09.16.19 A Few Small Repairs

Sunny came home to her favorite room
Sunny sat down in the kitchen
She opened a book and a box of tools
Sunny came home with a mission

-- Shawn Colvin

This time last year I was gearing up for the holidays - I wanted to have enough inventory for the couple of small shows I was doing and to make sure that my Etsy shop was well stocked.  This year, I am taking a somewhat different approach.


Even before we went on vacation in July, I had decided I really needed to take some time and focus on myself - and what was good for me.  So, when we got home, I made time in the studio a priority.


I hadn't really been at the bench on a consistent basis since taking the kinetics class in the spring, where I made this turquoise pendant, which has become a favorite.  I wore it all summer, with my rediscovered turquoise earrings from high school!

I really like the earrings, and started thinking about maybe making some similar ones.  I thought, how hard could it be...get some large, closed jump rings, bezel cups and small stones...I even did a little sketching.



Then I remembered I had a pair of similar moonstone drops (with the earwires cut off) that someone had given me with the suggestion that I could salvage the stones.  I decided that instead, I would see if I could repair them.

I took the earrings with me to open studio with one of Creative Side's wonderful instructors - Rita Marie Ross - and asked for her advice.  She said she thought it would be a great learning experience for me to do the repair - so I got started.

I couldn't repair the earwires until I removed the stones from their settings.  I used a dull X-ACTO knife to open up the bezels, and when the stones fell out, so did a bunch of little pieces of paper (which would probably have caught on fire).  The paper had been packed in behind the stone to lift it up in the bezel, and there was a small piece of black paper on top (to make the stone flash blue - another tip I learned from Rita).

Once the stones were out, I soldered on new earwires, cleaned up, filed and reshaped the bezels.  Even with the bezel cups filed down, the stones were a little short, so I punched out tiny silver discs to elevate the stones - but first, I darkened them with patina.  Same concept as the paper - but now the entire setting was silver.

The next step was to reset the stones...and I was reminded why I don't make things with little, bitty cabochons.

Using a tiny bezel pusher (made using a nail and the belt sander) and a sharp burnisher, I worked until I had pushed the metal down securely over the stones.

In the process I also gave myself callouses on my thumb and forefinger, and poked myself (and drew blood) on my middle and ring fingers on my left hand.  So much for my ambitions (delusions) of making more earrings with tiny bezel set stones.


I am really pleased with the repaired earrings, they look great with my moonstone pendants - including one I made several years ago in Vickie Hallmark's PMC (precious metal clay) class at Creative Side - and Rita was correct, it was a valuable experience.  However, from now on, if I want earrings with tiny bezel set cabochons, I will buy them from a fellow jeweler who enjoys that kind of work!

Until next time.

09.02.19 Ladysmiths on Labor Day

Photo: National Museum of American History

We Can Do It!

Making is not dainty work.  It's sweaty, and dirty and really hard on a manicure.  It's also women's work...but until relatively recently, the jewelry industry has been dominated by men.

The good news is, that's changing.

I learned a lot about this ongoing change when I took a series of classes at Creative Side Jewelry Academy with Marlene Richie on the business of jewelry  Lucky you - she's teaching her series again later this month.

Photo: Courtney Gray/CSJA

More and more, women are becoming leaders and innovators in the world of metalsmithing.  Living in Austin, I'm incredibly fortunate to be a member at Creative Side, where Courtney Gray has created what Rio Grande calls "one of the most forward-thinking jewelry schools in the US".

Photo: Ladysmiths of ATX

To be honest - before I started taking classes - I never imagined that I would be spending several hours a week using power tools and a torch to fabricate ANYTHING out of metal (and I sure couldn't have imagined working with gold)!  But becoming part of the metalsmithing community has been incredibly empowering for me - and not just the part where I am making things and improving my skills.

Photo: Jodi Rae Designs/WJA Austin

After 30+ years of work in public policy, jewelry is a second act for me. I am continually impressed by the incredibly smart and creative young women I am meeting at the studio and through organizations like WJA and Ladysmiths of ATX.

