzHve0uZXkmDLDbi_Kx3Wwn2bHoV9_jGJqgWDxUZh8V8TGQegS7bo2Qxcesk3WuwKP1gnC7hY-kAGgPU01gi35iP-tYdqNfP0BOYZY/s400/Web---chain-genesis.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375825522610605410" border="0" /></a>The process of making and linking PMC rings was pretty time intensive (and relatively costly) so I decided to finish the necklace with fine silver wire. Easier and faster, by far. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_458GXbcMAIDc0lCrppmEAJsWEbIUKPBzxizrvrnB1y1ah_j3yu82ZK5CxME3pYsz6TiqkcurG6Vkas4sQkOcNRtb5c9yLZzA08Z8Hqz2RSAFSPlZfi_PQ98Lpvkph7c_IEbJDqEYdCjh/s1600-h/Web---linked.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_458GXbcMAIDc0lCrppmEAJsWEbIUKPBzxizrvrnB1y1ah_j3yu82ZK5CxME3pYsz6TiqkcurG6Vkas4sQkOcNRtb5c9yLZzA08Z8Hqz2RSAFSPlZfi_PQ98Lpvkph7c_IEbJDqEYdCjh/s400/Web---linked.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375815175358483506" border="0" /></a>After one of my best shows in July, I bought 12 ounces of fine silver wire in 12 and 14 gauge (not sterling, which is .925 silver vs. the .999 of fine silver). The PMC segment of chain varied between small and large links, and it seemed the most desirable thing to do would be to continue with this pattern.<br /><br />I wound and cut all my own rings in 12 gauge, 14 gauge and 16 gauge wire then fused all of the 12 gauge rings together before connecting them to the 14 gauge and PMC rings. I added the smaller 16 gauge rings at the ends last .. I needed them to be smaller to fit through the hole on the toggle. Because the bar portion of the toggle is so long, several rings needed to be able to fit through in order to allow the bar to get all the way to the other side of the hole.<br /><br />Several folks asked about the sturdiness of the piece - being made totally of fine silver, which is notably softer than sterling - but I can guarantee that every single ring is seriously work hardened; and it would require a lot of force to bend one.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aQT6qrrwy0u3XHqlCBuR-7K2zofEkXJm_Lpec0buQiEJ9DTbJlB0xbt4JmImqZNYeNYJwMvSPElLYX9KwubF2jl2tho9HViW9YOau0AEiADaJmK1toh78CRcYmPIJ0jHQrVeLX9U_b84/s1600-h/Web-fine-silver-chain-2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aQT6qrrwy0u3XHqlCBuR-7K2zofEkXJm_Lpec0buQiEJ9DTbJlB0xbt4JmImqZNYeNYJwMvSPElLYX9KwubF2jl2tho9HViW9YOau0AEiADaJmK1toh78CRcYmPIJ0jHQrVeLX9U_b84/s400/Web-fine-silver-chain-2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375825534025268002" border="0" /></a>This is one of those pieces I'm feeling just a little ambivalent about selling .. I've been wearing it, dripping it slowly from one hand to another, listening to the soft clinking sound it makes from hand to hand - it's just a little hypnotic, like a slinky. I'm even amazed at how fabulous it looks all crumbled up into a pile of little links on the table! I was going to patinate it, but I just can't bear to do it .. I mean what's the point of making a piece entirely out of fine silver, which is quite tarnish-resistent, only to blacken it all up with a bunch of Liver of Sulphur?<br /><br />This is an example of what all those high-end juried art shows mean when they say "handcrafted" .. totally made by me, all of it. It's just under three ounces and has a wonderful heft, and yet has been very comfortable to wear. I think I'm in love.<br /><br />Addendum: Should I have been surprised that the questions I received on this post were mostly "how long did it take to do the wire link portion of the necklace?" Not so much ; )<br /><br />The necklace is about 22" to 23" long, so about 5.5" on one side and 6" on the other is made up of fine silver wire links .. it took me the good part of an afternoon to wind and cut all the rings and then fuse them all together (the 14 12 gauge rings I cut with a super flush cutter, the 14 and 16 gauge rings with my jump ringer blade). I just purchased a new (and better) butane torch, as the one I have isn't as hot and is a bit slow. I'm not sure how much of a difference in time it will make in fusing and assembling future chain in this fashion, but I had a chance to use one like the one I purchased, and it WAS a whole lot hotter and better for the task. Time will tell.<br /><br />The necklace is priced at $680 .. and in response to the customer who wrote and asked why a piece" just under three ounces" isn't closer to the $14/ounce that silver costs, lemme 'splain. <br /><br />Today (August 31, 2009) the 24-hour spot silver price posted at Kitco is approx. 14.88/ounce. This price represents the cost for a 1000 oz bar of .999 silver. This isn't the way those of us who make jewelry purchase silver. We buy raw materials - either wire, sheet, granules .. or precious metal clay. All of these versions of fine silver require fabrication in one way or another. It does not cost me $14.88 an ounce when I buy fine silver wire .. more like (recently) over $20/ounce. And a 25 gram package of PMC3 (28 grams = an ounce) cost me $34.50 in July 2008 .. the package of clay is actually 27.8 grams but yields 25 grams worth of silver after the binder burns off in the kiln. And then there's the time (and experience) it took for me to create the piece. A great analogy would be the cost of the wood it would take to build a house .. quite a bit less than what you would expect to pay for the completed house, no?The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-61264796413387509902009-08-30T10:56:00.004-05:002009-08-31T07:10:47.799-05:00A lost relic comes home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTHWl4zu16EEZ0BYraw9g4FcSl_tFXWBi4c2HMD_Y7p39ADfYmhdaE4UtXpE8VulAps5TQ4GEiu5gN4zTWAe-0bM0WybiGOWKmgRX9lTlx5emSsetK8R_i7USy-b1nqPqivPBZCIE9hlj/s1600-h/W-Class-Ring.