There Really is Nothing New Under the Sun....

Turns out that rosette motif I've been riffing on? May actually have originated with the Saxons somewhere back in the 5th-7th centuries. And to give credit where credit is due, I first saw this posted on the Beads & Tricks blog, (in Italian)....

My Coiled Wire Rosette Ring

Source: britishmuseum.org via Alessia on Pinterest

 

YOJ Week 21 - The Birthstone Ring

A simple forged ring with wire wrapped crystals....and a piece of sea glass strategically place to hide my less than perfect soldering job.

:-)

YOJ Week 20 - The Cocktail Ring

Last week I was the winner of a bead giveaway from Magpie Gemstones. I chose a strand of raw black diamonds, which I have had my eye on for quite awhile. Actually, I purchased a strand previously, but that one has disappeared into the abyss that is my studio, but that's another story..... 

Nothing says cocktail ring to me like tiny diamonds surrounding a large focal pearl. The shank is made with wrapped 20 ga sterling and the black diamonds are accented with 2 mm silver spacers.

Cocktails anyone?  :-)

WireKnitZ Scrunchy Necklace Video by the Jewelry Making Professor

Want to learn how to make this necklace? Here's the video....

California Trip

My family and I spent a few days in sunny LA this past week. It was a wonderful trip, lots to see and do, as long as you're not in a hurry to get there.....

Airplane food being what it is, our first stop was lunch at Boa, a lovely spot we remembered from 3 years earlier when we first visited with our little freshman, who is now graduating, and hence the reason for our trip. The food and view overlooking the Pacific were just as fantastic as memory served.

Next stop; Santa Monica Pier for coffee, photo opp's and people/pet watching.....

Last stop; Lancaster, where we finally got to hug our little graduate! But being that our day started at 2 am local time, we were very ready to call it a night right after dinner. I think Miss Emmy may have squeezed in a work out, but me? I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow!

Wednesday morning at 9 am we were back for graduation.......

And celebratory lunch at In-N-Out, the graduates choice.... :-)

After lunch we thought we'd give my Mom a taste of the local scene so we headed to Venice Beach, which in hind sight may have been a mistake. Sorry Mom!  The following pix have been edited for family viewing....

Oh yeah, we look happy now, but just moments after this picture was taken we got totally drenched by the surf....

OK, one more....

.....and now I really must quit goofing around in the studio and get some bills paid. 

:-)

Another Fold Formed Cuff...

wow, that was fun! :-)

The Corrugated & Fold Formed Cuff

Charles Lewton-Brain is my new hero! He developed fold forming; "a series of techniques new to the metalsmithing field which allow rapid development of three dimensional surfaces and structures using simple equipment". Rapid and simple being at the heart of most of my work, this is right up my alley! 

Here's what I did: I ran a strip of 24 ga annealed copper thru a microfold brake, then folded it using an origami fold, also known as the "ward" fold. After re-annealing and opening the folds, I lightly hammered it flat with a mallet, and finally I gave it a "bow" by standing it on it's edge and again lightly hammering with a mallet. The whole piece was then curved on a mandrel and riveted to a 20 ga back plate for stability. 

If you need me, I'll be in the studio.... :-)

YOJ Week 19 - The Ruffle Cuff

More layering. More ruffling. More heat patina experimenting....