Yes, jewelry is art; it is creative; it is decorative...but it is also WORK and it has real value.

On this Labor Day, we recognize the importance of work and workers, and that includes people who are creatives and makers.  These are the people who add beauty and richness to our lives - and that matters for all of us.

Until next time.

08.19.19 One Step at a Time

Now that I am mostly done traveling, I am determined to spend more time in the studio - but not just making pieces to fill the Esty shop - I want to work to improve and expand my skill set.  At the top of that list is working with gold.

After having some successes adding granules to pendants (both in my kinetics class with De, and on my own), I had a pretty epic fail.

Combining gold with argentium silver in a single piece is complex process because the two metals have different specific gravities and fusing/melting points. 

In my first attempt to solder a 14K bezel to an argentium back plate, the differences between the metals got the best of me, and the gold actually sank through the silver (good thing Rio Grande recycles scrap metal). I learned some things - which was good - and I will come back to it.  However, for the time being I've decided to focus my work with gold on things that are a little less complicated.

Two things I'd never done before were create a step bezel for a faceted stone or create prongs out of wire (I did create prongs for a faceted stone in a wax class - but that's a completely different process).


I had recently acquired a great faceted turquoise, but because it was not a cabochon, I couldn't make a flat setting, so I built a step bezel.

A step bezel has two pieces of bezel wire - one inside the other - to create a cushion or "step" to created a seat for the pavilion (the pointed underside of a faceted stone).  I made two oval bezels, and then soldered them both to the back plate.




Since the stone didn't have a flat back, it wasn't really suited to a cut out on the pendant; so I went more of a hollow form look that would echo my two tone kinetic earrings.  Instead of gold granules, I chose make prongs using the same 18K gold wire that I used for the earrings.

To solder the prongs on to the bezel, I secured the setting in Kate Wolf soldering clay, used a third arm to hold the prong in place, and worked carefully to avoid melting the small gold wire.




With several deep breaths, and De at my side, I successfully soldered all three prongs on without melting any of them - and then used the same process (clay and a third arm) to solder a jump ring for the bail to the top of the pendant.


The rest of the process was very similar to finishing any other bezel set pendant - except that I used a prong pusher in addition to a regular bezel setting tool.


I'm pleased with the outcome, and the pendant looks great with my hollow form earrings.  However, since pierced backs are kind of my design signature, I'm going to stick to working primarily with flat backed stones.

It's nice to have a couple of options - prongs and granules - for adding small amounts of gold to my pieces, and I imagine that I will get more comfortable with the process as I do more.

Until next time.

08.05.19 What I read on my summer vacation

A couple of posts back, I referenced a book, this time - the post is actually ABOUT the book...

...and if ever a book was written for me, it is Stoned, by Aja Raden.

I am the daughter of a physicist and a mathematician.

I have a Bachelor's degree with a major in government and a minor in religion from the University of Virginia (founded by Thomas Jefferson, the first ambassador to France - relevant, at least to me, because France figures prominently in this book).

I have a Master of Public Affairs degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and for more than 30 years I worked in the field of public policy.

I am now a jeweler.

Stoned touches on all of these topics!

Ms. Raden begins her story talking about her mother's jewelry:

I've always most especially loved jewelry. My mother didn't have a jewelry box. She had a jewelry closet. Some of the pieces were real, some of them were fake. It didn't really matter - it all held me in equal thrall; it was all real treasure.

With that passage, I knew I was going to love this book - because I had the very same feelings about my mom's jewelry (and when I wear pieces that belong to her, I still do) that Ms. Raden describes.  But, her book is so much more than just an appeal to pretty or sentimental things - it is a book about the science of metal and gems, of history, politics, economics and romance. It is funny and insightful, and I am grateful to the person in one of my online metalsmithing communities (I wish I could remember who) for recommending it.

Ms. Raden divides the book into three sections - Want, Need, and Take.

Photo credit: Stephen Lang.

Want is about what things are worth - who determines that, and how - and why the value of things changes over time.

