What I've been up to--finishing commissions

I started into the winter with a number of jewelry projects to be designed and then created. Slowly, I've been ticking away at the list and here are photos of some of the finished projects.

This pendant was made with vintage jade buttons that were carved and suggested butterfly wings. the client and I came up with a butterfly inspired pendant set upon reticulated silver and baubles--touches of 18k gold.

Reticulated silver earrings with 4mm diamonds that are tube set in fine silver. The lower disc swings on the Inspired by a pair the client purchased a couple years ago and wears every day.

This cuff was inspired by one in inventory but added several little diamonds that were from the client's own ring--she didn't wear it anymore and thought let's use them in something else. 

This ring is 18k gold and silver with carnelian and lapis lazuli stones. The colors were chosen to correspond to an antique Navajo bracelet.

A lot more work is coming out of the studio. Will write again soon!

January Rings

It's more then a week into the new year and lots going on!  In weather news, we've been -6 degrees with a foot of blowing snow, now we're 47 degrees with pouring rain--very unsettling.  I spotted and rescued a kitty who was homeless and starving during the storm.  I'm now weighing the idea of introducing her to the others.  I've worked in the studio and am ticking things off the to-do list, as well as trying to create new designs for inventory.  Here's a sampling of what's going on.

This is a commission piece with a 4mm rhodolite garnet gemstone and silver and 18k gold balls.

I thought I'd continue making a few rings and this one is still in process.  I've placed a little 3mm ruby in the setting, but am not sure if I will choose a different stone.  What do you think?

And then I thought to do a simple all silver version. 

So much more to do--getting back to work!
 

Merry Christmas Eve!

Yes, it's that time--already!  Christmas is here and I'm still trying to catch up from all the busyness from the year.  I was lucky enough to be able to create a few beautiful pieces to be given as Christmas gifts this year.  One being this necklace for a special woman. It has a reticulated silver pendant with a square black onyx and strung upon a strand of faceted black spinel beads.  A lovely combination!

Another piece, a simply classic reticulated silver cuff. 

I hope everyone enjoys their new goodies! 

Mother of the Groom Necklace--A Summer Project

This commission started with a phone call--a woman wanted to have a special necklace made for her to wear at her son's September wedding.  She found me and my jewelry online, liked what she saw, and gave me a call.  We set up a studio visit to discuss design thoughts and ideas.  We met in July and quickly figured out the colors, stones, and basic design--blue lapis lazuli alongside reticulated silver.  I drew up a few sketches and this is what was proposed and approved. 

 

Here are the beads and stones I found to use for the actual piece. I had never made a reticulated necklace that was half beaded, so I was looking forward to seeing the results.

The frontispiece started--silver rectangles reticulated and bezels and squiggles placed.

Next the silver ball accents and the articulated joinery.

The stones are bezel set in fine silver and the whole piece is getting laid out for stringing.

The full layout of lapis beads with the reticulated silver, hollow lentil shape beads I created.

And after the initial stringing, it was time to try on the necklace for length...I emailed this photo to J. and she loved it!  Upon her next visit north, she came with her wedding clothes and we tried it all on.  The necklace being an elegant accessory to make her simply classic outfit shine.

The length was almost perfect, but we decided on one minor design change--we added a chain closure for adjustable lengths allowing more versatility for wearing after the wedding.  Simply striking!

Thank you for allowing me be a part of this beautiful collaboration and special event!  It was a pleasure to work with you!

And after the wedding, in her words:

     "I'm wearing my necklace tonight, two weeks after our son's wedding at ....  The wedding couldn't have gone any better and I received many compliments on my "bling" , as one friend termed it, made specially for the event.

     Thanks again for all of your help. I shall enjoy my wedding necklace for many years to come."

This and That--Filling in the Blanks

This week finds me working in all directions.  Maybe not the most inspired way to create, but with 3 upcoming shows in November, I'm making things to fill in the holes in my inventory.  I've laid it all out to assess--and yes, I'm in a bit of a mess. 

 

After taking a visual inventory, I realized I needed some important pieces like reticulated earrings with stones, some flower chandelier earrings, and more bauble rings.  So, I set out on my mission and here's what I've done:

New reticulated earrings with carnelian cabochons & black onyx cabochons.  

Two new pairs of sterling silver tiny daisy drop earrings.

