Mixed Media Jewellery - making the collection...

Its been a busy week...!  I have been trying to update stock and build a new collection, have a look at some of the manufacturing pictures.

Strip cut out, holes drilled.
 Strip made round.



After soldering the ring is placed on
triblet and tapped round with
nylon mallet

Inside of ring marked out on Formica
with pencil and cut out using
jewellers saw.




Silver sheet marked out and cut
to size.




Holes drilled into metal and
deburred using handfile.




Excess metal removed with saw.
Filed smooth with hand file.



Heart shaped rivet fed through hole,
formica fed through back of pendant,
 rivet trimmed and hammered flat.



Making chain links....
my least favourite task!




Links fed through saw blade,
cut to seperate each link.




Links separated.




Links soldered.




Links shaped using oval triblet,
smoothed at joining point to
 remove solder line



New Jewellery - Mixed Media

 

 

  

New Approach to Jewellery

The recent rise in precious metals has been a bit of a sore point for most jewellers, especially for small self employed students like myself....if raw material prices rise this means that sales prices of finished pieces will also rise....not good for us in this financial crisis. 

One of our new classes is based on alternative materials.....something I have not been excited about in previous years!  This year I have decided to embrace this new learning and experiment with new materials and new techniques...I'm sure I could do more but am sometime limited within my own personal taste of clean lines and 'tidyness'! 

Materials that I could use are almost endless...what could be done with them limitless.  Here is a photo of a new piece I have recently made.  Materials used were sterling silver round wire to make the chain and formica for the colour inserts and the huge pendant (a scale that would be far too expensive in silver!)

Busy Busy Busy!

I have been so busy with my course recently, we are doing a graded unit and I need...well...want an A.  I dont like doing things by halfs!

Trying to organise for my upcoming exhibition at the Collins Gallery in Strathclyde, I have 9 pieces left to make so must get my designs finalised by Sunday so I have plenty of time for making them.  I am really looking forward to the exhibition, its been an ambition for quite a few years to participate in something this. So happy!  I have an interview with the college and our local newspaper on Monday about the exhibit so we'll see how that goes!

Hopefully I will make some new pieces over the next week or so. 

New Jewellery - Hollow Bangle

My lovely silver bangle I made just before christmas.  It took me so much longer than I expected to make this piece, it was such a challenge as its such a large piece...however the outcome is fabulous.

New Jewellery - Kinetic |Ring

This ring was designed from a photo I had from the building in Culross Abbey....its strange how the design process works!  I really love this piece, really pleasing on the eye...when its not worn it looks like a little piece of sculpture.