New Jewelry on Etsy, and a few links
Posted by Administrator on Sep 28, 2007
I just posted a new pair of earrings in my etsy store:
I wanted to share the two street teams I joined on etsy too - JET, which stands for Jewelry on Etsy, and DSM, Designing Swanky Moms.
To see work by other JET members, search etsy for the tag “jett”. To see work by other DSM members, search etsy for the tag “dsm”. I highly recommend shopping on etsy for unique gifts during the holidays. There are so many talented people making all kinds of things, from original art to just about any product you can imagine that someone could make themselves.
Finally, I just saw a post on Casto Creations’s blog about the use of lead in jewelry for young children. It doesn’t seem right to me that this would still be allowed, but apparently it is.
A Personal Update
Posted by Administrator on Sep 26, 2007
I’m in the process of house-hunting and I’m expecting a baby in February, so life is getting a little bit more hectic than I’m used to. I’ll get used to it, but during this transitional time, most of my free time is taken up looking at houses, de-cluttering, and planning for the baby, so I haven’t had as much time as I’m used to for jewelry making or updating my blog as I usually do.
I hope to be settled into a new home by the holidays so that I’ll have a couple months before the baby to get everything ready. Wish me luck!
Jewelry 101: Tools for Wirework
Posted by Administrator on Sep 19, 2007
Wirework is a fun way to get started working with metal, and I have continued to use basic wire techniques in my jewelry making even after learning other metalsmithing techniques.
You can make beautiful jewelry using only wire and beads, but it helps to have the right tools.
In a previous post I talked about finishing wire ends. It is important to have files or another tool, such as a sharpening stone, for smoothing out wire ends. This makes the work look much more professional, and also makes the jewelry more comfortable to wear. Imagine trying to put on an earring that had a sharp or jagged wire end - ouch - so if you plan to make your own earwires, this is doubly important.
You also need some wire cutters. I use cheap wire cutters for all my wire up to about 18 gauge, and for wire thicker than that, I use metal snips. After cutting the metal, I always smooth the ends quickly using a file.
Finally, you need tools for forming the wire into the shapes you want. Two pairs of pliers are enough to get started: flat or chain nose pliers and round nose pliers. You can use the round nose pliers to form loops, and the flat or chain nose pliers to make 90-degree bends in the wire, as well as to grip the wire firmly while wrapping. I sometimes use two pairs of flat nose pliers at once - one to hold my work and the other to wrap.
Some other tools that are nice to have include mandrels and/or jigs for making shapes, a bench block and a mallet for hardening wire, a metal hammer for texturing/flattening, and a torch (plus soldering block, flux, and pickle) if you want to start making ball-end headpins or soldering things like jump rings. A jeweler’s saw is also nice if you want to cut your own jump rings. However, you can definitely get started with just the pliers, wire cutters, and a file or two.
A Charmed Life Auction
Posted by Administrator on Sep 10, 2007
A Charmed Life is officially up for auction on ebay! Check it out, and feel free to make a bid too. 100% of the selling price will be donated to breast cancer research, so it is a very good cause to support.
Fused Pendant - Finished or Not?
Posted by Administrator on Sep 7, 2007
I just can’t decide if this fused piece is finished or not. It is scraps of Argentium sterling silver with a freshwater pearl dangle. I actually did the fusing months ago, and wasn’t sure what to do with the resulting piece of metal. Yesterday at my studio, I decided to drill two holes - one to add a bail and one to add a pearl dangle - and this is the result. I can’t decide if I love it or hate it.
What I like about it: the industrial look of the metal in contrast with the pearl, the texture of fused metal, the fact that the sheet was a scrap leftover from a pierced piece I made and the wire bits and granules were also recycled from other projects.
What I’m not sure about: I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I feel that the piece could be a lot stronger with some very minor modifications - if only I could decide what those modifications were.
Jewelry 101: Pickle
Posted by Administrator on Sep 6, 2007
Pickle is used to clean oxidation and flux residue off of metal. It is an acidic solution that you can buy from a jewelry supply store, or you can make a do-it-yourself version at home. Pickle can be stored in a glass jar or a ceramic crock pot. It works faster if it’s heated up, which is why a lot of people use a crock pot. It helps to keep pickle in a closed container so that the liquid doesn’t evaporate as quickly.
I use a product called Ph minus for pickle, which is an acid that lowers the Ph level in pools and hot tubs. I dissolve a little of this in water, and it works well for me. I don’t bother heating it, since it works fine cold, just takes a bit longer.
Other DIY versions of pickle that I’ve heard of include using Simple Green (the household cleaning product), lemon juice, and vinegar. I can’t vouch for how well these work since I’ve never tried them, but they are all inexpensive and safe, so they might be worth a try.
To use pickle, drop your oxidized metal in and wait for the oxidation to come off. Avoid touching the pickle in any way with steel (such as steel tweezers) because this will automatically copper plate everything you are trying to clean. Copper tongs are available for dropping items into pickle and then fishing them out later. Since pickle is an acid, even if you use one of the milder at-home versions, you might not want to get it on your skin, so copper tongs or even some wood chopsticks are useful to get your jewelry in and out of the pickle.