One of the examples she uses in Want is wampum beads - similar to those used to purchase Manhattan Island.

Photo credit: Encyclopedia Britannica

Take is about what happens when we want something and can't have it.


In Take she discusses - at great length - the diamond necklace created by King Louis XV for his mistress (but never paid for) that was ultimately used to frame Marie Antoinette and lead to her imprisonment and death.

Photo credit: Mikimoto Pearl Museum

Have is about when we finally get what we (think) we want.

In Have, she writes about Kokichi Mikimoto and his quest for the perfect pearl. This is the Taisho-ren (Boss's pearls) necklace - the largest strand of perfectly cultured pearls ever created. He never sold them - but he always kept them nearby, usually in his pocket.







Stoned is the story of modern human history.  As Ms. Raden puts it The history of the world is the history of desire. This is an examination of that history.

I won't tell you anymore - I don't want to spoil the stories for you - but I do encourage you to get a copy of the book, put up your feet, and enjoy.

Until next time.

07.22.19 Oh, the places you'll go (with apologies to Dr. Seuss)

The first six months of this year were expensive and exhausting (although nothing in comparison to 2003). From the first of March through the end of June, I passed through an airport or spent a night in a hotel in Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Durham, Houston, Oakland and San Francisco.

Generally speaking, I really enjoy travelling - and in the couple of weeks leading up to our recent vacation I made an effort to remind myself of that by posting happy memories of past trips and souvenirs on Instagram.

For some of the posts, I went into the way, way back machine...like glass Donald Duck earrings from a trip to Disney World when I was about 15.

I still wear them, especially when attending Crafternoon events with my friend, Emily, who loves all things Disney!

Or these scrimshaw earrings that belonged to my mom and were purchased on a family trip to Boston sometime in the mid-1970s, when my father was attending meetings at MIT for the Department of Energy.


I was a little surprised to see how many pairs of souvenir pairs of earrings I have from the Boston area. In addition to the scrimshaws, I have a pair of beautiful black opals from my cousin's wedding weekend (in 2012!), and multiple pairs from our family vacation on Cape Cod.


I've written about some of my more recent adventures in previous blog posts - like our trip to Rehoboth Beach two years ago (the last time we were able to get all the kiddos in one place for more than a couple of days) - where I picked up two pairs of new earrings, and met my online jeweler friend, Hannah Long, in real life!

Some of the posts were more of a stretch - two weeks turns out to be a long time when you are posting a different piece and place every day.  So, I shared my UVa class ring and jewelry and a few pieces that I took on trips, so they weren't exactly souvenirs.

It was definitely a positive exercise, and reminded me of how much fun it is to see friends, family and new places.  Visit my Instagram, or click here to see my interactive map - and all the places and photos that I posted.

I hope you are enjoying your summer making memories and collecting souvenirs.  Our vacation in Napa was wonderful.  I didn't buy any earrings - but I did pick up a couple of cute tea towels!

Until next time.

07.08.19 Another Chapter

We just returned home from a great vacation.  We spent a week in Napa with my mother-in-law, her grandchildren (our adult children) and their partners. It was wonderful to spend time together and appreciate all the good things that have come out of the last 25 years. 

Some years have been better than others.






2003 was a pretty awful year.

That January, we traveled as a family back to Northern Virginia, where I grew up, to unveil my mother's headstone and the end the "official" period of mourning her death.  I put official in quotes, because it took me much, much longer than that to return to some semblance of normal, and not a day goes by that I don't still miss her.

That April, I turned 40 - and despite the big deal people make about it - I wasn't bothered at all.

My husband - with the help of a few of my fabulous girlfriends arranged a wonderful party - I celebrated, I made resolutions about getting more exercise and vowed to come out of my grief induced shell.

One week later I was in a horrible automobile wreck.  Most of the rest of 2003 was spent in pain, and in and out of the offices of doctors, lawyers and physical therapists.


