Little Flower...

I love how it is possible to create just about anything in metal with a saw, a hammer and a flame. This little ring is the beginning of what I hope will be a series of jewelry embellished with these sweet little golden flowers. The flower here was drawn freehand onto brass sheet, they sawed out with a jeweler's saw and hammered and shaped into a wee little buttercup with a fine silver ball in the center. The ring shank has a fine satin brushed finish that really doesn't show up in the photo. Jewelry photography is an art in itself, and I have a long way to go in this area. I'll be calling a professional if I ever need "real" photos! And I just might - one of these days I'm going to get organized and publish a catalog as a sales venue.

Just a bit of practice....

I took a class in the process of reticulation in November. Reticulation is a fun (and a tad lengthy) process that creates a very cool wrinkled texture on the surface of silver. This piece of sterling was one of the "experimental" pieces. I am not the most patient of souls, and I was anxious to put the torch to this piece instead of doing a few more cycles to make the fine silver skin a little thicker. I was also curious to see how a thinner skin of fine silver would affect the process. This very gentle dapple is the result. I kind of like it, even though it is not nearly as dramatic as the other pieces. I set a little oval of lapis into it to play up the shape of the ripples. I have many plans for the other pieces, too... stay tuned!