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 386px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZTHWl4zu16EEZ0BYraw9g4FcSl_tFXWBi4c2HMD_Y7p39ADfYmhdaE4UtXpE8VulAps5TQ4GEiu5gN4zTWAe-0bM0WybiGOWKmgRX9lTlx5emSsetK8R_i7USy-b1nqPqivPBZCIE9hlj/s400/W-Class-Ring.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375788251080246018" border="0" /></a>This is probably the most unusual personal story I've ever experienced .. it encourages me to believe in the return of more recently lost treasures, especially since this one was lost over 30 years ago while I was working at Community Savings Bank in Watertown, NY (and not surprisingly considered gone for good). The relic in question is my high school class ring.<br /><br />The story began with a Facebook "hail" from a classmate asking if I'd heard from her boss regarding my class ring (I vaguely remember a first cousin being involved in there somewhere as well, and having spoken to him .. but I can't remember where he fit in the story, so we'll just leave him out).<br /><br />After waiting several weeks or more to hear from my classmate's boss, my classmate just took the bull by the horns, snagged the ring and sent it to me with the story, as she'd heard it .. in her words:<br /><br />"... Someone finds your ring and gives it to the Watertown cops. They, in turn, hand it over to the Carthage cops. Carthage cops, with all the latest technology, go to the local donut shop to do a little detecting. With only a minimum of clues (high school, year of graduation & initials), they decide that it is unsolveable and they put it in the cold case files (or in this case, Chief of Police takes it home and puts it in his underwear drawer. I know - horrible thought - you better get that ring cleaned!) Anyway, 35 years later, said cop's daughter finds the damn thing while cleaning out said underwear drawer. (I can't stress to you how important it is to clean that ring!) Cop's daughter says, 'Hmm, one of my employees graduated in this class, I'll ask her.' 5 minutes later, Eureka! Moral of the story - don't trust the cops!"<br /><br />I laughed out loud when I read it. And, of course, when I looked in my class yearbook, I am the <span style="font-style: italic;">ONLY</span> KMC in the entire graduating class .. how difficult could it have been? Well, I guess when you're up against donuts, pretty damn difficult.<br /><br />As a result of this little personal mystery, I've connected with a classmate who I didn't really know in high school and who in my estimation "clicked" almost immediately after we began exchanging notes (a great sense of humor, you must admit) .. and have an invitation to check out a relatively new and highly recommended restaurant in Carthage next time I'm in the area (my mom's only about ten miles away, so it'd be an easy trip) .. as there are few restaurants of that description up here in Ogdensburg, I'm looking forward to the next opportunity to give her a call!<br /><br />.. and the ring still fits.<br /><br />Addendum: Yes, folks, I cleaned the ring .. in my tumbler with steel shot, liquid soap and ammonia .. for about an hour!The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-65968315064365476842009-07-30T11:28:00.007-05:002009-07-30T13:21:29.193-05:00Knotty .. in a good way<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB8Tuf0aAKeCMlkehQMWHs8skop0jPjpDKHT-maEJ7UA2SahOizKqJiiOTzJe_Sn_6y3CFqILJYd86WlkY7afP-RP7W9_93DbilPmJjnLZ_pJh_Jylyy2TvGruIonGP6pIN1_Rvl6OzUY/s1600-h/W-Carnelian-n-Citrine-N.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRB8Tuf0aAKeCMlkehQMWHs8skop0jPjpDKHT-maEJ7UA2SahOizKqJiiOTzJe_Sn_6y3CFqILJYd86WlkY7afP-RP7W9_93DbilPmJjnLZ_pJh_Jylyy2TvGruIonGP6pIN1_Rvl6OzUY/s400/W-Carnelian-n-Citrine-N.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364293976161347538" border="0" /></a>A new customer, recommended to me by Mary Ann Evans (of Mare's Wares Pottery), brought me a tender little knotted necklace while I was at Mare's July 1st Arts Fest and asked if I could put it back together again. Despite having had it in my possession since July 1, I only just recently completed it because I had trouble finding red cord of the right diameter, the color which had originally been used to knot between the beads.<br /><br />The biggest surprise, however, was when I cut the necklace apart to begin knotting .. I initially thought the beads were red (garnet, was what I was thinking at the time), but it was the little red knots between the beads that caused that optical illusion. When the beads were all cut apart and sitting in a little ceramic dish, devoid of red cord, I discovered that they were carnelian .. a very pretty deep orange and not red at all! And to complete the weird optical illusion aspect of this venture, the silk cord I finally found that fit size-wise was burgandy .. though when next to the carnelian beads looked very much like a deep brick color, and matched the shade of the beads exactly! The brain is a wonderful thang!