Works in Progress

With a little luck, I'll get to soldering this weekend.  I've been a bit stymied by my lack of wire for making handmade earwires, but that arrived today.  Here's a sneak peek at some of the half dozen earrings I've started:

Metal metal metal metal

I just got a new batch of anodized aluminum.  I can't wait to play with the purple, lime, turquoise, orange, brown and silver.  Why do I have to work at my day job tomorrow?  I wish I could stay home and lose myself in the metal.

Unidentified Work in Progress

I'm not sure where this is heading, but I found the drippy border paper punch on clearance and started playing with that, the rolling mill, and some patina inks.  I hope it doesn't lead to one of those "Somebody REALLY likes..." items (if you know what I mean, and I think you do).

Designing around the cabochons

While my work is taking up just about all of my time, I've been using the spare half hour here and there to work on making components for earrings and pendants.  My favorite part of the design process is this step (picture below) where I lay out all the components and try to decide which cabochon to set where.  It's like candy, except, of course, you should not eat your jewelry.

The Cabochons are Here, pt. 2

The rest of the cabochons showed up and they're mostly red and blue so I took a sort of purply patriotic photo of them for you.  I've got amethyst, garnet, swiss blue topaz and turquoise.  Yeah, I'll be at my jewelry bench.  Or at least dreaming of it.

The Cabochons Are Here!!

Okay, so only one of the two orders has arrived so far, but here are some of the pretty cabochons that came my way.  I'm really loving the peridot and the peach moonstone.  There's also some onyx, black star diopside, nephrite jade, moonstone, blue lace agate. lab created ruby and lab created sapphire in this picture.  Oh, the things I want to make.

Handcrafted Earwires

The FTC has a SUPER strict definition of handmade for metal jewelry and in order to call my pieces handmade, I have to handcraft every single component.  So, I've started making my own earwires.  I start by using a torch to ball up the end of some wire.  This is sterling silver wire, so you can see the balls are not completely smooth:  they pit a little.

At BeadFest I learned that when I do this with Argentium wire, it's best not to quench in water, but just to let the wire cool on its own.  Then I cut the wire off 2 inches from the end and use tools to shape the wire.  Here are my hands, desperately in need of lotion, working the wire into the shape I want it.

 

Well, those look lovely, except there's nothing to stop those earwires from slipping out of your ears!  The last step is to put a bend at the bottom of the earwire, like this:

Then, of course, I polish and burnish and tumble these earwires until they're hard and shiny.  Ooooh, shiiiiiiny.  You can see the handcrafted earwires on my newest earrings, like the copper oak leaf earrings here:

Applied Sweat Soldering or, Look at the Pretty Colors!

I've been taking the lessons I learned and BeadFest and slowly applying them to my jewelry.  Someday I'll get up the blog posts about how I'm handmaking my own earwires and experimenting with the rolling mill.  No, really I will.  *whistles innocently*

In the meantime, I finally got to play with sweat soldering and setting cabochons in a bezel cup.  And here are the first three pairs of earrings (with handmade earwires!) that I made:

Lab-created sapphire and sterling silver earrings

Blue lace agate and sterling silver earrings

Lab-created ruby and sterling silver earrings

ICAP: The final, FINAL chapter

I've been traveling for a bit, but when I got home I had the nicest surprise in my mailbox.  After the ICAP show was over, I decided to send the jewelry to the poet who inspired the pieces.  And in return, she sent me her book!

I'm delighted that she even signed it for me!  Thanks, Sarah!

My last night on Etsy?

I've just had my best month ever on Etsy:  8 sales.  And if you are one of the eight amazing people who purchased a piece of jewelry, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Etsy started off as a handmade marketplace.  Yes, they also allow supplies and vintage, but Etsy's niche has been handmade.  And it's a great place for small, independent artisans and crafters to start selling online.  Over the years, I've learned so much from Etsy and other Etsy sellers about how to advertise, search engine optimization, photography and the art of online selling.

To show you how far I've come, here are the first and one of the last things I ever listed on Etsy:

Green Twisted Crystal Necklace c. 2009

Violet Swirls Earrings, c. 2012

This is why the recent set of events surrounding one Featured Seller has broken my heart.  If you're not familiar with the controversy, you can get caught up here:

http://www.regretsy.com/2012/04/24/update-ecologica-malibu/

There's more to the story, of course.  But I am extremely disappointed by Etsy's response to this controversy.  In this era of big box stores and cheap goods imported from places like China and the maquiladoras on the US Texas border, I want to support handmade.  I want to support independent artisans who honestly struggle to bring beautiful, functional, funny, amazing creations into this world.  And that is why I'm joining the protests on Etsy planned for May 1 and May 10.  I'll be taking all the items out of my shop on those days, and putting up a banner in support of independent artisans.

What remains to be seen is whether anyone who participates in the protests will be allowed to sell on Etsy again.  One seller (Nicole Hanna Jewelry) has already reported on her blog that Etsy closed her shop after she posted a statement about her support for handmade.  Other sellers on the Etsy forums are anonymously reporting that their shops have been closed without explanation.  So tonight may be the last night that I have an Etsy shop.  It feels bittersweet. 

