Wednesday, June 29, 2011

New Season and New Work!

Greetings blog readers! I have been busy making new designs and improving old ones. I have started working with PMC and CopprClay, which I haven't worked with since college, (our professor, Tim McCreight, was the metalsmith that worked with the original PMC developer). We got to beta-test the first PMC, which has improved greatly since then!

I have also been etching copper again, something I used to love to do in college, I will post photos of my CopprClay and PMC Silver as well as etched jewelry as I get them.

As for my enamel work, I have expanded my color range quite a bit, adding one or two clear colors and a few opaque as well. I have tried to take a few shots of multiple colors together and I have added my Elemental Post Enamel Earrings to my shops as well as some new colors and sizes of them.

Here are a few examples of the enamel pieces in various colors and styles, (all fine silver bases with sterling silver posts):






















Here is my new, semi opaque, green color:







Some of my favorite pieces are fused items, where the metal has been heated until it melts and bonds together, without solder. It's a tricky process but gives a wonderful organic look to the pieces. Here are some earrings that I had fun making, with Peach Moonstone cabochons, fine silver bezels and gold toned Glass Beads:



























Labradorite and Rainbow Moonstone are two of my favorite stones, which I use regularly. I love the flash of color, usually aqua but sometimes golden amber. They are wonderful gems! Here is a simple stacking ring that I made, with a rope band of sterling silver and a Labradorite cabochon in it's center:














Last, but not least, I have added some very cool glass beads to my hoop repertoire! Now many of my handmade, hammered / planished sterling silver hoops will come with removable glass rondelle beads! Interchangeable for varied looks to mix and match your favorite outfits. Here are a few examples:
















































That's most of what I have been up to, at the jewelry bench, and there's plenty more to come! I am looking at re-organizing my work space to make it more efficient and, hopefully, a little brighter also. Thank you for stopping by!

IF YOU'D LIKE TO PURCHASE ONE OF THE ITEMS SHOWN: please check out my Artfire Shop or drop me a line for a custom item. Have a wonderful day and I look forward to speaking to you soon!