<br /><br />The problem I encountered with the burgandy thread, however, was that there was no longer a marked contrast between the beads and the knots between the beads .. I knotted about 20 of them with the burgandy silk and, while very pretty, decided I'd better call the customer and ask if the contrast was important .. and explain what the new configuration looked like. Turned out she was fine with the lack of contrast (I would have had to order another spool of thread, too .. though I was happy to do it) and suggested I carry on. If you click on the photo, you should be able to tell the beads are carnelian. From a distance, they still look red though .. don't they?!?!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGnKTTwRfrltntnrUXDYdzcHD9i-afXO2v1vO2l7LSMm4s4Ls2WRg9DtgJWzEqsOEWQNnoTefkPhHQfv70BKIULQ5Ta-5rK5GzoA-UZmLdeN7IJmQwygM4FB2y9S-B_pYRdRaxl18wPaU/s1600-h/W-Mountain-Ash-N.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 261px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVGnKTTwRfrltntnrUXDYdzcHD9i-afXO2v1vO2l7LSMm4s4Ls2WRg9DtgJWzEqsOEWQNnoTefkPhHQfv70BKIULQ5Ta-5rK5GzoA-UZmLdeN7IJmQwygM4FB2y9S-B_pYRdRaxl18wPaU/s400/W-Mountain-Ash-N.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364293994040448850" border="0" /></a>After this little exercise, I found myself in a knotting frame of mind and looked through my bead drawers to see what else I might put together in the same vein. I had several little baggies of rectangular pendants I had purchased from Silk Road Treasures at a show five or six years ago .. one little baggie with pale green jade, one with dark green jade and one with lapis. I pulled out the pale green pendants and found about ten or twelve different stones that would provide some nice contrast and completed the tin cup design shown here .. which I call Mountain Ash.<br /><br />It's a nice mix - there's Mexican opal, green garnet, hessonite garnet, yellow turquoise, orange aventurine, jade, carnelian and pale yellow quartz (plus some Czech glass and #10 seed beads). At about 21", its one of the first long ones I've made in a bit. I added a very simple gold-filled hook and eye clasp .. it's very light weight. It was the colors I saw in our own three mountain ash trees that stand between the house and the river - and can be seen from my studio window - that gave me the idea for the name.<br /><br />After that I was on a roll and just kept rummaging. I've got a couple drawers full of turquoise, but haven't done anything with any of it in a long while, so found some pretty faceted rondelles with small enough drill holes to allow for knotting and put together this really nice piece! I used turquoise-colored cord, so it blends in quite well; and the knots between the beads allow for a really nice flexibility in the strand. The clasp is handmade in Bali and is a design I sought out for what seemed like months after purchasing a necklace for myself with this same clasp from a little boutique in Albany. Was so delighted when I finally found them, I purchased five or six at the time .. there are only two left. I've tended to use them sparingly; but this piece seemed to call for it. I don't have a name for this one ... any ideas???<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Hxk9c4atJjqO7cfecmXNxVR4QGXLe_j0Jf2YdRsRknsNg2rPi1dtKIK3tm8DK2SikKluZLMVHugQ9gdvHcyzvGjKjwOoBzxvFFPdJvx7nuxObELKad6YAZmcjff4l1SBqGYMENSbedu/s1600-h/W-Knotted-Turquoise-3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 367px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs-Hxk9c4atJjqO7cfecmXNxVR4QGXLe_j0Jf2YdRsRknsNg2rPi1dtKIK3tm8DK2SikKluZLMVHugQ9gdvHcyzvGjKjwOoBzxvFFPdJvx7nuxObELKad6YAZmcjff4l1SBqGYMENSbedu/s400/W-Knotted-Turquoise-3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364293990653128930" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />The green design came about after I ordered and received a strand of Labradorite marquis cut oval beads, one of which plays center stage here. I tried multiple times to get a close up of the pendant with its hidden opalescence .. but it just stayed hidden. All I could get was the reflection from one of my lights. Labradorite is a type of feldspar .. moonstone is in the same category - they both remind me of opal with their little internal rainbows brought out when the light hits them in the right way or in the right spot. There were several of the pendants on the strand that were rich with these surprising little bursts of color .. all the more likely with so much visible surface on such a large bead.<br /><br />The strand, on the other hand, is not Labradorite but tourmalated quartz .. both the strand and the pendant have some naturally occuring bits of black in them, so I used black silk to knot; and I couldn't have been happier with the result! It's at once both simple and stunning - I gave it a spare and simple sterling toggle clasp .. I didn't want to take away from the strand in anyway. I call it Green Lagoon because the particular shades of green made me think of a sandy, warm and tropical place.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ROjoF1hIgUNM-_Pjhpov6gAL1mntHEXnGx0SEO8EF8VAsCJjVryuts4m9kyR4pvVmqUVO6p-0qdzdcs6Kwnoj8Lb012vbjA0kZKR8D4XWcnaQc0k1Saxq0ZgERn8x4LmNLf5qZRVNuG2/s1600-h/W-Green-Lagoon-N.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ROjoF1hIgUNM-_Pjhpov6gAL1mntHEXnGx0SEO8EF8VAsCJjVryuts4m9kyR4pvVmqUVO6p-0qdzdcs6Kwnoj8Lb012vbjA0kZKR8D4XWcnaQc0k1Saxq0ZgERn8x4LmNLf5qZRVNuG2/s400/W-Green-Lagoon-N.