Showing posts with label silver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label silver. Show all posts

Monday, December 23, 2019

Crying Eye Pendant, Custom Order




A customer sent me the picture below of a crying eye (eye with tear) and asked if I could replicate the design for his girlfriend.  




Below, you can see my design from this original photograph (with my personal touch). 


First, I made a sketch with the measurements needed for the pendant.  

Second, I chose sterling silver and solid silver as my preferred metals because that's what I had on hand.  

Third, I chose a lavender color cz stone for the tear (as was required by the customer).


Initially we wanted to use a piece of beach glass as the tear drop but my sea glass pieces were too big for this project (and I didn't want to have to cut a piece of glass for it was just too small to handle).


In my original design, I had the idea of using PMC silver clay, which is a precious metal clay (a wonderful product because you can work it like clay then fire it in the kiln so that it burns off the clay and you're left with a solid piece of sterling silver or pure silver depending on the clay type you use).  Actually, you can also purchase this clay in less precious metals like copper, bronze, and of course you can also get it in PMC (precious metal) gold.  I've never used any other clays other than the PMC3 silver and the Art Clay 950.  Although silver clay is available on Amazon.ca I noticed the others are only available on the Amazon.com site.

If you are like me, and love to learn about new techniques, then you will enjoy learning about how to use silver clays with this how to book (it's worth knowing what you're doing because this clay can be tricky). Here are a few good books from the Amazon.com site 

*My blog contains affiliate links, which means that when you make a purchase via these links, the company may compensate me for promoting their products.  I only promote products I use or that I know are of the best quality.  Thank You.


What happened to my initial idea of using PMC3 Silver, you might ask?  Well, I did the entire pendant with the exception of the bail and everything looked beautiful (I was quite proud of myself especially since I was using the Clay 950 for the first time).  
After removing it from the kiln, I was giving it a good polish to get the metal to glisten like it should, and it looked amazing.  I knew the client would be very pleased!  

And then, to my horror, during the last shining, the pendant got caught in the polishing bit, twisted, under the pressure of the Foredom machine, broke into pieces that were flung across my studio (I have yet to find one of the pieces)! 

I had no time to be emotional, no time to panic, nor to give up.  The pendant was a surprise gift and my client was counting on me.  He was on his way to pick up the pendant the very same day.  I had to use my plan B (yes, I most of the time have a plan B with this type of project).

I took a breath, gathered what I needed to construct the eye (using silver .999 sheet and sterling .925 heavy gauge wire) and got to work.  

To my relief, in no time, the eye came together quite nicely; I was satisfied with the overall look.  

After cleaning and polishing it up, I added the cz stone and placed it in the jewelry box ready for pick-up.  

Results:  Happy client and a very happy recipient, the girlfriend!

Quote:  Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success!



Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Earrings / Boucles d'Oreilles



I have compiled some earring designs I have made over the years into this one post. The earrings are handmade in my studio with quality metals such as sterling silver 925, 14-kgf, and pure copper. I handmade all of my ear wires and o-rings.  Most of the beads and stones are natural gemstones, cultured pearls or crystals. 

*If you want to order a pair of my earrings, please leave a comment in the comment box at the end of the post.
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J’ai compilé plusieurs photographies de boucles d’oreilles que j’ai fabriquées au fil des années.   Je fabrique toutes les parties de la boucle d’oreille en studio.  Dans mes designs, j’utilise les pierres naturelles, les perles de cultures et du crystal.  Les métaux de qualité qui sont utilisés, sont l’argent sterling 925, le double d’or 14-carats, et le cuivre pur.

Si vous désirez passer une commande, veuillez me laisser un mot dans la boite à commentaires à la fin de cet article.

































Sunday, April 12, 2015

Only Beading Wire I Will Ever Use

I am meticulous and a bit of a perfectionist!  Therefore, every piece of jewelry I sell needs to be of the best quality possible, so this demands quality materials.  One day, I was showing a lovely watch with Tiger Eye and Black Agate beads, and while the customer was trying it on, the beading wire had pulled apart.  I felt embarrassed and a cold feeling ran through me...  I vowed for this never to happen again!!  In the handmade jewelry business, you need to make your mark and mine was uniqueness and quality.  Therefore, every piece of jewelry I design needs to be of very good quality!
  
I finally discovered Accu-Flex, I would not trust my beading work to any other beading wire!  Accu-Flex, gives me peace of mind; I can be confident that my jewelry will be sturdy and withstand daily use for years to come!  

If you're serious about your beading work, than you will not settle for anything less!  

Accu-Flex comes in a variety of colors, including the colors of metals (as you can see below).  It's also very flexible and you can also knot it.  I love this beading wire and cannot say enough about it!  



Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Unisex Spinner Ring in Copper Brass and Silver

I wanted to make a few spinner rings out of recycled copper and sterling silver and I ended up going crazy and thought of adding brass as well. I really like the combination of those three metals together.

I had my husband "Moe" model the ring for me and it looks really good on him. I think I'll be making him one as a gift.

Spinner rings are great! They have lots of movement and style for both women and men. What a great piece of jewelry to own! Perfect gift for that special someone in your life. Get a custom made ring made today. See my Etsy shoppe here.  See more information on this beautiful spinner ring here.