And three new bauble rings, L to R: 

 

4mm Tsavorite garnet bezeled in fine silver; sterling silver and 18k gold; 3mm blue sapphire with overlap.

A few fun pieces are in the works too.  Be sure to check out next week's blog to see!

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! 

A Tourmaline Ring Rebirth

Here's a ring I recently gave a new design and life to.  It was inherited, and my client wanted to do something different--something that would show off the large, hot pink stone to its full advantage.  This is what we started with--yellow gold simple band with prong setting surrounded by tiny diamonds:

A shot to show the scale of the stone--LARGE!!!

We discussed some of my bauble rings and reticulated jewelry and decided to design something along those lines.  This is the approved drawing of the ring--featuring a bezel set stone, reticulated band, silver bubbles, and diamonds:

And the finished ring!  It's truly spectacular!  I LOVE it!

A few additional shots to see the whole design.  My maker's mark stamped in the band, along with the year and sterling (upside down).

The stone is set in a fine silver step bezel with an open back to allow the light to pass through and reflect on the facets. 

A couple of little diamonds from the original ring are tube set among the bubbles. 

A success story for sure!

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. 

MCA Master Craft Artist Award 2013

I am honored and pleased to have been asked to create the Master Craft Artist pin for 2013's recipient Theresa Secord, a Penobscot basket maker from Waterville, Maine.  As MCA Exective Director Sadie Bliss says, "Secord was selected for this award equally for a career of excellence in her own craft work as well as deep contributions to craft in Maine, specifically support of native basket makers.  The Maine Crafts Association is proud to join a long list of organizations and institutions, such as the Maine Arts Commission and First People's Fund, who have recognized how Secord's basketry, dedication, relationships, and arts administration skills have contributed to traditional craft in Maine and throughout the United States."

I decided to play with my reticulated series and split the pin to create negative space.  I also liked the idea of joining pieces to make a whole.  Here's how the pin came together:

I hope Theresa will respond to the textural surface design, along with the addition of the shiny silver balls and 10x8mm black lace agate. 

This is the back of the pin--highlighting the award and event.  Supporters of Theresa Secord, Maine Indian Basket Makers Alliance, and the Maine Crafts Association are invited to attend the award ceremony Thursday, May 9th, during a special reception at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.  The public is invited to attend the award presentation from 6:30-­‐7:30pm, which will include the pin presentation. 

I am truly honored to be a part of such a special event!

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!

A Cuff Kind of Day

I got on a roll creating cuff bracelets last week and found that I continue to LOVE designing and making them.  Each one being so different and unique--playing with the texture and deciding on stones. 

In this piece, I wanted to play with an overlapping seam, so I created a separate front section to have the side pieces overlap that front piece.  I continued adding balls and curling the edges to soften the look.  Finally I added a rose cut Umba sapphire in a greeny-gray color.   

The cuff is substantial standing 2 inches high.  I just love the icy look.  Thinking I might try this one out for a while!

Studio Sunday: Cuffs

It was so nice to see the sun today and even feel a little warmth.  Relative warmth--22 degrees!  We've been in a cold snap and have been running 3 woodstoves, a furnace, and today I finally plugged in my little portable electric heater to keep my feet warm.  I'm so looking forward to the cold weather breaking!!!

After days of making earrings for inventory, I was inspired to create something more. It's been a while since I made a cuff, so I thought that was a good place to start.  I had a thin piece of metal that I reticulated and textured.  I made the front off-set and added sterling balls around the piece.  It's about 1 inch at the widest point in the middle.  Simple and classic!

Once I was working on this, I started another cuff made with pieces of silver that I fused and soldered together. It's 1 1/2 inches at the widest spot.  I added lots of balls along the seams and a single, rose cut iolite gemstone that is bezeled in fine silver.  The stone adds the right touch of color and texture that was needed.  



Here are the two cuffs together which makes their scale easier to see:

More creating tomorrow!

Snow Day

While it was looking like this outside:

I was busy working away at my bench, pushing my way through some new earring designs.  Between shoveling the decks twice and playing with the dog, I managed to make these:

The small pair on the left are reticulated silver with 6mm aventurine cabochons; the pair on the right has chalcedony beads dangling below; the bottom pair is larger and all silver.  Not bad for a day that kept me preoccupied watching the robins eat the remaining berries off our winterberry shrubs.