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364293986987469778" border="0" /></a>I'm now working on some variations of the Mountain Ash piece (I might pull out the darker jade and use a couple of those and/or assemble a whole 'nuther collection of stones and work with the lapis pendants) .. and I've pulled a bunch of little baggies full of possible strand and pendant mixes for some more knotted combos after that. AND (I forgot to mention this) since the catalyst for this knotty run - the carnelian and citrine necklace at the top - was completed using French wire, I've finished all of these using French wire instead of bead tips to attach the clasps to the body of the necklace. When done correctly, French wire (a tiny, itsy bitsy little wound wire tube) creates a little loop through the clasp and protects the cord from abrasion. It also looks very neat and tidy and is often used on high-end pearls. I haven't used French wire in a long time .. it's always good to refresh one's skills occasionally, no?<br /><br />I expect there'll be a whole area of knotted pieces by the time the Stone Mills show in LaFargeville (August 7, 8 and 9) rolls around. I had a request for pearl bracelets at my last show though .. so gotta balance my time. There's so little of it, you know : )<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ROjoF1hIgUNM-_Pjhpov6gAL1mntHEXnGx0SEO8EF8VAsCJjVryuts4m9kyR4pvVmqUVO6p-0qdzdcs6Kwnoj8Lb012vbjA0kZKR8D4XWcnaQc0k1Saxq0ZgERn8x4LmNLf5qZRVNuG2/s1600-h/W-Green-Lagoon-N.gif"><br /></a>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-30513794057868102332009-07-16T06:22:00.004-05:002009-07-16T07:46:25.944-05:00Whirlwind production!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5OBXifHpv5eSQxX6-m-Mi3FOk-6ZmqercKauBsQ2GH7gCyIcirJ5fkTgGAvBzOp5ytWOnZ0GEcMEbdvP8-Mh_y4TeLcCukSRpgFP5jCPJJIcTG7cO0vmEktEW0Ai5R6siXE0xGBK5Ocu/s1600-h/Web---Honey-Dripper-2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 345px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-5OBXifHpv5eSQxX6-m-Mi3FOk-6ZmqercKauBsQ2GH7gCyIcirJ5fkTgGAvBzOp5ytWOnZ0GEcMEbdvP8-Mh_y4TeLcCukSRpgFP5jCPJJIcTG7cO0vmEktEW0Ai5R6siXE0xGBK5Ocu/s400/Web---Honey-Dripper-2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359021676823264210" border="0" /></a>In an attempt to pump up inventory for a couple of upcoming shows (one small, but last year very good, local show is here in Ogdensburg on Sunday, the 19th at the big golden dome - 10:00 to 4:00 .. stop by!!), I've been tossing my pearl and stone storage and reverting to some old tried and true designs, a few beaded things and some pieces involving chain. I did manage to come up with one more bangle .. a medium weight version. I sold two high end bangles at Mare's Wares Arts Fest on July 1 and had hoped to get two or three made for the next venue. But, it's the designing of the things and not the actual creation of them that takes time - hence my reverting to some quicker things in the short run. This bangle is sort of a cross between the colorful warmth of Sun Drenched and the design aspects of Blue Bayou .. and it contains some of my favorite things: a couple of ancient trade beads, several handmade lampwork beads, three fine silver discs that I made and more twisted wire. I call it Honey Dripper.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTflLWENEfH64HkdZSEII5EcreZMfYlMA641-ab1LT1KgorhlhOOwWuZPbLJrwn-_QSPP1gcVUaeYDnsNm0cZrhliHLZGU2cyHruZQl_Xnq12HFlRR8ELof_eNg-kajNyj8jPoUVf8e5k/s1600-h/Web---Byzantine-18ga-3.5mm.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 311px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJTflLWENEfH64HkdZSEII5EcreZMfYlMA641-ab1LT1KgorhlhOOwWuZPbLJrwn-_QSPP1gcVUaeYDnsNm0cZrhliHLZGU2cyHruZQl_Xnq12HFlRR8ELof_eNg-kajNyj8jPoUVf8e5k/s400/Web---Byzantine-18ga-3.5mm.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359021687337150386" border="0" /></a>This is a fine gauge Byzantine necklace .. it's a little over 18" long and took me forever to finish! Not because it was particularly difficult, but because I kept putting it down to work on other things. And when you're working with smaller rings, it just necessarily takes longer to get any length outta the things. I began this while I was doing a trunk show at Captain Spicer's Gallery in Clayton on June 27. I never used to bring projects to work on during shows, but the process of assembling a Byzantine chain is very impressive .. and it gives me something to do while folks are browsing. I brought it to Mare's on July 1st, when I'd hoped to finish it .. but only completed it this week on my dining room table. I'm thinking of bringing more of the same size rings to the golden dome with me on Sunday and making a pair of earrings. I had a bracelet that went with it, but it sold at Mare's. Not a bad thing .. just have to make another!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-J1aV14YJHtNrGWnCxIiKKjpgFZA278kvzGwhXHGOxVQTXgWM9isag1EFzOLAR1402IwB4VSZ4qc9j84rsWq0xWLH6cM30C5F7l-Q-ksZp598IgrZ3IC6oKats9niJdutx8Kxjhgvu93/s1600-h/Web---Byzantine-N-18ga-3.5m.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 260px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij-J1aV14YJHtNrGWnCxIiKKjpgFZA278kvzGwhXHGOxVQTXgWM9isag1EFzOLAR1402IwB4VSZ4qc9j84rsWq0xWLH6cM30C5F7l-Q-ksZp598IgrZ3IC6oKats9niJdutx8Kxjhgvu93/s400/Web---Byzantine-N-18ga-3.5m.