Rings -- Back at it!

Rings -- they've been a calling. It's been a while since I wrote and I've been mostly processing and struggling through the days in the studio. While I've been working and creating through it all, finally I feel I have broken through the void and back toward inspiration.

I started with a visit to one of my local wholesale accounts to check in and see if there was anything in particular she might want for the upcoming season. We chatted and caught up and I saw what was left for my stock (only a few things--yeah!) and got feedback for what people reacted to. I felt awakened and alive again and ready to jump in creating--starting with rings. Rings of all sizes and shapes, but with a focus on interesting stone centerpieces.

Here's where I started:

This is a square mahogany obsidian stone set in fine silver. The rest of the ring is sterling silver and the face is oxidized. I love it!

Next up:

a soft triangle dalmatian jasper stone also set in fine silver. The ring is sterling silver with shiny balled dots of silver around the face. I thought about oxidizing it like the first, but have kept it polished so far.

Saturday I picked out a large oval fossilized dinosaur bone stone and a Norwegian emerald pearl stone to work with. Both are unique and offer completely different looks.

The dinosaur bone (pictured in the left ring) is a substantially sized stone, so I added larger, flattened balls to help balance the scale. The shiny finish offsets the reddish brown textured surface--very cool.

The Norwegian emerald pearl ring on the right has balls and circle embellishments. I've cut through the circles and I like the way the negative space shows through. It's an idea worth exploring further. I chose to partially oxidize the face, but have cleaned away a lot of it to offset the accents.

Four new rings--all different, but work as a nice grouping. Not bad for a weekend's work! Hope to keep the momentum going!

Silver Cuff Bracelet with Labradorite

I've had this idea to turn a ring I made into a new design for a cuff bracelet.  I finally got all the pieces to come together.  This is the ring that was the inspiration:

A sterling silver ring with rose cut labradorite stone that I made for a commission. I think this ring actually reads much larger in scale and thought it would translate beautifully to a cuff.  So I selected a stone:

This large labradorite cabochon -- 45mm (1 11/16")  high and 25mm (1") at its widest.  The blues and greens shimmer in the light.  I thought the scale set the right tone for design.  Once that was decided, I worked the silver sheet and heated and reticulated and textured and formed.  I added large sterling balls around the fine silver bezel and felt the cuff was really coming together.

I placed a few more balls for balance and the design was complete.  Set the stone and polished the bezel and baubles to a high shine and voila: 

Strength and beauty--I think it's a pretty spectacular piece! 

Reticulation with Liver-of-Sulphur Patina

I love the look of reticulated metal and the jewelry I've made with it, but lately I've felt the need to play with it a little more.  So I thought it would be fun to really work with the texture by using liver of sulphur on the metal and then highlighting the baubles with a high shine.  The effect is wonderful!

This ring was the first experiment with the oxidizing effects of liver of sulphur and it's quite striking.  The apricot sapphire glows with the shine of silver surrounding it, while the blackened background sets a real mood. 

In this pin, I experimented with using less patina--I sanded away a lot of the black from the surface with steel wool, while allowing it to stay deep in the grooves of the highly textured surface.  I'm intrigued by the watery feel to this piece.

I'm loving this cuff!  The overlap, sprinkled peridot gemstones, and shiny baubles are set off by the blackened background.  I think this combination has a lot of potential and I'm eagerly looking forward to continuing with this new direction.