Yes, it’s true. I love to solder. Next to hammering it is my favorite jewelry technique.

Of course it was not always so. I have destroyed many a piece of silver during my early days.  Life has gotten much easier since I have broken the code on this process though.

Here’s a piece that was one of my first soldering jobs.

Not only did this take about 10 times longer that it would today, but the finished product is one that any fellow jeweler would take apart in seconds.

Why not redo this beautiful dichroic cabochon, then and create something more to my skill level??  Because every time I wear this it reminds me of how far I have come.

Yes the sides are  rough. I heated this piece so MANY times that part of the bezel melted! This design has enough solder in it to set at least 4 more gemstones.  I just kept adding solder each time when some of the joins did not ‘join’

As with any skill, practice, practice and more practice is required. Now all these years later I am proud of the designs I can offer to my customers. Soldering has become routine. Do I still make mistakes? Absolutely! But they are fewer and fewer as time passes.

I have learned to use soldering as a gauge to my ability to work.. 

If I am soldering several pieces and all goes well (or at least 90% well) I know that my time at the bench is meant to be.

On the other hand, if my soldering projects are just not gelling for me.. (some of the piece doesn’t solder or a variety of maladies… I know that it is now time to clean up and go do something else!.. Watch TV, read, go for a walk, have a drink… whatever!  Just DO NOT stay at the bench.

Shop for my complete design collection here.

The post Confessions of a Jewelry Soldering Junkie appeared first on Alene's Adornments Blog.

Yes it’s true. I am addicted to jewelry design. Moreover I consider this a good thing!

One of the processes I use a lot is called bezeling. Basically this means putting a rim around my gemstone so it stays in place.

However for me it is much more than this. Of course I like the security it provides for the gemstones. But mostly I adore the options it gives me to add some pizazz to the design. There are some bezel wires that feature scalloped edges and even some with more intricate options. I also create my own bezel wire in order to texture the design.making each piece just that much more unique and truly one of a kind. ‘In this amethyst design I corrugated the silver to create the texture. So many possibilities!

Steps to my final design.

• fit the wire to the gemstone. This must be precise or the whole process is doomed)

• solder the wire and then solder the rim to a backing

• sawing and filing. This step is very time consuming, but vital to the overall finished design. This is where the quality of the work really shows through

Sounds daunting doesn’t it? In some ways it is, but for me it is part of the fun of creating. The final stages of sawing and filing are meditative too. All these experiences in one little process. Cool huh! The finished product is a sight to behold. Here are a few of my finished designs.

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The post Here we go a Bezeling… appeared first on Alene's Adornments Blog.

It happens to me all the time.

In the morning, I put on one of my rings; lo and behold…. it is too tight.

Seriously? it fit me last week? and I am pretty sure that weight gain or loss has marginal effect on the fingers. This ring is a good example. I wore it yesterday as shown and today it was too tight. 

Don’t have a clue what all the reasons are for swelling of the fingers. Sometimes it is just the humidity that day. Perhaps it is affected by our hormones, or by certain drugs we start taking. 

All I know is that this phenomenon pushed me into designing my rings so they can be adjusted up or down a size. In this example, this feature allowed me to stretch the band slightly so the ring fit my fatter finger. YIPPEE!

My Rings Collection is comprised of 80% adjustable (yet classy and rich looking) designs.

The design to the left (silver and lapis) gives you the options of pinching or stretching the band slightly to fit your finger of the day.

These wrap designs are my favorite though. The adjustable feature is more subtle. So much fun to create. Copper rings are also designed primarily in this wrap design.

So on your next ‘FAT FINGER’ day, remember this post and check out my designs at Alenes Adornments.

IF you enjoyed this post you might like. Jewelry Clasps; The bigger the better

The post Having a ‘Fat Finger’ Day? appeared first on Alene's Adornments Blog.

Have you taken a peek lately at your jewelry? How are the stones and gems set (or held in) on the design?

There are a variety of ways to set stones in metal. Bezel setting is perfect for cabochons (gemstones that are cut flat on the bottom). And it is my GO-TO process!

I start with a bezel strip. This is normally fine silver but I have also use sterling silver when I want to use a thicker ‘frame’ around the stone. The silver strip must be tall enough to encase the stone but not too tall so that it distorts in the finishing process!  The silver strip is wrapped around the stone, so that it fits snugly. Then the strip is soldered shut. After cleaning, filing away the excess solder and making sure the stone still fits, the finished bezel is soldered to a backplate.

This particular design features a fancy bezel. It allow me to give the stone a wrapped effect, while holding it in place snugly!

Of course there is an art to this.

Over the years I have managed to solder the bezel upside down, made the strip too long or too short and have the finished piece be too small for the stone! This creates a lot of wasted silver. Some can be recycled but there is still an element of waste that cannot be recouped.

That being said, I LOVE this process and have experimented with different types of strips, have created my own strips with texturing and much more.

Pay careful attention to how well your gems are secured. Having a precious gem or stone fall out of the setting is NOT the best outcome.  

Check out my designs at http://www.alenesadornments.com

The post Stone Setting: An inside look at Bezel settings appeared first on Alene's Adornments Blog.

I suspect every artist has their own unique process.. After all by definition we think outside the box mostly and are constantly morphing with some new concept or idea.

Many start with a sketch or drawing. I for one am challenged in that regard. My sketches tend to look like stick figures and don’t look at ALL like what I am envisioning! 

I like to start with a gemstone or metal design and work around that. So here is my process for this turquoise pendant.

I purchased an amazing turquoise gem and decided to make it the focal point of my new pendant.  Here is the original stone.

I knew I wanted to encase this in Silver, so created the bezel as shown.This particular bezel features a scalloped design.. which I feel enhances the stone so much.

The next step was to create the backing. I forged (hammered) the design into sterling silver and soldered the scalloped bezel to it. Then came the creative steps. First I drew a potential shape onto the silver.  I use sharpies for this since they will dissolve once I apply heat.

Then I thought that adding a smaller turquoise stone onto the bail (the part that attaches the piece to the chain).  this seemed like a good option but it felt that something was still not right.

The piece felt bulky and did not have enough pizazz for me. 

So I changed the entire design AGAIN! I scrapped the idea of the smaller stone, trimmed down the whole silver casing.. and then had the bright idea to add a glitzy CZ gemstone! See top of blog for the finished design.

I LOVE it! 

Such is the evolution of a design.. (at least ones by Alene’s Adornments)

Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this.. Please!

For more design inspiration check out Jewelry Processes

The post An Inside Peek… How I create my Designs appeared first on Alene's Adornments Blog.