Feast or Famine

Wilberforce series, leaf brooch, copper,  2009/2010

One can never guess when the quiet lull of the last quarter of summer break will strike a gold rush . But all of a sudden I have a lot of commission work - and I'm definitely not complaining! I'm glad I've been able to keep my jewellery muscles in enough shape this break and it's a great feeling to have people appreciate your work enough to want to own a piece. Things are looking up and I'll admit I've had the Mario Kart 64 Rolling Credits theme song  in my head all day ( hey, it's uplifting).  Thanks for all the support guys! x

'Good judgment, is the result of experience and experience, is the result of bad judgement' - anon.

And so, the idea of a sample can save you much grief and bad judgment - but at the same time a lot of experience. This is quite handy in the making of jewellery. I recently conducted a series of samples on copper sheet squares to assist in achieving desired textures and markings for an up and coming project. Check 'em out!

Codral blister pack, roll milled




Planishing hammer - note varying sizes and hammer blows achieve a broad range of results!



Paper stencil, roll milled

Paper clips wrapped in Wrigley's gum cardboard, roll milled

Sandpaper cut-out stencil, roll milled

Binding wire, wrapped in paper, roll milled (Note! always wrap steel objects in paper before roll milling - steel should never touch steel in the making of jewellery!)



Nail Enamel! This one was fun - different colours swirled together. The consistency of nail enamel allows colours to 'swirl' instead of blend. Also, higher quality nail enamel tends to achieve better results.

I've just completed the piece for which these samples were intended. Photos coming soon!

Adding a ring to it.

Sorry about the false start. I set up this blog then didn't post for a while. I guess I'll start off with this piece I finished last semester. This ring was in response to the significance of my childhood experiences of a place I often visited growing up. My Opa (grandfather) planted thousands of Oak trees on this property after migrating from Germany. Our family's horses now occupy the area.

Wilberforce Ring, 2009, nickel silver, copper, horse hair

The piece was created from forming a dome that was then hammer textured and burnished. Copper wire formed the acorn cap sprig and horse hair was sewn into the centre as a nest.

here's some close ups..





some supporting material..

Twig Ring, 2009, cast silver.

Carved from wax and cast in silver, I uses a dipping process of sulpher, ammonia and bi-carb to achieve the colouring on the surface.

Oak Leaf, 2009, brooch, nickel silver

Roll milled with a paper stencil, this brooch was saw-pierced to create it's veins.