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YOJ09-41 Goddess Jewels

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-41 Goddess Jewels (2009)
Goddess Jewels (2009)
Constructed, cold joined
Sterling silver, Preciosa crystal

The opening of the Metal Arts Guild of Canada exhibition “MAGC 2067 – Crafting the Future”, held on November 7 at Arta Gallery in Toronto, was a costume ball.  In connection with the theme of the show, people were encouraged to dress up in character.

I originally planned to wear a costume, but then, in the week before the opening, the issue I had been dealing with in my personal life came to a head.  Although able to attend, I didn’t have the emotional or physical energy to dress up.

My character was “an acolyte of the Goddess” – a jewellery maker for a matriarchal society devoted to worshiping a Gaia-centred deity.  As part of the costume, I made a couple of “Goddess Jewels”.  These are very loosely based on Bajoran earrings, of Star Trek fame.  My version has a chain of handmade spirals, two Preciosa crystal drops, because I love dangles and sparklies, and is worn via an earcuff on the centre of the ear, and a spiral earwire through the lobe.

I used to wear these a lot, and had forgotten how much fun they are.  It’s been several years since I made one.  Usually only worn on the left side, this time I wanted the pair.  Someone took this photo of me at the opening, where you can see one of them.  The whole set of photos from the show is worth a peek.

YOJ09-40 Knotted Tourmaline Earrings

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-40 Knotted Tourmaline Earrings (2009)
Knotted Tourmaline Earrings (2009)
Constructed, cold joined
Sterling silver, fine silver, tourmaline

Recently members of the Starving Artists Etsy Team did a critique of my Etsy shop.  One of the comments that came up a couple of times was that my descriptions tend to be a bit on the sparse side.  I generally give information about the piece, what it’s made of, basic sizing, etc., but only rarely is there a “story”.

My reply to one of the ladies who asked me about this was “Well, sometimes the design is the result of nothing more than “I had this idea and decided to play around with it.” ”

The truth is that I just have no talent for writing bullshit.  What I write has to feel authentic, otherwise it doesn’t work for me.  Hmmm…. maybe I need to look into a creative writing course…

Anyways… I was playing around with some scraps of wire left over from working on my Clip-on Earrings tutorial.  I tied the wire up in a small knot – not quite as tight as I would have liked, but it worked.  I have a “thing” about dangles, so I added these little tourmalines.  I love the vibrant pink – they’re just juicy!  The result is a cute pair of earrings that works for everyday wear.

The SATeam critique did confirm one thing: my photography is pretty good. It never stops surprising me how much time it takes to get the photography done. Nowadays, I’m not only doing photos for my regular record keeping; I’m also doing set up for Etsy. “Product” photography is different from jury photography – attention must be paid to angles, and multiple positions. A lot of people on Etsy photograph on elaborate backgrounds. I have yet to find one that works for me, so I’m still working with the “jurying grey”.

Photographing studs is difficult at the best of times, but these earrings were particularly challenging. There was just no good way of laying them nicely to get a straight-on shot. Finally, I decided to cut a upright display card out of an old layout board and poke holes in it. Voilà! It worked!

Other views:

YOJ09-40 Knotted Tourmaline Earrings (2009)
YOJ09-40 Knotted Tourmaline Earrings (2009)
YOJ09-40 Knotted Tourmaline Earrings (2009)

YOJ09-39 Oblong Purple Jade Pendant

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-39 Oblong Purple Jade Pendant (2009)
Oblong Purple Jade Pendant (2009)
Constructed, cold joined
Sterling silver, fine silver, purple jade (dyed)
L 2.2 cm x W 2.5 cm

Okay, so life fell apart for me two months ago, and I’m just starting to recover.  I have not been making much new jewellery, but I am going to still try to keep up with the YOJ postings.

I got this purple jade cabochon through a Bead Box swap several years ago.  Those Bead Boxes were lots of fun:  the idea was to put in things from your stash that you weren’t using and swap them for beads that other people had put in from their stash.  I was the Bead Box Mama who organized the whole shebang for Bead Box North, which traveled around Canada and the Northern US.  It was a lot of work, but every time the box arrived on my doorstep, it was like Christmas Day!  I managed to keep it going for about three years.