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359021694721297522" border="0" /></a>I wore the necklace around for several days after completing it .. it's got a wonderful heft and felt marvelous around my neck! Even after all the time it took to make the thing, I'm now thinking I've gotta make one for me to keep. I mean what's the point of having the materials and knowing how to do it if you can't make one for yourself!! In the photo to the left, it almost looks as though I had patinated it (the best I could do in Photoshop .. it was either make it blindingly bright, or turn up the contrast. And it's the contrast that makes it look patinated). The photo above is more indicative of the look of it .. I tumbled it when I was done, so it's nice and shiny. If you wear it alot, it'll stay that way .. otherwise, it'll slowly patinate itself over time (called tarnish, for those of you less romantic types). And if you're big on sulfur type foods (onions, garlic, eggs) .. it'll patinate itself even quicker! <br /><br />After finishing up the Byzantine necklace and hunting around for some interesting stones, I found some beautiful briolette and pear shaped stones I'd purchased four, five .. maybe six years ago .. and had forgotten about. These came strung on 8" instead of the customary 16" strands .. really pretty things I kept separate from my other beads because of their cost. I have one of those tall plastic units with a bunch of little drawers that you often see in garages full of nuts and bolts .. well, mine is full of beads, and several of the drawers have rubies, emeralds, sapphires, lapis, vesuvianite and other precious and semi-precious delights hidden within.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RG20quHkkEhKe7fv0080Tp8gw604ihH3HvTQd_budUs_zzUif3dfn4SuT2s6wuYynnXTbnRRfXWKS3i-djr_G3vtk4cMknw5TFPqVAGs9C_t_JlD3LQf9bRiS2s7YafhWG5LDXCKFbfH/s1600-h/Web---Stones-&-GF-3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 272px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6RG20quHkkEhKe7fv0080Tp8gw604ihH3HvTQd_budUs_zzUif3dfn4SuT2s6wuYynnXTbnRRfXWKS3i-djr_G3vtk4cMknw5TFPqVAGs9C_t_JlD3LQf9bRiS2s7YafhWG5LDXCKFbfH/s400/Web---Stones-&-GF-3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359021699977619170" border="0" /></a>These two chain and stone necklaces use vesuvianite .. a really pretty olivine green stone that looks a lot like peridot. I have so many of these pretty little shapes in various stones, I think I may do a little production line after the show on Sunday and make a bunch of them. All those I did over the past couple of days use 14k gold filled chain .. mostly because the stone colors I was using looked best against gold. But I have some briolettes in my larger unit of bead drawers that will look better with sterling: rose quartz, apatite, kyanite, citrine, and onyx. <br /><br />While this photo may look like a single necklace, it's actually one necklace with five stones and one with a single stone. I've been trying to make matching earrings as I finish up with a necklace .. because people always ask! And it's easier while all the materials are already out. Despite this recent propensity, I'm in serious need of a couple days of nothing but earring production! Especially a couple of the more popular wire wrapped seed pod earrings that sell as fast as I make them .. I could use one of those little time turner devices Hermonine used in HP and The Prisoner of Azkaban!!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOCRRvbau2-N9tSmgA_XB0O-k6frEK3TSz1gi3p2KyqWQutFznzItbqRxTGFb-0NP-gK-mvO9ZV6BrnyPv0CFH_t9lU_fY0DkBlKiTVDzOr6JM_YayH2YVVADewj_o1nPwbwpgHOMRE4b/s1600-h/Web---Stones-&-GF-1.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 301px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOCRRvbau2-N9tSmgA_XB0O-k6frEK3TSz1gi3p2KyqWQutFznzItbqRxTGFb-0NP-gK-mvO9ZV6BrnyPv0CFH_t9lU_fY0DkBlKiTVDzOr6JM_YayH2YVVADewj_o1nPwbwpgHOMRE4b/s400/Web---Stones-&-GF-1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359020084311317714" border="0" /></a>Here are a couple more stone and chain necklaces .. I did another of the five stone versions in a smoky topaz (absolutely gorgeous stones, purchased by carat weight!!). I was almost tempted to put them on 14k chain instead of 14k gold filled, but it's already a $135 necklace with just the gold filled chain. And I'm saving the 14k chain for some 3mm faceted tanzanite stones I've had stashed.<br /><br />The blue stone is lapis .. the strand from which it came was graduated, so I've got several different sizes. Made a couple pair of earrings, and am thinking of doing another necklace. I was going to do this one on sterling, but the lapis has some really pretty gold veining in it .. so there's was no question of suspending it on gold. If you click on the photo, you can see them all up close.<br /><br />While rummaging through my pearl drawers last week I found several varieties of smaller pearls and brought back a design I'd made six or seven years ago .. a double strand of pearls with a removable pendant. The original pendant was an incredible olive pear drop pearl. But that strand is long gone; so I made a variety of them using stones instead. The three across the top are a pale green kyanite, a gorgeous shade of blue apatite and a golden carnelian. That beautiful large blue stone at the bottom is an aquamarine. I've got eight or nine more of those and use them sparingly .. they come from a fabulous strand I got at a wholesale gem and lapidary show in western MA five or six years ago. When they're gone, I'd be surprised if I find another strand anything like it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqe6JJds74kU4h8A63RMMVUgWgsfIsWgdja0ML06btvM3PowL-AtrYXkNsx4JMkM9UTmBI-kaMCqF8yfkBnftGMA3IHuAqup1jcJIVhNkvjdZRGhLBO2-ynGj4cWiPMXDo71YTIOG403L-/s1600-h/Web---Dream-Scape.