BeadFest Santa Fe: Rolling Mill Earrings Class

And finally, the piece de resistance.  I think I was more excited about the Rolling Mill Earring class than anything else.  See, I've been lusting after a rolling mill for a loooong time, but I just couldn't purchase it without trying it out.  Class started after dinner on my second day there.  I'd already gone to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum, gone through the Expo again, and taken a soldering class.  I was a wee bit tired.  But OMG ROLLING MILL SQUEEEEEEEEEE.

The rolling mill looks a lot like an industrial pasta maker.  To use it, you place a plain metal blank and a texture in a file folder and roll it through the heavy duty pasta maker.  And then you get gorgeous textured metal. 

Our teacher gave us WAY more metal blanks than I expected, and some wire to make the earrings.  There was one rolling mill for 10 of us, so we'd set up a little folder of blanks and texture and get in line to roll one pair of earring stuffs.  Then, you got out of line, set up another folder, and got back in line.  The teacher encouraged us to play with heat to make colors on the metal and to use torches to make the earwires.  When I figured out it could take the whole 3 hours to texture all the blanks she gave us, I decided to forget the earwires and metal coloration.  I mean, I could do that at home, but I don't have a rolling mill at home.  So, I spent 2 hours getting in and out of line.  Here are some of the super cool textured pieces I got to take home:

Brass circles with skeleton leaves and spiral hole punch; Silver filled circles with cloth; Copper ovals with window screen

Copper circles with plastic mesh from produce bag and burlap

Copper square with low-relief circles pattern for rolling mill

Copper strip with open-weave cloth

Copper square with lace

Copper rectangle with wire mesh screen...or maybe it was a plastic produce bag...and lace on the backside

TL; DR:  NOW I WANT MY OWN ROLLING MILL.  WANT WANT WANT.

BeadFest Santa Fe: Sweat Soldering Class

Day 2 began with a trip to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum.  I was aware of her flowers, but really hadn't seen her abstract paintings before.  I love the way she used the color blue in her abstract paintings.  Then I went and found a delicious lunch of dairy-free fish tacos and horchata (oh, how I love thee, horchata.  Y U NO IN MY HOMETOWN HORCHATA???)...ahem. 

Anyway, after lunch I took a class on sweat soldering.  Sweat soldering is a technique for soldering two flat pieces of metal together.  This is also how you set a bezel cup for a round cabochon stone.  I hope to incorporate bezel cups and cabochons into my jewelry....just as soon as I buy *mumble mumble* dollars worth of equipment and supplies.  In class, I made this slightly dorked copper and silver pendant with a lab-created ruby cabochon:
 

BeadFest Santa Fe: The Expo

With slowly bleeding sinuses, I went to see what treasures could be found at the Expo.  Mostly the expo is beads, and the beads tend to be big.  You know, big hunks of rock.  Not my thing.  But I did find a lovely Etsy seller, MetalMeThis, selling her sheets of copper and brass that have been etched and patina stained.  I couldn't resist purchasing these gorgeous sheets from her.  And no, the burgundy is not from my sinuses.  That's a patina stain.  Look for some pieces using these metals in the store in the next month or so....

BeadFest Santa Fe: Fold Forming Class

I went to my first big BeadFest in Santa Fe, New Mexico last month.  Wow, is Santa Fe beautiful!  I got to go to the Georgia O'Keeffe museum but--even better--I got to take some metalsmithing classes!  The first day, I took Fold Forming with Kim St. Jean.  She was fantastic!  I learned to anneal and fold form.

We learned a basic line fold first.  I've got to say, this is my favorite technique!

Line fold

We also got to try some pod and leaf folds.  I think my leaf fold looks more like a set of lips, but, um....LEAF.  Really, it's a leaf.  Mmm-hmmm.....

Leaf and pod fold

We also learned a T fold.  I'm not sure exactly how I'd use this, but it's pretty simple and I do like the linear look of it.

T fold

Then there's the supercalifragilistic fold.  NO, that's not the name, but it seemed pretty complicated.  It's actually called a Pillow fold.  As in a pillow.  Get your mind out of the gutter.  I don't care if it looks like...um...a, um...something plucked...mumbling...anyway, it's a pillow fold.

Pillow fold, possibly diseased

Toward the end of the day, I really wanted to make something I could wear.  Keep in mind we were in a room with no ventilation or soundproofing, and there were 19 of us constantly firing up torches and hammering.  It's possible the fumes and the constant noise got to me.  Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't the best idea.  But, I decided to try the spiral fold and then to make a cuff using the line fold.  Behold, my copper cuffs!

Line Fold Cuff (l) and Spiral Fold Cuff (r)

After fold forming was over, I realized my sinuses were slowly bleeding from the altitude in Santa Fe.  But before I could head back to the hotel, I wanted to check out the expo.  (to be continued....)

ICAP: The Exhibition

While I was away on a research trip, the Interdisciplinary Craft as Art Project opened.  Tonight I had a chance to go see it at the student-run coffee house.  The students did a great job and the artists had some truly creative and amazing pieces in the show.