Purple is my favourite colour, and I’m always drawn to it.  For this pendant, I wanted to work with the same sort of weaving I did on the Moonrise pendant, but on this smaller cab.  Well… the cab’s shape proved to be quite a challenge:  getting the wire to fit around the pointed ends was very tricky.  After multiple attempts to get a pendant that hung lengthwise, I gave up and set the stone sideways.  It ends up looking a bit like a genie bottle 🙂

Other views:

YOJ09-39 Oblong Purple Jade Pendant (2009)
YOJ09-39 Oblong Purple Jade Pendant (2009)
YOJ09-39 Oblong Purple Jade Pendant (2009)
YOJ09-39 Oblong Purple Jade Pendant (2009)

YOJ09-38 Star Earrings

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-38 Star Earrings (2009)
Star Earrings (2009)
Constructed, soldered
Sterling silver
L 1.5 cm x W 1.5 cm

I’m about a month behind in my YOJ postings due to a personal crisis that has blown me completely off track.  It’s been a very emotional couple of weeks with some highs and a lot of lows.  I am determined to catch up, but it’s going to take some time.

I figure the easiest way to get ahead of the game is to focus on earrings.  Since I’m stocking up for Christmas anyways, this is a logical course of action.

So… first up is a pair of Star Earrings.  I wanted to make a simple pair of stud earrings, something neat and clean looking.  Making this design and trying to wrap the tail around the stem would not have given me the look I was after, so it was time to break out the torch.  Yes, Virginia, I do solder!

It’s been a while since I’ve soldered anything, and I discovered that my solder is really old.  Initially, the solder absolutely refused to flow.  I ended up melting the wire.  After I pickled the pallet, it worked better.

These earrings will be available for purchase from my Etsy shop.

YOJ09-37 Paua Shell Bangle

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-37 Paua Shell Bangle (2009)
Paua Shell Bangle (2009)
Constructed, cold joined
Sterling silver, fine silver, paua shell
L 19 cm x W 1.5 cm

I have lots of supplies left over from my classes at Haliburton, which I’ve decided I will not be using next year.  The cabs I ordered were a huge disappointment, with widely variant thicknesses.  In particular, the green paua shell cabs were paper thin, making them virtually useless for wrapping.  Basically, they can be pressed into something else, like maybe polymer clay, glued into a pre-manufactured setting or as part of some other craft item.  Unfortunately, by the time I got them, it was too late to send them back to the supplier and order something different:  the supplier wouldn’t have been able to give me anything else in any case, because I had already cleaned out the stock she had.  The students who had to work with these cabs did admirably, but we had to change the project to make it work.  Oh well, lesson learned.  I’ll use a different supplier next year and put the remainder up for sale as a destash on Etsy to see if I can recoup any money that way.

The blue pauas were meant to be used for rings, but again, the thickness (while much better than the green) was an issue.  They are actually quite pretty, so I may try to make something out of some them.

The first go is this variation on my Art Nouveau Bangle, which uses four wires instead of eight.  It ends up being a very dainty looking piece.

More views:

YOJ09-37 Paua Shell Bangle (2009)
YOJ09-37 Paua Shell Bangle (2009)

YOJ09-36 Green Sprout Pendant

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-36 Green Sprout Pendant (2009)
Green Sprout Pendant (2009)
Constructed
Sterling silver, fine silver, prasiolite (green amethyst)
L 4.6 cm x W 2.2 cm

This week, I’ve been thinking alot about growing things, regeneration and rejuvenation.  Unfortunately, spring is a long way off, so I’m sort of out of sync with the cycle of life.  It’s the colour of prasiolite beads I bought in Bancroft (the only strand of beads I bought there).  It’s such a sweet, fresh green, and it reminds me of spring, seeds sprouting, life bursting forth anew.

So, I used the bead as a sort of seed, with “roots” growing around the peak, and a little plant “sprouting” out from the roots.

Prasiolite, commonly called “green amethyst” as a marketing ploy, does occur naturally, but is very rare.  Most prasiolite is created by heat treating amethyst or citrine.  Just to confuse things, there is another stone called praseolite, also green, which is created by heat treating iolite (cordierite).  This latter stone has a greasy luster, which may help in distinguishing the two.

