Prolonging the Season

I wonder if I make enough flowers, can I fill the gardens with shiney silver petals and make the season stay?  I love the fall, but I don't especially like what comes after--cold, gray, snow, no light, no work, etc.  I've been of the mind that if I keep making flowers, it will eternally stay lush and alive.  But, I know, the winter is inevitable, but spring will come again.  Until then, I will continue to create happy flower jewelry.

These are 1/2 inch sterling flower studs with slightly curved petals and silver raised centers.

I love these tiny flower dangles.  The flowers are daintier, about 3/8" and feature 3mm faceted yellow sapphires that sparkle like the sun!

Another sterling flower stud, 1/2 inch that are textured and feature 4mm chrysoprase cabochon centers. 

More flowers to come.  Stay sunny!

Another Year

It's hard to believe another year has passed doing this blog!  Two whole years without me wondering what I'd do and I am pleasantly surprised that I still have alot to show, say, and share.  One exciting thing--I just found out I've been accepted to show at Laudholm Farm Crafts Festival again this September!  (YEAH!!!)  So mark your calendars for Saturday and Sunday, September 8 & 9, at Laudholm Farm in Wells, ME.  Come on by and say hi!

Now, some new designs I've been working on:

This reticulated necklace has graduating silver discs that I've embellished with balls and bars and fine silver bezels housing assorted green stones--tourmaline, chrysoprase, peridot, and aventurine. The articulated joinery allows the necklace to sit comfortably around the neck.

And then there's this necklace:

Thin slices of aquamarines, strung with complimentary silver reticulated pieces.The colors are icy and seaglassy--lovely!

So much more to show.  Now that I've finished painting my spare bedroom (a lovely shade called 'aloe vera'), I'll update more often.   

Earrings for Everyday

I got back in the studio and went to town on creating some new reticulated earrings.  My next ad in Downeast magazine is coming out in the February issue and I feature a great pair of earrings.  The only problem (not really a problem) is that they sold after the ad was designed.  So, I thought what a good excuse to focus on making earrings.  Here's what I've finished: 

The seven pairs sitting pretty in the studio.

These are the smallest pair--with pink tourmaline seed beads.

I love the simplicity and clean lines here.

Stud backs on heavily reticulated silver with 4mm apple green chryso-prase cabs.

Squiggles and curves dangle on the hooked earwires.

The green aventurine cabs here add just the right touch to the clean lines.

These earrings are most similar to the pair in the ad.  The 6x8mm stones are black lace agate. The squiggle makes for a fun design.

Last but not least, another design featuring the balls and bars on the reticulated metal.

Well, back at it tomorrow.  I have a few pendants in the works.  We'll see where they go. 

New Photos

I am so excited!  I finally had some professional pics taken and they look great.  Thank you Robert Diamante for doing such a beautiful job.  These will be used for show applications and advertising.  Here are some of the flower series: 

What do you think?


And here's some from the reticulation series:
 

 
I can't wait to see them printed on 8 1/2 x 11 inch photo paper--they are going to shine!

Fireworks of My Own

Happy 4th of July!  Well--I'm late in posting, but seeing as our local fireworks were postponed due to the fog, I figured I could do the same thing. 

I've been continuing with my reticulated cuff series, and started playing with smaller pieces.  I am really happy with what's happening.  Here are a few of them so far: 

This cuff is about 1 inch wide made of silver with silver balls soldered around. 

This is heavily reticulated silver about 1" wide forming the cuff.  Silver balls and a 6mm faceted smoky quartz embellish the center.    

And here is a 3/4 inch wide cuff with an apple green chrysoprase cabochon.  Silver balls and bars explode from the center and continue around the whole piece.

What do you think?

Can't Keep Up

It's been a great year for big cuff bracelets and I'm having a hard time keeping them in inventory.  I finished this piece last weekend and delivered it to the Center for Maine Craft. 

It's reticulated silver with silver wire squiggles and silver and gold balls.  There are three chrysoprase cabochons.  The large chrysoprase is 10mm and the other two are 4mm each.  Here's a side view showing the smaller stone:

Yesterday, I finished this cuff and today I delivered it to Barbara at CRAFT in Rockland.  She's had great success with my cuffs as well.  This piece is all silver with a couple gold touches.  I reticulated the two pieces of silver and then fused them together forming this kind of double wave overlap.  I then added the silver balls along the two seams and kept adding until I was pleased with the design.  It's along the same line as this cuff and I really like where this sereis is going. 

I have one more cuff in process and I'm hoping that tomorrow I'll be able to complete it.  It's reticulated and has similar features, but definitely different.  You'll just have to wait and see!



Finished!

After starts and stops and days of working, I finally finished the new reticulated necklace.  Similar to the original, this piece started off as 20g reticulation 80/20 sheet that I cut into 1 x 1 3/4 inch pieces.  Next I reticulated and textured the pieces and soldered on the continuous wire squiggle.  Pickle and clean between and then added the bezels and silver and gold accent balls. 

I've been using a simple but effective connection and decided I would use it here as well--linking the pieces together with balled wire that forms a half circle link in each corner.  The connection allows the links to move and adjusts easily to the wearer's neck.  The hook and eye clasp continues with the overall design and is easy for the wearer to put on and take off.  The whole piece was then cleaned, bristle brushed, and lightly polished before setting the stones. 

I highly polished the inside of each bezel to allow light to bounce off and through the selected translucent stones.  I opted for a mix of colors and included green chrysoprase, purple amethyst, Sleeping Beauty turquoise, hot pink tourmalines, warm carnelian, and red garnet.  The stones were set and then the burnished tool marks polished out to give a high shine.  Last, a half-drilled freshwater pearl was glued to the overhanging peg at the base of the front link's squiggle and... 

The finished necklace!

While on a roll and having some extra time and energy to work, I continued with the reticulation series and made two pairs of earrings.  One pair with amethyst cabochons and the other with chrysoprase cabochons. 

The amethyst earrings are 22g silver that I cut and reticulated.  I added a continuous squiggle soldered on to the front which continues up to be the earwire.  A couple silver balls add some interest near the top.  The chrysoprase earrings are also 22g silver with balls and wire detailing.  The apple green stones glow like no other. 
 

Until next time.