Big Project Reveal and Process: Ancient Valkyrie Necklace

Ancient Valkyrie Statement Necklace in Natural Turquoise and Sterling Silver

This big beautiful piece of turquoise was in my collection for over a year...just waiting for inspiration to hit.

This project began as a few stones, a design idea, and just silver sheet and wire.  It inspired a lot of silver details; a pierced cut out design at the back, a complex handmade foxtail chain, silver granule accents, and a hand forged fringe.  By the time I finished the piece, I was almost a little sad to be through with it....making it was such a fulfilling process!

I have another beautiful piece of turquoise stone, one that I have been holding onto for myself...I think I'm ready to work on that now, and very inspired to start another handmade chain.

The important thing is to keep producing. All artists have that quality. You have to be tenacious. 

~Mary Frank

A Few New Things Just in Time For the Holidays

Arctic December Ring /// Size 7.5

Love is Golden Heart Posts

Design Your Own Sterling Silver Personalized Band

As if the season weren't keeping me busy enough!  I added a few new things!  It must be that just being in the shop so much lately is keeping me inspired!

I can't take full credit for those cute golden heart post earrings.  A customer special ordered the pair, inspired by a different design in my shop.  As you know, I love listening to my customers, they come up with the best ideas sometimes!

I also finally got around to making a prototype of and photographing a personalized band that is wide enough to hold horizontal lettering and much more substantial than its daintier, and best selling cousin...which you can see here if you are curious.  Again inspired by the customer and so very very many emails asking if stamping can be horizontal and not vertical, which it is in my original personalized band.

I think the first band speaks for itself, a labor of love, and inspired by my infatuation with all stones turquoise, and an artsy design. I live for the free time to create those kinds of pieces and love it when they find the perfect home.

The christmas lights are up...wrapped high around the tall cedar trees that line our drive, and dangling from the roof line.  The christmas spirit is here!

Two New Pieces & A Peek at The Process

Stormy Seas Shield Ring 

in sterling silver and natural turquoise

Luna Ring

in sterling silver, natural turquoise, and yellow turquoise

Here are a few new big pieces I have been working on...I love them both very much.  (Click on the links above the photos to find them in my shop.)

I have found that the familiarity of contour, shape, and line...those friends that I made so long ago; sketching, painting, doodling, attending art school, cutting hair, sewing scraps of fabric together...find themselves comfortably working once again, beside me at my bench, as I work as a metalsmith.

Every piece starts as a line drawing.  I see it in three dimensions. I draw a pattern.  I etch its idea into the metal.

I cut, solder, and file away at the work until it is the vision I could have painted on paper..the moment I knew just what I was going to create.

I love the creating.

“Let the beauty we love be what we do. There 

are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the 

ground.”

~Rumi

A Secret Project Revealed & Friendship Can Happen Over the Internet

 
It was killing me not to post about this big project!  But, I had to keep it a secret...because the friend who would be wearing it is my blog sister, and I didn't want to spoil the surprise.

The story of this jewelry starts way back before my Etsy shop, my jewelry studio, and even living in Oregon....it began as a sketch, an idea, a project that I wanted to get to some day...but didn't at the time have any idea how that would happen.

During that same time I started blogging...and I met Chandra, of A Stylish Little Lady.  I can't remember how I stumbled across her blog?  But we were fast friends!  Actually thinking about it, I can hardly believe we have known of each other for so long...maybe two years!?!

Following Chandra's blog, I began to know her style, fell in love with her dog, drooled over some very good food posts, and eventually found her planning her wedding...

All the while, she was here at my blog cheering me on when I designed a new piece, or set up shop, even putting some of my jewelry on her christmas list last year.

So when Chandra came to me to design her bridal jewelry, I was thrilled.  I was excited, nervous, inspired...but I knew immediately just what I wanted to make for her.

It just felt right.

Over only a few emails and photographed sketches, we discussed the necklace design and birthstones...and then Chandra gave me free reign with the project.

I didn't send her another picture.

I just went to work.

I have always believed that metal and stones hold a person's energy.  When I create jewelry in my shop, I always make sure to create with good intentions, and positive energy.  With this project, even when the process could have become frustrating, or I was working on a particularly tricky part (soldering tiny jump rings, or filing and sanding contour to the branches...), everything went smoothly.  

The necklace turned out exactly how I had envisioned it!  It is hard not to think that way back when I originally designed it, that somehow it was for Chandra even then...

Matt made an especially big box for the jewelry to fit in, and I mailed it off.  I can tell you, I was holding my breath for that package to arrive, and to hear what kind of review my work would receive on the other end!

It is one thing to work on a commissioned piece for someone, but knowing I was designing something for the most important day of my friend's life...her wedding...added an extra bit of intensity.  

Having a lot of experience with commissioned work in all different art mediums (murals, prints, illustration...once I was even hired to paint a logo on a sailboat), I know things can get tricky....but there was not one hitch when it came to this project.  