My copy of Love is in the Earth by Melody (Sixth Printing 1993) doesn’t include an entry for either stone, but I found this entry just now on another website while writing this blog entry (added emphasis mine):

Prasiolite brings one appreciation, approval, and acclaim (and occasionally) fame. It further promotes the recognition of ones accomplishments and furthers the completion of same.

Prasiolite has been known as the “celestial root”, bringing the ancient knowledge of illumination, germination, and growth. …. Prasiolite further provides for sufficient tranquility of the minds to assist one in contemplating metaphors without vulnerability to the unknown.

Prasiolite has also been used to bring forth a polarizing prismatic energy, which engenders a spectrum of energy to clear and to activate all of the chakras……

Prasiloite has been used to stimulate healing on the spiritual level and to assist one in regaining the connection with the perfection of the self and the physical body….

Ha! How’s that for connecting with stone energy!?

More views:

YOJ09-36 Green Sprout Pendant (2009)
YOJ09-36 Green Sprout Pendant (2009)
YOJ09-36 Green Sprout Pendant (2009)

YOJ09-35 Moonrise

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-35 Moonrise (2009)
Moonrise (2009)
Pendant, Sterling silver, fine silver, rainbow moonstone, indicolite (blue) tourmaline
Constructed, cold joined
L 6.4 cm x W 1.8 cm x D 1.2 cm (widest point)
SOLD to a private collector, September 2010

On my annual trek to Bancroft this year, I decided to focus on buying cabachons.  I have a huge stash of beads, but I’ve been moving away from working with them.  The last time I was in Bancroft, I bought some really nice cabs from one particular vendor, and was really happy to see them again.  This year, I scored a bunch of beautiful tourmaline, prehnite, kyanite, garnet and rainbow moonstone.

As a member of the Etsy Wire Artisans Guild, I’m supposed to make a monthly “theme” piece.  Well… I’ve been a bit lax about it because of my other commitments.  So I’m playing a bit of catch up.

It’s been a couple of years since my last attempt at a multi-stone pendant.  That attempt was… adequate… but really not up to the standard I like to set for myself.  So, for the EWAG’s “Blue Moon” theme, I decided I’d take another stab at it.

Back when I was single, I lived within walking distance of Woodbine Beach in Toronto, and would regularly stroll along the water’s edge.  I always loved watching moonrise over the water.  The reflected light from Luna rippling over the waves was so peaceful.  The Moon is the ruler of my astrological sign, Cancer, so I feel a special connection with it.  With my feet in the water, I would say prayers of thanks to the Creator for all of the blessings in my life, and listen for the messages in my heart of what direction I needed to go.

For quite a long time now, I’ve been getting messages telling me I need to reconnect my spiritual side with my jewellery.  I feel really strongly that doing that is going to resonate with others.  So, in the past few months, I’ve been making and posting work that draws from my inner life.

I gave conscious thought to the stones I chose for this piece.    The calming, balancing energy of the 11.7 ct moonstone helps connect with intuitive promptings, and the loving, powerful energy of the 24.42 ct blue tourmaline helps bring awareness and communication of those messages.

The wavy line coming down from the moon was always part of the design, but I also wanted to incorporate the shimmering and rippling of the water by incorporating weaving into the bezel of the lower stone.  I’m very happy with the way it turned out, and the energy that comes off the piece is wonderful.

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Other views:

YOJ09-35 Moonrise (2009)
YOJ09-35 Moonrise (2009)
YOJ09-35 Moonrise (2009)
YOJ09-35 Moonrise (2009)
YOJ09-35 Moonrise (2009)

YOJ09-33 A Boulder Opal from a friend

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-33 Boulder Opal Pendant (2009)
Boulder Opal Pendant (2009)
Sterling silver, boulder opal
Constructed, cold joined
L 3.7 cm x W 1.8 cm
Private collection

I used to be very active in the Gem & Mineral of Scarborough, and developed many good friends there.  One of them, David Bellamy, gave me this stunning Australian boulder opal as a Christmas gift.  We were at the club’s annual Christmas Sale, and one of the vendors was selling self-cut cabochons.  Most of them were stones from Nova Scotia, but a few, like this opal, were from rough he had bought.  I was completely enamoured with the stone, but put off by the price:  $60.  At that point, I was still trying to recover financially from my first failed marriage, and couldn’t justify spending that much on one stone.  So, I was absolutely speechless and overwhelmed when David presented me with the stone.

