wedding bands

There is never enough time during the day.  

Or week.  Or the month.  Or the year.

You get what I'm saying, right?

Over the years, I dedicated a sketchbook

to wedding band 

and engagement ring

designs.

However, bench time is always scarce

when developing a new collection.

Thankfully, the proverbial "kick in the butt" arrived

in several forms.  

Ring commissions from friends, 

a feature in a Boston magazine highlighting 

same-sex marriage in Maine, some new, exciting

techniques in the studio.

Now I have a wedding collection.

 And I couldn't be happier.

October News

 

So, in a nutshell, blogging to a backseat

... a WAY backseat ....

during the past, oh, 5 months.

Summer is busy.  

This is not news.  

You all know that the fair days are limited,

 especially here in the Northeast.

We were busy doing family stuff.

I was busy doing jewelry stuff.

Shows, shows, inventory, shows.

Now, I have a bit of a break before the next 

round of events.

Here to share with you, are a few images

of summer in the studio.  

Gems, new work, and works in progress. 

 aquamarine cabs

 new necklace, detail

 wip

 ring, wip

tiny porcelain arm pendants

Cranky Back and Unfinished Work

Things have been slow going at the bench.

I injured my lower back while

bull riding.

(actually I was mopping the kitchen

floor... how mundane, right?)

The muscles that I tweaked in turn

pinched my sciatic nerve.  Ouch.

Sitting at the bench is nearly

impossible.  So, I have a bunch of work

waiting for finishing.

Wish me a fast(er) recovery, OK?

New Work Has Sprouted

Find these and more in my shop.

My Little Secret

 I'm a jewelry maker, but I'm also a jewelry deconstructor.  

(That's not a word, but I'm sticking with it.)  

See, I'll make a piece.  

I'll list the piece. 

 I'll show the piece.  

If it doesn't sell within 2 years, I'll consider breaking the piece down 

and reusing the materials in new jewelry.  

See that cone shaped thing above?  

That was a ring from a body of work made over 10 years ago.

I needed some 18k gold wire.

  I priced that needed 18k gold wire in today's market

 and 

nearly fell on the floor. 

 Gold is expensive.....darn tooting expensive.  

Enter the cone ring.  

I snipped off the shank and milled it down to 18 gauge wire.  

Problem solved.

 I have a drawer of dedicated, retired jewelry.  

Some are failures, 

some are old works, 

some are unsellable.  

All will become something new and wonderful, eventually.

Ode to Button

 There once was a small, oval button

Lost among its larger, shiny cousins

together in a tin

its chances seemed rather slim

to be ever discovered.

Until one day a jeweler came along

pawing through the tin

of buttons: brass, bakelite, and bone,

looking for a button so rare

to set in a ring and to the world share.

That button she found covered in grime

surrounded by its brethren

meant to outshine.

The jeweler cleaned and buffed

this sweet oval shell

back to its glory

when all was well.

No longer on a shirt or in a tin

this beauty's life is 

just about

to begin.

here.

What the Heck is This?

I've been plowing through this little studio of mine attempting to clean, organize, and de-stash.  Of course, I'm tackling the clutter between filling some orders and making inventory for this year's shows.  So, when the work is in the pickle, I'm poking through bins and boxes.

I just found this in the "nature box" along with halved spiky peach pits (saving these to set in a necklace... someday), sponges, stones, fur, and the odd bone or two.  As I recall, my father found a few of these floating in the Hudson River.  He brought these home and presented them to his girls some 30 years ago.  I can't believe that I have hung onto this for that long.  Wow.

So, what is it?  I have no bleeping idea.  A seed pod would be my first guess.  But from what tree?  My second guess would be a shrunken alien head.  If you know what this is, please enlighten this puzzled gal.

Happy Wednesday!