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqe6JJds74kU4h8A63RMMVUgWgsfIsWgdja0ML06btvM3PowL-AtrYXkNsx4JMkM9UTmBI-kaMCqF8yfkBnftGMA3IHuAqup1jcJIVhNkvjdZRGhLBO2-ynGj4cWiPMXDo71YTIOG403L-/s400/Web---Dream-Scape.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359020088246707746" border="0" /></a>The kyanite is strung on white round pearls, the apatite and aquamarine on a pretty shade of beige rice pearls and the carnelian is on chocolate rice pearls. I quickly sold the five or six versions of the original necklace with the pearl pendant and wouldn't be surprised if these do well .. the removable pendant is appealing because sometimes all you want are simple pearls, or a simple pendant. And the pendants are attached to an incredible handcrafted Bali ring (Nina Designs .. wholesale only, but stunning stuff!) that looks great suspended from a sterling chain. It's all about choices, folks ..<br /><br />With all the successful rehashing I've accomplished lately, I may need to dig out my old jewelry photos and see if there are any other pieces I can update. When you're low in inventory, you do what works, yes? I may have to save the time-consuming new designs for another time (i.e. when there's more of it ... time, I mean) .. but then, everything seems new to most people stopping by my booth lately. Most of my old photos are pre-light box .. back when I used to flat bed scan them, just to have a record of the things I'd created. And most of those designs were long gone before we re-located to the North Country. So ... everything old is new again!! Happens occasionally. Thankfully.The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-32137903454721636462009-06-25T08:20:00.000-05:002009-06-25T08:21:20.755-05:00Sun Drenched ReduxBecause it seemed to me like I'd gotten into a "blue" streak with the last several entries here .. a bracelet called Sun Drenched seemed like a good post.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJkqLeQ8fW2swernpougmeLHf2p8OlSjtOMcpXkfS3pOzQF0HYrpfEjUst9RqYtwfq5_mLqnU0r0VTv1QeNy-CmWUakghP-5sESy-g7mLGpl_BUt1C5BjNe60wdJUozeDyZKKNIWzq8Hz/s1600-h/Web---Sun-Drenched.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 362px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcJkqLeQ8fW2swernpougmeLHf2p8OlSjtOMcpXkfS3pOzQF0HYrpfEjUst9RqYtwfq5_mLqnU0r0VTv1QeNy-CmWUakghP-5sESy-g7mLGpl_BUt1C5BjNe60wdJUozeDyZKKNIWzq8Hz/s400/Web---Sun-Drenched.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351248023392680258" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I originally posted this back in April when I'd first created it, but I hadn't yet fired the little sun charm, so this is the finished product. Love these sturdy bangles!The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-19783963683208766942009-06-25T07:11:00.004-05:002009-06-25T08:14:43.218-05:00Twilight<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7sBXVLpydteiB5ceFC5ufS5cbHRYu4YjDawe1d43E2sqy3V63F41PF9bNeLcNuP33DFRViIlrWijhaEon7fkoJeR4CuV5ZahMBhfvT3nK_o1ovaHv-Ow-vm4qh1lXmcOv8EIZyE0nHru/s1600-h/Web-Twilight-4.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7sBXVLpydteiB5ceFC5ufS5cbHRYu4YjDawe1d43E2sqy3V63F41PF9bNeLcNuP33DFRViIlrWijhaEon7fkoJeR4CuV5ZahMBhfvT3nK_o1ovaHv-Ow-vm4qh1lXmcOv8EIZyE0nHru/s400/Web-Twilight-4.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351238111623132178" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Like the book(s) .. or not. Vampires were not what I had in mind when I created it .. but there is a little magic in this bracelet, so if you want to think of Edward and Bella .. and all the other magical personages within Stephenie Meyer's imagination .. it's OK. It works.<br /><br />However, the magic in this piece comes from the glass used for these hand crafted lamp work beads .. I have other lamp work beads (as well as Swarovski crystals) that have the same kind of inherent magic - an ability to change color in different light. I have no idea how or why it works, it just does. Under the lamp light I use to take photographs - and beneath the lights in my studio - these beads appear to be pale blue. Sky blue, if you will. However, when moved outdoors (and perhaps beneath some other as yet untried artificial lighting) they turn an ever so soft and tender violet. The way the sky changes .. at Twilight.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRLqtNX0f92AI3Gi4hy-B4U4Lcm4RdKppX9GiGwLlL2T9a7p9sxsaE5A5INpAz45i0rIhcs2UsfBOUja2gPpfL-2yYXX-fqSlHqcPxr3gbBRIzwa7oVD-eDKIzB2gIQXAoA7Nz6sqTYkn/s1600-h/Web-Twilight-3.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 318px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbRLqtNX0f92AI3Gi4hy-B4U4Lcm4RdKppX9GiGwLlL2T9a7p9sxsaE5A5INpAz45i0rIhcs2UsfBOUja2gPpfL-2yYXX-fqSlHqcPxr3gbBRIzwa7oVD-eDKIzB2gIQXAoA7Nz6sqTYkn/s400/Web-Twilight-3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351238107589023650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I've had this one on the tip of my brain for weeks .. I continued to let it stew in there while assembling some pretty, delicate, sparkly little beaded pieces recently - until it finally emerged. With the exception of that one gorgeous rectangular sterling silver India bead (and my pure silver logo charm), this is strictly sterling silver wire and lamp work glass. I wrapped and cut all the connecting rings, made and work-hardened all the sterling eye pins holding the lamp work beads in place, wrapped the 26 gauge wire around the horseshoe link and made the little spiral charm and s-hook clasp. I think there's balance here - what do you think?