While her jewelry was in transit, Chandra emailed me...she forgot that she needed some silver post earrings as well to wear on her big day.  Just our luck, as a surprise, I had added a pair of silver posts to her package!  

She loved everything.  

And I loved making everything.  

The wedding is in a few short days, and I will be sending beautiful thoughts that way...

Simply Beautiful

Everything has been so incredibly beautiful lately, no amount of photos seems to pacify me!  Autumn is one of those sneaky times that slips past so quickly.  I want to soak it in, every leaf, every fiery shade, and hold this time a bit more still.  Already trees are looking more bare and I feel a bitterness in the cold at night.  Darkness is coming so early...reminding me it is that time to start burrowing in for the winter.

Every year, the simple beauty of the season's change is startling, and still surprises me.

I designed a pair of hoop posts, very organic shaped, and beautiful in their simplicity.  Sometimes minimalism is so refreshing.  These earrings made me appreciate how pretty plain silver jewelry can be.

 “Beauty of style and harmony and 

grace 

and good rhythm depend on

 simplicity."

Plato –

WOYWW: Three Turquoise Beauties & Time to Play

Remember that beautiful pile of turquoise stones I got in the mail last week?  Well, I have been inspired!  So inspired that I have stayed caught up on orders just to have time to play and design with them, the stones are so pretty.

As a mostly self taught metalsmith, my real interest is in creating these more complicated kinds of pieces, but I hardly find time it seems with my other jewelry keeping me so busy.  It has been so much fun working this way again.

You see the finished product as well as some of the processes involved at my bench.  One of the biggest challenges for me when building a ring is the finish work.  I get so excited about the result that I want to stick those stones in to see what it looks like finished!  But it is really difficult to file and sand away imperfections (there are always many of these before the piece looks finished) with stones in the way.  And then there is the patina and the hand polishing..all before the stone setting which is the very last thing to do!  I'm working on being more patient. :)

These rings are fresh off my work bench, I don't even have them all listed in my shop properly.  Two of them are getting a new photo shoot (I had to go back and rework some of my finish work because I wasn't happy with it, see I have issues).

So I hope you enjoy seeing my work as much as I enjoy sharing with you, and creating it!

Linking up with Julia for WOYWW.

WOYWW: New Bezel Set Stone Rings

A lot of fresh work from my work bench lately...

I have been exploring with some new stones...and enjoying the process of designing around the fresh inspiration that they bring to my bench.

Pretty, sparkly druzy quartz and tiny rose quartz cabachons....

Here is the outcome, some new rings for my shop:

Pink Poesy Ring

Four Peaks Stacking Ring in Sterling Silver and Rose Quartz

Reverie Ring in Sterling Silver and Druzy Quartz

Even more inspiration arrived in the mail today, and I am beyond excited to start playing with these stones!

Happy WOYWW, and creating, all!

Linking up with Julia for What's on Your Workbench Wednesday.

WOYWW: Commissions

Commission work can be so inspiring!  I received a request for a ring with an "angel heart" to be combined with two other stackers, and another set for her husband.  I sent the customer a sketch and got to work.  The flying heart ring turned out so cute, I decided to offer it in my shop!

This week, I was contacted for another huge commission for a total of fifteen rings, all different styles which included my faceted ring.  With such a big order, I was inspired to perfect my technique on my faceted ring...I wanted it to be just right.  With some innovation and a few more complicated steps, I was able to create a much better way of crafting this little ring!

And finally, you see Miss Bella sitting on her pillow, the prettiest shop helper.  Her little leg is healing up just fine.  In fact, I think she doesn't even remember that she broke it.  She will be on bed rest for another four weeks, but it looks like she is well on her way to being back to her perfect four legged self!

Hope to find you all crafty and creative!

Linking up with Julia for another WOYWW.

WOYWW: Double Inspiration & New Work

Boho Trinket Ring

Faceted Silver Ring

I snuck in a few hours during the last week and came up with two new designs.  The process ended up being really fluid, the first turquoise ring just came together without any hitches, and last minute inspiration found me hammering facets into that big silver nugget.  I loved the look so much, that I made a simpler version of it on a single silver band.

I love it when the muse comes knocking, don't you?

Etsy came up with a new feature, the "About" section, which is available for sellers to fill out and publish to their shops.  I just love the feature, and had a lot of fun putting my page together.  I never know what to say in those short bios!  Check mine out here.

Happy Wednesday all, and happy WOYWW to you WOYWW-ers. :)  Visit more work desks here.

WOYWW: Airplanes Too

My shop has been a busy busy place as usual, but I was able to design a new pair of earrings.  Matt's favorite co-worker is retiring next month from her job with Matt as an Air Traffic Controller.  So of course, I made her some airplane earrings (she already has a pair of my mushrooms...so I knew she would just love it...and she did!).

Copper Studs:  Your Aeroplane, Airplanes

The earrings are adorable on, they can be flying towards each other, or away.  Too funny.

Happy WOYWW, to everyone!

Linking up with Julia for WOYWW.