Commission

Well, I've been busy (filling out applications), busy (making Christmas gifts for my family), busy (getting ready to head up North)! One other thing that has been keeping me busy is this commission piece.

It's a found shell set in a sterling silver ring, accented with brass, and a small tube set carnelian stone. It was a bit tricky because the client was very particular, and because this is some the most serious bench work I've done for quite some time. The shell also presented it's own set of challenges, because while I thought it was quite sturdy, it is in fact rather fragile. I had to improvise a bit when it came time to set the shell. I had originally intended to rivet the shell in place with the balls on the inside, but wound up flipping them around and turning them into prongs. I'm not exactly happy with the bottom one, I know it could be cleaner, but the shell just started to disintegrate at that spot.

Now to pack and prepare for a very long drive to PA!

Process Shot of the Week

I've been trying to brush up on my basic bench skills a bit, and also trying to use the materials I have at hand, including my large collection of cabachons. It's not much, but here's a couple rings I've made lately.

I also got asked to cover a class for a friend and teach loop in loop chains with fused fine silver jump rings. I'd never made that kind of chain before. I guess I was taught to solder jump rings, and focused more on linked chains as opposed to loop in loop . But I'm game for almost anything so I agreed. I decided to practice chain making in general and made up this little sampler, just so the students could see a variety of things they could do.

Happy weekend! Thanks for reading!