<br /><br />It fits my EZ-Size bracelet device at 7.75", so would comfortably fit a 7.5" wrist with a little room to spare. I love this piece!! I have a drawer full of smaller (and all absolutely gorgeous) lamp work beads from talented lamp workers from all over .. and am now thinking I might have to try this in a more delicate version. Or even something in 14k gold-filled wire!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusFS9SUSFJs5Ei1TebI_5zboDaac20oR5KEsuJ1ZUjLxqBN4VXhBLMCMuN1o6a56VqYvNxEPGP8CfCSqDOt-6O6y674sy6jDL6j3iy6aVAc_qZQZKvN3o0JzimOk21hV4oGvAKFBXkwvd/s1600-h/Web-Twilight-1.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 317px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhusFS9SUSFJs5Ei1TebI_5zboDaac20oR5KEsuJ1ZUjLxqBN4VXhBLMCMuN1o6a56VqYvNxEPGP8CfCSqDOt-6O6y674sy6jDL6j3iy6aVAc_qZQZKvN3o0JzimOk21hV4oGvAKFBXkwvd/s400/Web-Twilight-1.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351238095567840594" border="0" /></a><br /><br />While I'm eternally grateful that my creative muse still pops in occasionally and sits on my shoulder .. I'm hoping she'll stay a little longer this time. She makes me happy when she's sittin' there smilin' down on me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjBhcLLzwje1IY_isI7-TPVnhBwU9r0kQSGJpgEYWV59cOkHrRPD1WFm8rJMmnC7hdAYT5frxhAMqFqJwTk4Q4PkRuMXlBNI5IQYEkTFh04edRJkyIWDyovMO4a3ogsfy5zUf7FnA-hkU/s1600-h/Web-Twilight-2.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjBhcLLzwje1IY_isI7-TPVnhBwU9r0kQSGJpgEYWV59cOkHrRPD1WFm8rJMmnC7hdAYT5frxhAMqFqJwTk4Q4PkRuMXlBNI5IQYEkTFh04edRJkyIWDyovMO4a3ogsfy5zUf7FnA-hkU/s400/Web-Twilight-2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351238101132794594" border="0" /></a>The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-8418366402537451852009-06-12T07:16:00.006-05:002009-06-12T08:36:55.633-05:00Something Blue<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmYw7SZYjYX3Q29X9LnTuM-PwkSL7ctlg2MiAXIelrIHcsn6rQiQiiBXD0JvVp8NgkIfD_3D8Z9H6YkOAc0kg7aRMmpuTYxZhZwcuHwvTL5xdjEYDiPnkq5BUBCTF3LzXPwio6wg8Y865/s1600-h/W-Blue-Bayou-2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmYw7SZYjYX3Q29X9LnTuM-PwkSL7ctlg2MiAXIelrIHcsn6rQiQiiBXD0JvVp8NgkIfD_3D8Z9H6YkOAc0kg7aRMmpuTYxZhZwcuHwvTL5xdjEYDiPnkq5BUBCTF3LzXPwio6wg8Y865/s400/W-Blue-Bayou-2.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346414523106717026" border="0" /></a>I put this bracelet together back in May .. it's been a little nuts on the home front since then. But I didn't want to miss posting it.<br /><br />I had originally wanted to include two or three 10mm sterling round beads in this piece .. all I had on hand were 8mm though, and they just didn't look right. The balance was wrong. Being the impatient creator than I am, however, I just pushed on anyway with the whole "blue" theme. I call it Blue Bayou. Next time I place a silver order, I'll get some 10mm silver beads and do a similar design. I guarantee the silver beads will give it an entirely different look. It's a bit .. busy .. in its current manifestation, but it works.<br /><br />That large black and pale blue item is a fabulous lampwork bead (one of a small collection from the same glass bead maker) .. I love it and had been wanting to do something with it for some time. It was easy enough to find several corresponding beads to add .. several of them (three to be exact) came from one of those ancient trade bead strands I've been hoarding: the teal bead in the foreground (to the left of the logo tag), the little black bead with dots to the right of the large lampwork, and the darker blue bead to the right of the clasp. (Hard to believe, but all three came from the same strand .. a really gorgeous mix of all kinds of trade beads. I'm a sucker for those - you get so much more to work with that way). There's another small lampwork bead - next to the pale blue resin bead - several ceramic discs and a whole lotta twisted wire (my favorite thing to do with wire!).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5LulyObcTEeHnSgPg6b85UTiMS6aSeZve7k5sB_vZaFFvp3leHSmkbl63aDPYvaR4Ohtkm_PCxw2tUeuUdbiGYOXV4derFvHJ3pi4g2C-NWCeTmWLS0T9lcvRcG8MHW9O7OcohmA87ie/s1600-h/W-Blue-Bayou-4.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5LulyObcTEeHnSgPg6b85UTiMS6aSeZve7k5sB_vZaFFvp3leHSmkbl63aDPYvaR4Ohtkm_PCxw2tUeuUdbiGYOXV4derFvHJ3pi4g2C-NWCeTmWLS0T9lcvRcG8MHW9O7OcohmA87ie/s400/W-Blue-Bayou-4.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5346432567771249538" border="0" /></a>This is a hefty and substantial bracelet .. made for a woman who knows herself well, and is comfortable with what she knows. A strong woman .. with a strong wrist! ; )The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1082589251470586657.post-86195191805582396812009-05-12T09:49:00.008-05:002009-05-13T07:09:53.661-05:00Stream of Consciousness<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TATHED45yz4f_VX7GYwpJFzPRtSTHDbjePlRvm0Nt1df1qScbchasxRfZUF5GGGuv6aSc0zrUkZnCnTGHs5tc16VKA8GTwgxG9jtArNJ-AeJ8Y8q-DyCF-HpIu91-wKzAKwMlYfMEbDC/s1600-h/W-Serenity-7.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 370px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TATHED45yz4f_VX7GYwpJFzPRtSTHDbjePlRvm0Nt1df1qScbchasxRfZUF5GGGuv6aSc0zrUkZnCnTGHs5tc16VKA8GTwgxG9jtArNJ-AeJ8Y8q-DyCF-HpIu91-wKzAKwMlYfMEbDC/s400/W-Serenity-7.