done and done

Finished up my last three hours in the studio and I finally completed my locket. It was a painstaking project but I am happy with the outcome. I am off to sunny California tomorrow to visit my niece! So excited! Be back in a week.

final class

Finally finished my Alice in Wonderful necklace last night. As it was my first attempt at enamel jewelry, I am pretty happy with it.

Last night was supposed to be my last class for the semester, but my wonderful, super-sweet teacher, Maureen Duffy, offered up some additional studio time as it was looking like I would not be able to complete my locket due to the chaos that inevitably goes hand in hand with the last class of the semester. So check back after April 10th to see the finished piece. And if you feel like checking out some of my teacher Maureen's work, visit http://maureenduffy.org/.

getting there

I am quite content with the progress I made with my locket last night. I drilled a circular design in sheet metal with 3 different sized drill bits and used a saw to cut out the 3 different teardrops on the inside of the locket. I soldered the top sheet metal to the bezel base and filed away the excess metal to create this drum-shaped piece. I started to saw through the middle to create the two halves of the locket. Next week I will dome the front of the locket, create the hinge and a pressure clasp (a little piece of metal soldered to the inside of the locket that will hold the lid shut), solder the bale to the top of the locket, oxidize, and polish. And because I hate waiting for metal to clean in pickle solution, I started cutting out the shapes needed for my Alice in Wonderland pendant and hope to finish that along with the locket next week. So excited!

locket underway...

Here are my locket sketches. The locket will be circular (about 1") and completed entirely in sterling silver. The sketch to the left represents the outside of the locket. I plan to pierce 3 different sized holes throughout the piece to create a graphic element to the front and polish the metal with a brushed or satin finish. The sketch to the right represents the inside of the locket which will also include some pierced holes and a cut-out design that was inspired by tattoos I have on my wrist and foot. The metal inside will be oxidized so you will be able to see the dark detail of the metal through the holes in the front of the locket.

Last night in class, I created the back of the locket. Now I need to move on to piercing and sawing the designs in the front and back and adding the hinge, clasp, and bail. The hinge will be standard, created with silver tubing and silver wire. I am still looking at my options for the clasp. The bail I intend to be a circle soldered to the locket that the chain will run directly through. All in all, I am pretty excited about the possibility of completing this in my next class, but that may just be me being a little overzealous... we'll see! I have a lot to get done and only 3 classes left... EEK!

water casting perfection

I am continuously melting down my metal scraps and submerging them in water to make beautiful organic shapes, called water casting. I have made pendants with these pieces before, but decided to create a ring in class yesterday. I feel like it almost looks like some kind of flower bud, but like a Rorschach test, it is all up to the eye of the beholder. Here are some other shapes I have created:

an orchid?

a fingerprint in wax?

all mine!

I finished my tiny bezel ring last night, and I am so excited about it. Working on this scale definitely had it's challenges (especially having to use a magnifying glass to set the stones), but I love the look of these delicate pieces, so the effort was definitely worth it!I decided to solder the 2 bezels together (without a space) and soldered the ring to the bezels. I decided to hammer the thin band to give the piece a little bit of texture and gave it a high polish to compliment the brilliant facets of the stones. Then I set the stones and voila!... I had the ring I wanted for years, but better! I couldn't be happier.

lockets

Last week, I saw a locket my teacher created and now I am obsessed with the idea of creating a locket this semester. I have always loved lockets and I am excited about experimenting with hinges (something I haven't done yet) and different designs. Here are some locket inspiration images that I have been gathering...I love the idea of a more elongated shape with a design or cut out in the front and something unexpected on the inside. I definitely see the locket having a brushed texture and having some kind of patina to really bring out the design.

some tiny little bezels

You may remember my obsession with this ring I saw on Sundance...well, I started to recreate this ring in my own Villette-Jewelry-way, with brushed hammered sterling silver, and I substituted the diamonds for cubic zirconia and smoky quartz. I am contemplating eliminating the space between stones but I'll see how that plays out. Here's what I have done so far...
I created 2 bezels and 2 bezel seats (for the stones to sit on). And those are some TINY bezels (that's why I included the dime for size representation). Next week, I will solder the seats inside the bezels and solder those to the ring, and hopefully set the stones and polish. While I was shopping for gems, I also picked up this tiny little london blue topaz. I think I might make a ring just for this little guy that I can wear with the zirconia and quartz ring, if I feel so inclined. I love the color combination!

