Jewelry Inspiration

    I am getting a new book in the mail soon. I have been looking forward to this book for quite some time. It’s called “Masters: Gemstones: Major Works by Leading Jewelers" by Lark. The title covers the content pretty well and while I am not doing a lot of stone setting at this time, I am anticipating a lot of inspiration from looking at these lovely pieces.
    I mostly work in silver and I mostly work without stones. The biggest difference to me is that I am working in a different color palate. Without the colored stones or gold, I am much more focused on the reflective angles of my finish.
    Not long ago, I was gifted a book called “Brilliance! Masterpieces from the American Jewelry Design Council” by Cindy Edelstein and Frank Stankus. This book is set up to display themed pieces by major artists. The themes include Cube, Wheel, Key, Puzzle and Sphere. The works are incredible.
   Among my favorites are the Peekabo entry “A Peek”, the untitled Fold entry by Albert, and Pyramid entry “Winds of Time”. I wish I had the rights to post all of these pictures, but I will do my best to describe them.
    “A Peek” by Pascal Lacroix looks like a blue flying saucer on three golden tripod legs. The edge of the saucer has tiny horns protruding and the top has three short antenna. The gold antenna are diamond topped and an interior mechanism allows the saucer to raise and lower the antenna. So, the piece actually plays peekaboo with the lucky observer. The delicate design makes me imagine other-worldly aliens, wondering about their giant observers.
    The untitled Fold entry by Jean-Francois Albert is mesmerizing. In the center is a large, square, green stone. The stone is surrounded by pave diamonds and folded squares of gold. If you were to imagine two squares of gold, each about 3 or 4 times the size of the diamond, one set below and one above the stone, and then each folded around it like a stiff paper frame, you might see this design. I find myself poorly equipped to truly describe it in three dimensions. I will say that the light rolls along the gold in a dazzling way, which shows off the light and darkness that smooth gold can convey from the right angles. It is a piece with strong lines, brilliant contrast, and echoing corners.
    The “Winds of Time” entry is also by Pascal Lacroix. First you must picture a small three dimensional pyramid, with a texture that does look like the sand in strong wind. Then, imagine that the pyramid has been twisted, in a style reminiscent of “The Memory of Time.” And now, you should know that the top of the pyramid can be opened on hinges, but only through a secret mechanism. I wish very much that I could try my luck against a secret lock created by a jeweler.
I have used this book for inspiration and to try out similar design ideas. For example, the Fold section also has a white-gold paper airplane, called “Flight” by Mark Schneider. The back edge has lines of pave diamonds along the wings. The metal really looks folded. I used this designed as inspiration for a hair piece. I began with learn to fold origami hearts. I folded hearts in many styles until I found a favorite. Then, I attempted a silver heart that was folded in appearance. I attached the silver heart and two of the paper ones to a hairpiece. The design had several flaws and I’m sorry to say that I did not take a picture. The project was, however, a great introduction to “folding metal.” I have since found more information on the art of folding and intend to repeat the project. I may, however, not use hearts this time.

My Metalsmithing History

I think I was first charmed by metalsmithing because I had never thought about the process that yields such durable beauty. I loved the idea of molten metal and that such delicate looking objects were made from hammer strikes and blow torches. My friend's dad was a jeweler and he encouraged both questions and discussion of the process. So, when I found a class in town, I signed up.

I loved that class. The teacher helped us buy a good selection of supplies and got us started on a first project. Each student had their own desk and we had a nice selection of tools.

My first project was a brass pendant. I cut the figure of a flower out of brass and then soldered my flower onto a triangular back piece. I drilled two holes in the back piece and put a link in each.

The pendant was completed almost entirely in class.

My second project was begun in that class, but completed partly at my home. I decided to make a silver ring this time. I obtained a nice oval carbachon. The stone was a Mexican Firestone of about the height of a dime. I made a thick ring, think enough to allow the stone to set longwise against my finger and to have a small amount of silver showing on each side of it. I tapered the ring so that the back was thinner that the front.

My third project was to be done entirely out of my home and I struggled to buy tools and supplies, as well as to make an appropriate work space. I had found directions in a book for making a gold bracelet. I didn't have the money to buy gold, so I decided to make it in silver. I bought a foot of thick wire silver. The wire was about half of the length of a nickel in diameter. I measured and cut the calculated amount and soldered it together in the shape of a round bracelet.

Now, the idea of this bracelet was to cut and solder a piece in a smallish circle and then to use a hammer to flatten the sides, thus increasing the diameter of the bracelet to the actual desired size. It was at this point that I began to have problems. I successfully beat the sides flatter, but try as I might, I could not increase the diameter enough. I seemed to reach a plateau on what the metal was willing to do. In retrospect, I will retry this project soon, with a different annealing approach.

About this time, I lost my soldering space, and so my jewelry construction stopped. I continued to read books and I continued to plot my tool and supply lists. I went to a gem festival and spent an inordinate amount of money on stones.

So, this is my tale of working with not the right space and not quite the right equipment. I am hindered by my own inexperience, but being a beginner, I may have insights and problems more relevant to other beginners. So, when I get stalled in a project, I plan to recap my adventures here.

Shiney, Sparkly Stuff

Hi! My name is Michelle and this blog exists for me to detail my experiences making crafts. I haven't yet chosen a theme for my crafty energies, but you will notice that I like shiney things and earthy colors. My recent projects include making several scarves, a skirt, embroidery, and a silver ring.

This blog will be a record of my creative projects, from idea development to execution, and all that goes wrong in between. It will also include my attempts to run an online shop, advertise and pay my taxes. I'll review books that I read, as well as make lists for myself.

I will occassionally discuss past projects, but I will mostly deal with current ones. I will attempt to scan and take pictures of all stages of my projects.

Oh, and please message me with comments and your own experiences.