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334980197727488786" border="0" /></a>Back while I was making the "Sweetheart Pin" .. which is a good sized piece of jewelry .. I was already thinking of a smaller, lighter version with some pearl embellishments wrapped around the larger side embellishments (with much lighter gauge wire). And, as it sometimes happens with these processes, it immediately struck me how cool it would be to make a bracelet using that kind of wrapped embellishment! Which is where this bracelet idea came from.<br /><br />Before I'd even finished the smaller heart pin (which remains on my work bench awaiting embellishment), I had some copper wire out and was experimenting with some ideas for the bracelet. The tight-against-the-base-wire wrap on the large pin(s) didn't appeal to me for the bracelet (though maybe for a necklace!), so I had to think about how the larger swirly part might work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAud4JNljdGQmYk9W0o-f2we_dfPfbDt-qFOI64lbqZeTvfA22m2ys0UPbpxICh8TMrxa6hKpDb34prj2EH7xVdjg43ka7CXAg0STyKobEEPJCJFxnN_j4auCSDkUvIjTGF_wf0LUO1aR/s1600-h/W-Serenity-5.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 249px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAud4JNljdGQmYk9W0o-f2we_dfPfbDt-qFOI64lbqZeTvfA22m2ys0UPbpxICh8TMrxa6hKpDb34prj2EH7xVdjg43ka7CXAg0STyKobEEPJCJFxnN_j4auCSDkUvIjTGF_wf0LUO1aR/s400/W-Serenity-5.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334954449677829458" border="0" /></a>Before I even began with the design of the swirl or wrapping stuff though, I had to think about the core bracelet. I was afraid if I made it as a simple large letter "C" cuff bracelet the act of opening it to put it on would stress not only the core wire but also the added swirl and wraps. I was able to use more core wire (and hence more swirly design wrapping) by moving the ends out and away from each other (sort of one end above the other). This way, it's easy to slide onto the wrist without having to pull the ends directly apart from each other. If any additional opening is necessary, the ends can be pushed a little bit further away from each other instead. If any of you are familiar with the proper way to open and close a jump ring, it's the same concept. Once you've got it on, you can then gently squeeze it to fit .. leaving the comfortable-for-you, top-to-bottom distance between the ends as is for continued ease in putting it on and taking it off. Did that make sense??<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8g47xpWo8xQDMDmXdm5Q0_OmYIVylseDDaiPZheoiaf5XGQnGcM3DAqPSd_0il0y867TvMypPq_aG61pv_LlPW_-W6P8IZvqgVulf4kp18y1XJgPUbXmI3-UVjoS2_BUUEPfU3tikvr8a/s1600-h/W-Serenity-4.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8g47xpWo8xQDMDmXdm5Q0_OmYIVylseDDaiPZheoiaf5XGQnGcM3DAqPSd_0il0y867TvMypPq_aG61pv_LlPW_-W6P8IZvqgVulf4kp18y1XJgPUbXmI3-UVjoS2_BUUEPfU3tikvr8a/s400/W-Serenity-4.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334954445226139682" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjqx5CtakTa4tIbHflVHa3hjL0alTiDF0j56wR8cr4h0pIPjtuByxuqLY_Gu9DsnbaGoik9SKOAy-ahn247VfJ0JvrJXJJeBKufmGVK8fSJgm_y41T27LlzXFtr96alWqer-c5QzZUra5/s1600-h/W-Serenity-3.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 298px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjqx5CtakTa4tIbHflVHa3hjL0alTiDF0j56wR8cr4h0pIPjtuByxuqLY_Gu9DsnbaGoik9SKOAy-ahn247VfJ0JvrJXJJeBKufmGVK8fSJgm_y41T27LlzXFtr96alWqer-c5QzZUra5/s400/W-Serenity-3.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5334954440208546034" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anyway, once I had that figured out I moved on to designing the swirly part and then attaching it. It was a bit tricky .. and didn't occur to me right away .. but I ultimately decided that rather than wrapping the swirly embellishment wire around the bracelet core and then adding the beads with finer wire in and around it, that I'd <span style="font-style: italic;">attach</span> the swirly embellishment wire with the fine wire and beads. Took a while to work it out because the swirly wire kept sliding around on the core wire while I was trying to wrap and attach the beads. It becomes a little easier after the first few beads are attached.<br /><br />The little dragonfly is actually a Thai silver charm I worked into the design. I had originally purchased them to use as one of the little trio of charms on the Thai trio necklaces I made, but the picture on the website where I purchased them showed the jump ring/bail on the charm was attached on top of the dragonfly's head .. not the case when I received them. The ring is in the back .. and low enough that it hangs funny if suspended from a chain. I was so incredibly happy to have found such a great use for them!<br /><br />Very pretty, very feminine .. and it has a lovely weightiness. I'm still thinking about what to call it .. April Showers perhaps? or maybe Tranquility?? It's very Spring-like .. makes me think of a misty, moisty April morn.<br /><br />UPDATE - Several folks wrote to ask what the stones were .. sorry, didn't even think of mentioning it! The large pale blue stones are aquamarine (there are also some smaller, more translucent aquamarine rondelles as well), a few small Swarovski pearls, several "Alexandrite" color-changing crystals (pale blue to pale lavender), a few darker "Montana" crystals, and some 2.5mm faceted blue sapphire rondelles.The Wild Insidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18374284432250586918noreply@blogger.com5