In December of that difficult year, we had our 10th wedding anniversary - and my husband bought me a ring to mark the occasion. A beautiful anniversary band with ten diamonds, ten points each.  He did it with the help of the wonderful staff at Russell Korman. The ring came from Lieberfarb - a family owned jewelry company that specializes in wedding and anniversary bands.

I almost never take these rings off - except to make meatloaf, matzo balls or challah - and I always get compliments on the diamond band.  But, beyond its sparkle, it is a constant reminder of the strength of our marriage, and how fortunate I am to have such a supportive, generous man as my partner in life.

Fast forward 15 years. You might also remember that a couple of years ago, I joined the Women's Jewelry Association. Recently, they set up an online community called WJA Connect, and asked members to introduce themselves.

One of the members is a woman named Ann Arnold, she introduced herself as having grown up in her family's jewelry business - Lieberfarb.  I sent her a note about my ring, and she replied:

Photo credit: Together, Ann Arnold

Thank you so much for sharing! I am sending your message to my dad, it will make his day! Glad you are still enjoying the ring, it warms my heart. 

All my best
Ann

As we continued our email conversation, I learned that her father is a Holocaust survivor and that with him she has written a beautiful and powerful book - TOGETHER - A Journey for Survival.

Photo credit: Together, Ann Arnold

Ann and her father now travel and tell his story.  They are doing important work ensuring that that stories of those who survived - and those who did not - are never forgotten, and that we must all stand up to intolerance and injustice whenever and wherever we see it.

I'm now following Ann and her father on Facebook and Instagram - and you should, too.

I do believe that every piece of jewelry tells a story, and now there is another chapter in the story of my ring - of a family, and a man who endured far more than I did - but still believes in hope, perseverance, and the need for all of us to stand together.

Until next time.

05.20.19 Gold Rush! Kinetic Jewelry 2.0, Part 3

With the hollow forms completed - including making sure the tubing and wires for hanging were the proper length - it was time to start thinking about embellishing the silver teardrops with granules of 18K gold.

At $1,300 an ounce, I didn't just snip off some of my gold wire and fire up the torch...no...I started by getting some comparably sized (20 gauge) copper wire, and experimenting.





I cut pieces of copper wire to different lengths and started playing around with the placement of granules on each side of the form.

I settled on an arrangement that corresponded to my original sketches; a larger, flattened single granule on one side, and three smaller ones along the bottom curve of the opposite side.


I wanted to use the gold granules on both sides of the earrings, so that when the forms spun on the interior rivet wires (the kinetic part) the details on each side might - or might not - match at any given moment.

Once I was happy with the placement, I cut up my gold wire, balled it up into granules, and with De looking over my shoulder, I lit my torch and fused the granules to both sides of each hollow form.



As luck would have it - Melissa, from the Creative Side staff, was in the studio taking photos and video - so I have a short clip of the forms spinning on their rivets, with the gold on both sides.

I was thrilled with the finished earrings, still had some gold - and time - left before the class ended...so I decided to make a simple pendant and add gold granules.

Photo credit: CSJA

I bought a small, oval turquoise from the stone case at Creative Side - I didn't want to invest a lot, in the event it didn't turn out well - and got started.

I built the setting with argentium silver, just like every other pendant I make, and under De's patient supervision, fused the gold granules down to front of the bezel.

The order of assembling a piece of jewelry is always important, because when both fusing and soldering, the fusing has to be done first (because it is as a higher temperature); adding gold simply means that there is another set of metal temperatures to consider.

In keeping with the spirit of the class I put a riveted bail with - gold wire - on the top of the pendant, and was left with just enough gold for one more small granule. I couldn't NOT use that last bit of gold, so I flipped the pendant over, and gave the cactus cut out a flower.

The granule on the back had to be soldered - so as not to melt the joints on the rest of the piece - and gave me the opportunity to work with gold solder in addition to fusing.

In case it's not obvious - I love taking classes at Creative Side...I love making shiny new things, I love learning new techniques, and I really love spending time with the fabulous people - instructors and other students - that make it such a special place.

I'm going to take a break from making and blogging in June, but will be back in early July.

Until then...have fun, stay hydrated and wear sunscreen.