I made many trips up to the Bancroft Gemboree with David over the years.  He’s an avid collector of “species” thumbnails, and consistently creates some of the most interesting displays at the club’s annual show.

I used this stone for the prong set pendant tutorial I wrote for Haliburton, but the setting really didn’t do the stone justice.  So this week, I took the setting apart and remade it.  This one is staying in my personal collection, as a reminder of a passionate rockhound and generous friend.

YOJ09-32 Cooked Copper Bangle

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-32 Cooked Copper Bangle (2009)
Cooked Copper Bangle (2009)
Copper
Constructed, cold joined
L 22 cm x W 3.0 cm

During week 2 of my stay in Haliburton, one of the students taking my Wire Jewellery II class, Barbara-Joy Peel, showed us some pieces she had made in copper.  The pieces had a really fabulous patina, which she said she achieved by “cooking” the copper in a frying pan.  On the last day of the class, she brought in an iron frying pan, borrowed a hot plate from the Teen Cuisine class, and we tried out the technique for ourselves.

What fun!  The copper changes colours gradually, going from copper, to orange, to yellow, to red, to purple, and then to dark blue.  The dark blue turns silvery when the piece cools.  If the piece doesn’t lie flat, then the result is a mottled colouration.

For week 32, I decided to try it again.  I made a bangle, and cooked it.  I think this is a really cool technique which I’m going to experiment with more.

YOJ09-31 CZ Solitaire Pendant

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-31 CZ Solitaire Pendant (2009)
CZ Solitaire Pendant (2009)
Sterling silver, cubic zirconium
Constructed, cold joined
L 1.5 cm x W 0.6 cm

Getting caught up after a couple of weeks away.  I kept up with the projects, but didn’t have a chance to photograph them until today.  My entry for week 31 is an adaptation of the solitaire prong setting by Jorgen Greftegreff.  My husband gave me a solitaire pendant for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I’ve always wondered if the setting could work in wire.  This version, while successful in the sense that the adaptation worked, is a bit too messy on the back for my preferences.  It was worth the experiment though :-).

YOJ09-30 Copper Art Nouveau Cab Bangle

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-30 Copper Art Nouveau Bangle (2009)
Copper Art Nouveau Cab Bangle (2009)
Copper, dyed paua shell
Constructed, cold joined
L 8 1/2 inches x W 1 inch

Over the next couple of days I’ll be posting the work produced by my students in Wire Jewellery 1 and 2, but for this week’s YOJ entry, I’m posting my teaching sample of the AN Cab Bangle.  This project ended up being quite challenging for the students and took an entire day for the class to complete.  That was something I hadn’t anticipated, so there’s going to be a scheduling adjustment for next year’s class.  What really impressed me was that everyone showed a lot of persistence in doing the project, which had a few tricky steps in it.  One lady, Janice, was so determined to do it – despite how much it was frustrating her – that she refused any suggestion by me to modify it to something simpler.  That caused me to joke that she was channeling her inner German:  “I VILL complete zis bracelet!”  The class cracked up laughing.

The next day, Janice came to class proudly showing off the bracelet, which she had attempted again on her own at home.  She said that she’d found the instructions very clear and easy to follow.  She had every right to be proud:  her bracelet had turned out beautifully!

YOJ09-29 Freeform Bangle

Posted on by dianne

YOJ09-29 Freeform Bangle (2009)
Freeform Bangle (2009)
Copper
Constructed, cold joined, liver of sulphur patination

I’ve been in Haliburton for the last week teaching the Wire Jewellery course, so this week’s entry is one of the projects made during the week.  This is the “freeform” bangle we made on Thursday.

Week 2 and Wire Jewellery II start tomorrow.  Four of the ladies from last year have signed up again, and one from last week is in the class as well.  So there are going to be lots of familiar faces!

I’ll write more about the classes after next week when I’m home again.

Other Musings

Blasts from the Past

Photo of the Day

Judith Goldstein