Two Styles Merge -- Reticulation and Minnows

Recently I was contacted to create a pendant.  The woman loved my jewelry designs and had a stone that she wanted me to work with.  I was happy to work with her and the stone and we met to discuss the project.  After a fun story about her property, pond, and minnows, we worked on a design to feature my textured reticulation, as well as a minnow.  I drew up 4 designs and this is the one that she selected:

Reticulated silver rectangle 1 5/8 inches wide with a sterling wire squiggle and balls and a gem cut quartz bezeled in fine silver.  We wanted the minnow to have a hammered pattern and wiggle. 

And here's the finished pendant!   

I love the way the reticulated metal evokes the feeling of undulating water and the balls creating bubbles from the fish.  Loretta loved it and so do I!

Busy Delivery Days

Hard to believe we're heading into Memorial Day weekend!  Lots of 2011 season openings this week.  Be sure to stop by CRAFT in Rockland where I delivered 22 new pieces of jewelry.  Here's a small sampling of the reticulated pieces that you'll see:

 
I also delivered work to the new Portland store for the Maine Craft Center.  Opening Thursday, May 26th at the Maine Mall.  Now you can support Maine craft artists while shopping for your clothing necessities.  Here's a selection from the 11 pieces I delivered:

I hope you'll visit.

Still Thinking

I've continued with the fish theme (still thinking of summer) and have designed some fun new pieces including necklaces, earrings, and bracelets.  I call these new pieces part of the "minnow series":

Two minnow bracelets; top bracelet with three silver minnows and one 18k yellow gold minnow linked with silver jumprings.  The second bracelet has 5 sterling silver linked minnows with a hook clasp.

This necklace is 30 inches long and hangs lightly around the neck.  It is made from 10 silver minnows that are linked with even lengths of sterling silver rolo chain.

Another necklace is made with 5 sterling silver minnows that are linked with flat, oval, blue kyanite beads.  It's 16 inches long and is ready for summer fun. 

One last picture for the night--a pair of silver hooked fish earrings.   

I guess I'm "hooked" on fish for the time being.  Keep an eye out for more jewelry designs coming soon. 

Thinking of Summer

The little blast of spring weather made me dream of summer and warm sunshine.  After some brainstorming and inspiring talk with Mom, I was prompted to think of some new designs with summer as inspiration. 

Fish--what could be more summer-like?!

I started by sawing out little minnows and larger fish shapes.

Here are the minnows on the soldering block.  They are awaiting the torch to solder the jumprings to their mouths.  

After working up the fish pendants, I started playing with watery-color beads.  Here's a couple in process.

And finally the finished pieces:

A large alewife pendant strung on blue chalcedony beads.  I think my favorite part is the fish clasp.  I like to pay particular attention to the finishing of necklaces--the clasp is as important as the pendant and also adds interest and design to the back side of the necklace.  

 These silver minnows are one inch high and strung with watery-green apatite coin beads. 

And the last piece for today is a large sunfinsh pendant strung on a double strand of amazonite coin beads.  

It's a great start to some summer inventory.  There are more fish-inspired pieces to come, I only wish the weather was as cooperative!  It's snowing--again!