Most of the time when I am at the jewelry bench it is with a plan in mind. Either I am creating components for my wholesale line or pondering over what to design with new gems I have purchased. However, once in awhile I have a day that is just plain fun. There is no plan in mind. I just pull out some random metals and gems and play! This week I had one of these days. Want to … [Read more...]
Tools of the Trade: Ring Shank
Ever wonder how we Artisan jewelry designers make our rings so round?? How do we determine the sizing? I use two secret weapons. OKAY actually these are specialized tools. The first is this ring shank (officially called a mandrel but often referred to as a shank) The mandrel is made of the finest quality steel. It's calibrated along one side so I can determine the size of the … [Read more...]
THREE Gorgeous Patinas for Copper Jewelry
If you have been following my blog or any of my Social pages... you already know that I LOVE WORKING WITH COPPER! When I first started taking metals classes, copper was used as the 'learning' metal. Meaning 'work with copper to get the feel of metal and what you can accomplish' . Once past the learning curve, then venture on with Silver and/or Gold. However, with the … [Read more...]
Reflections on the Tucson Gem Show
Once a year Tucson Arizona is home to the single largest gem show in the world. Exhibitors and buyers descend upon this mid sized town virtually taking over every venue in the city. In all there are 44 different shows running simultaneously. Each show has it's own niche. These vary from loose beads, finished jewelry, minerals or geodes and much more. Many are wholesale only … [Read more...]
The Secret Life of a Metal & Hammer Hoarder
If someone had told me 15 years ago that I would be salivating over sheets of metal and hammers I would have [tweet_dis_img][/tweet_dis_img]laughed out loud! Yet here I am ... getting excited over my collection of hammers. This is one of my favorite ones. The surface creates a soft almost satiny texture on my Copper, Silver or Brass metal. But the fun only starts with this … [Read more...]