When I walked in, my eye immediately went to the shiny copper pieces in the corner.  I don't know when or where the students found some jewelry busts and stands, but the black velvet looked great behind the copper.  Whee!  My first exhibit!!!!

A Wearable Math-i-Verse, blending math, poetry and jewelry

Look at this amazing piece by Emily Manning, titled "Wandering Womb," which is a fabric meditation on the 19th century beliefs about hysteria.  You might be able to see some greek lettering on the uterus--that's the word for womb.  Isn't that amazing how the fallopian tubes become the lacing on the corset?  The artist was blending science, anatomy, history and feminist studies.

Wandering Womb by Emily Manning

Another interesting piece was the Identity Jacket by Andja Budincich.  The artist used embroidery to capture different facets of her identity while blending psychology and anthropology.

Identity Jacket by Andja Budincich

I also really liked this statue made of clay and a copper finish (really, I was attracted to something with a copper finish?  Go figure!).  The piece, titled Ego Bust, is trying to bridge biology and psychology. 

Ego Bust by Jordan Hutchison

Sadly, Fumiko Futamura's crochet dissected pigeon was not on display the night I went or else I would have happily showed you the amazing detail in her work.  Great job, everyone!

Where did the store go?

Hey All:  I'm taking a break for a few weeks to concentrate on learning some more metalsmithing and doing some work for my day job.  Catch you in April!

ICAP: The title

I had thought about trying to make a necklace for number 4, but ran out of time, so I turned in the bracelet and the three necklaces earlier this week along with my artist statement, materials list and title.  The title, courtesy of my partner, is:

A Wearable Math - i - Verse

Get it? Get it?  Math/universe, math in verse?  Okay.  Maybe only I'm amused by the puns.  Here's the final collection:








So which piece is your favorite? 

ICAP: So, it's not a necklace....

I've been really wanting to make copper cuff bracelets for a while, so today I experimented with a bracelet.  I etched the fourth stanza of the poem and some number 4s on a strip of 1 x 6 copper.  I also realized that I was accidentally neutralizing my etching solution, so I strengthened it.  WOW!  I still need practice forming the cuff, but here's the result:

ICAP: Four Experiments

I've spent the last couple of weeks teaching myself (e.g., experimenting with) copper etching.  I have an idea for the 4 necklace, but it requires etching.  So, I've been experimenting with different resists, etching times, and ways to remove resists.

First, I started with a permanent marker that is not a Sharpie (that's the barely visible 4 in the upper left corner).  Ick.  You can barely see it.  I put it in the etching solution for just 15 minutes, and the resist was nearly gone at the end of it.

Next, I tried an enamel paint marker (that's the upper right 4) for 10 minutes.  That looked good, but the etch wasn't nearly deep enough.  Also I only covered the back with masking tape, and so the back got etched in a very inconsistent and unattractive way.

Third up (bottom left) I tried an enamel paint marker and covered the back in enamel paint.  I put it in the etching solution for an hour.  You can't see it, but the back got dorked up.

Fourth (bottom right) EUREKA!!  I used the enamel paint marker and put it in the bath for an hour.  The etch is deep and pretty.  And the back I covered with both Sharpie and masking tape; the back was untouched after I used acetone nail polish remover to take off the sharpie.  WHEEE!!!!  I think I've got it.  Now, on to the real thing.

Oh, and a couple of attempts to use alcohol inks to increase the contrast with the copper.  And maybe making a stamp out of an eraser.  And maybe a few other ideas before I start making the 4 necklace and some copper cuff bracelets for the store.

ICAP: Threesy Peasy

The 3 necklace is the most wearable and perhaps the least artistic necklace, but I wanted to make one necklace that was less a statement piece and more of an everyday necklace.  The 3 necklace is a very long chain necklace that someone would double or triple to wear.  I placed a copper 3 and some chain between each line of the stanza; the first time I did this I ended up using 8 3s, but that did not seem like much of a tribute to the awesome number that is 3.  I was insistent that there be 9 3s (or 3 to the power of 3 and WHY can't I do superscript, blogspot?), so the 3s double up at one point. 

ICAP: Two's Done!

I finished the Two Necklace a week or so ago, but didn't get around to taking any pics with the lightcube.  Here's your visual feast:

ICAP: FIRE!

When I make jewelry for the store, I'm really attracted to color.  I love the pop of color that gemstones add.  Plus, color makes the jewelry stand out more when I'm photographing for an online store.  The ICAP project is all copper, which has been giving me fits.  I keep wanting to add color.  So, my solution for adding color is fire.  Specifically, my little butane torch.  You know the kind that gourmet kitchen stores sell for making creme brulee?  Yep.  That one.

I cleared off my jewelry bench, and put down the big tile and the firebrick.  I set the lovely, shiny copper 3s on the brick, like so.

 Then I lightly torched them, just enough to make them turn colors.  Most became a dark coppery orange, but a few turned purple and silver.

I hope this gives the 3 necklace some visual pop.  Having everything be just copper was making me monochromatically nuts.