first finished project

So here is my first completed school project for the semester: one hammered circle pendant with a clean bezel set aquamarine and one high polish circle pendant with a pinched bezel set iolite. I love the mixture of clean lines and handmade textures. And the blues look fantastic together! I am struggling with just having 2 pendants on the chain though (my obsession with 3's) so I am contemplating adding a third, larger circle to the group. But for now I plan to move on to making a few rings next.

first class

My first day of class was wonderful! I got to see some old friends and make some new ones. Of course, I was the teacher's pet that stayed late on the first day just because I HAD TO GET STUFF DONE!!! If only the class was twice as long... But I am challenging myself this semester to take my time with projects to make sure my craft is impeccable AND that if I try something and it doesn't work initially, to start over again to get it exactly the way I want it instead of forcing my project through to completion just so I can get as many pieces done as possible throughout the semester. Pretty good goals, huh?!

So here's where I am at on my first project:I rolled out some thick sheet metal to 19 gauge and punched out 2 13mm circles. I hammered one circle and left the other smooth. Then I created two bezel rings, sanded them down to the appropriate height for the stone and soldered them to the circles. I finished with drilling top holes for the bails. Of course my desire to rush home and set the stones without polishing the pieces (so I could wear them that very instant!) was hard to resist, but I am holding out until my next class to polish the pieces and set the stones. I decided I want a high polish to these pendants rather than leaving them a satin finish so I am trying to be patient and complete them perfectly. I'll post pictures next week when I am done!

back to school day!

Yay! Today is my first day back to school! I start my 5th jewelry studio course at Moore tonight. I am so excited to get back in the studio and start on the many projects that have been piling up lately. My inspiration notebook is spilling over yet I have been having a hard time wrapping my brain around what projects I should tackle and in what order. After a long deliberation though, I think I am going to start with this sweet little number I found on Sundance's website:I love the contrast between these 2 pendants and I love the idea of them clinking together and covering one another at different times when I move. I purchased one aqua cabachon at Shivan and have another iolite at home to use and will set them in sterling silver. I plan to take pictures of my process along the way. Here's to sticking to resolutions!!!

school supplies

Went school supply shopping on Friday at my 2 favorite places on Jewelers Row in Philadelphia: Hagstoz and Shivan. First stop: Hagstoz... my go-to shop for all of my metal supply needs. Second stop: Shivan... I love, love, LOVE this store! It is the tiniest little nook of a store, crammed full of gems to drool over, and I am totally enamoured with the family that owns it. When you walk in, the L shaped counter that forms the store is full of a spectrum of faceted gems, and although this seems like quite a selection, they have boxes and boxes filled with other stones behind the counter that you can't even see at first glance... every stone you could desire, and if they don't have it there, they will gladly find the stone for you and cut it down to the shape and size you want. As soon as I walk in, they know I want to go straight to the aquas, topazes, and tourmalines.

I love tourmalines! I love the color range and the saturation of the color in these stones. I specifically love the blue tourmaline called indicolite which I often substitute with a london blue topaz to reduce cost. It is so hard to resist just indulging in so many different stones at Shivan, but I walked out with only 4 small ones this time (a smoky quartz, a cubic zirconia, an aqua, and a london blue topaz) and I cannot wait to start working on the settings next week!

gearing up for class

Hey folks! Sorry it has been so long since my last post! I was working in Chevy Chase, opening up our new Anthropologie store there. If you live in the DC area, stop by and check it out...

I just registered for my next class at Moore and the list of projects has already begun... My dear friend Alexis needs me to replace a thin gold ring she lost and I am excited that one of my creations will adorn her thumb every day in the foreseeable future! And for purely selfish reasons, I want to make a large box set cocktail ring to act as a show stopping piece to dress up even my most casual outfits.

I am very excited to be able to include my class experience here on this blog; to walk you through my work from inspiration to completion. Class begins January 26th! Stay tuned!