New Project - Carnelian and Sterling Silver Etched Ring

I'm really enjoying creating jewellery for me for a change! Despite making jewellery to sell I very rarely set something aside just for myself. Why? I have no idea other than the uncontrollable urge I have to keep making new pieces to add to my shops. In fact I feel a tiny bit guilty spending time making jewellery for myself which is utter madness I know.

So to make up for this I've been making pieces at my jewellery course at night school that really are just for me and it makes me feel very extravagant {although I think that's more to do with the cost of silver to be honest!} As I make mostly earrings to sell and not really being a pendant type of person (I should be I know) the last two projects I did at college were rings.

The latest is an etched silver and carnelian combination which morphed into being like a lot of my stuff does. It was originally going to lie lengthways along my finger than I realized it looked better going across. The shape changed several times until I went for ovals with the cab positioned off centre.

I'll be honest I had a bit of trouble soldering the small oval onto the base because of the etched design. Some of the solder flowed out onto the base piece which I cleaned up as best I could without taking off most of the etched pattern. The solder didn't flow all the way round either due to the uneven surface. Oxidizing it helped to cover some of the design irregularities {my made up term for mistakes!} And I still need to practice my finish on the very top edge of the bezel - I'd like it to be perfectly smooth and tight to the cab but fear of slipping with the burnisher and scratching the stone stops me from pressing too hard. Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist ? Any advice on this would be welcome  - not on me being a perfectionist, more on smoothing the top of the bezel :D

There's a two week break from college for Easter then we're back and I'm planning on making a pair of etched silver hollow form earrings with bezel set cab...........although that may change if I suddenly find something else I just have to try.

Stay tuned!

Finished! My Second Silver Jewellery Course Project

Here's the finished silver pendant I made as the second project for the silver jewellery evening class course I'm on. The "brief" for want of a better word, was amulets and charms. I didn't really know what an amulet was - I thought it was something you put things in - it's something you wear like a talisman to protect you from danger and bad luck so like a good luck charm really!

I loved the finger shape of an amulet I saw on a Jewish jewellery website so decided to go with that to start with. I also wanted to add texture with skeleton leaves and pierce out a shape as I haven't done any piercing before. I managed to break 3 saw blades piercing out the heart!

I melted some sterling silver to form balls then hammered and stamped them and soldered them above the heart. Then it was a case of filing and sanding, using the triangle file to add the cut in bits at the bottom and making and soldering a jump ring for hanging. I finished off by oxidizing it (of course!)

I'll be honest, the finished pendant is nothing like the original idea and design I drew apart from the shape and the pierced heart! It kind of evolved as I saw the shape and actual size of it as I was making it. The texturing is a bit uneven, the heart is off centre - it's definitely organic and a little bit quaint :D

I was the first one to finish - a couple of people on the course haven't even started their's yet (three weeks into the project!) and are still at the planning stage so for the next few weeks I can play and make what I like :D

Silver Jewellery Course and New Earrings

Next Tuesday night (25th Sept) I will be starting a 25 week silver jewellery class! I found out about it last year a couple of months too late but this year miraculously remembered about it in time and enrolled a few weeks ago. It was quite expensive but covers all those lovely techniques I either can't teach myself/am too scared to try myself or just really need an expert to show how to do it properly.

I know it definitely covers etching (yay!), soldering, stone setting, enamelling and ring making. Some of it I will know how to do but a lot I won't so I'm really looking forward to getting started. Slightly nervous too but once I've got over the "which building is it/who are all these strange people/where's the toilet" stage I know I'll be fine :D 

Finally got round to photographing a few pairs of earrings today - I was in one of those let's get organised and do the things that actually need doing and not spend all day experimenting with new design ideas moods, and the weather was perfect too.

The pair above are handcut flowers enamelled and wire wrapped to copper washers. I'm going to try the same idea with some soldered copper hoops (when I make them) for a more delicate version ......soon.......... :D

These are two copper discs rolled through my Bigshot with a Vintaj design (deco etch) folder then domed and pinned with sterling wire.

Sheet copper stamped with my favourite circle design then the earrings cut out and finished. I painted turquoise patina ink over the top and sanded back to reveal the design then oxidized and tumbled for just 15 minutes to it didn't take too much of the black off. Dark and a bit different.