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...]
Is Silver the New Gold? Is Copper the new Silver?
Gold jewelry has always been coveted. Even though gold prices have come down over the last 2 years, they are still over double the price of 10 years ago.[tweet_dis_img][/tweet_dis_img] Today, gold is $1267 an ounce. Compare this with Silver at $17.75 an ounce! I really feel that wearing beautiful baubles enhances our self image. In the past I eagerly wore gold designs. Now … [Read more...]
Vibrant Malachite: Legends and Fascinating Tidbits
Malachite is the rich deep green gemstone that is often seen in Southwestern Designs. It is always found mined with copper.... which is why you often find malachite settings in copper. The two are just meant for each other. Malachite is derived from the Greek malakos, meaning soft. This gemstone is one of the softer stones so it needs to be set into pieces that won't … [Read more...]
What Is Sprinkled Silver?
My signature design process (copyrighted finally!) is called Sprinkled Silver. Which means what exactly? I KNOW this is what you are thinking! Sprinkled Silver is my name for the process of fusing sterling or fine silver into copper. How and Why did I create this process? The basic answer is... because it was fun! I have been playing around with copper and silver since I … [Read more...]
Corrugated Jewelry? Yes!
If you haven't guessed by now. I love to texture my metal as I create my designs. So when I became aware of the corrugation process, I was intrigued. First of all I purchased the book. Metal Corrugation by Patricia McAleer. This colorful book introduces the metalsmith (that's me) to a new method of creative expression--metal corrugated jewelry designs. I read it cover to … [Read more...]
