06.27.16 Out and About

At the end of last year, I said I hoped that 2016 would be the year that I sold my first piece of jewelry - and I am pleased to report that I've actually sold more than one!  It's one thing to wear my own work, or even to have my daughter or sister in law wearing it...but the idea that other people want me to make jewelry for them is really a dream come true!

Chem Lab 2.0

I wasn't at all surprised when my daughter - who inspired my very first tab set pendant, dubbed the "chem lab" - said she wanted one of her own.  So, I made a second one - and learned (although I should have realized) - that you can never replicate a handmade piece exactly!  She's very pleased with it - and likes telling folks her mom made it for her.  I've now made versions 3.0 and 4.0 - it is far and away my most popular design (to date)!

Lapis and Sterling

Not too long after I finished my Fabrication 101 class and started working in open studio, I was out with one of my dearest friends, wearing my first non-class project, this Lapis pendant. She admired it and asked, could I make one for her.  I said of course, and set about finding a blue stone for my very first commissioned piece!

It didn't take too long to find a lovely sodalite. Because I had continued to work every week in open studio, my skills had  improved, so her piece is a little more refined than my original.  Done in argentium rather than sterling, with a smaller backplate and more embellished bail.

Sodalite and Argentium

Around the same time I was finishing the sodalite piece, I was contacted on Facebook by a friend who had been following the blog - and she said she wanted to buy my amethyst pendant as a birthday present to herself!  I was delighted - and realized that my jewelry was really going to be out there - being seen by people outside my circle of family and friends.

Amethyst and Sterling

Since then I have delivered three commissioned pieces - and have more in the queue!

Labradorite and Argentium.

For this beautiful labradorite, I sat down with the buyer and talked about what she wanted.  I had a selection of stones, and she chose one, then I drew sketches for her.  After a discussion about bezel styles and embellishments, she decided that sometimes less is more, and the result is this simple pendant.

Sterling and Citrine hollow form

Most recently I completed and delivered this pair of earrings.  After seeing photos of the hollow form earrings I made in my Fabrication 201 class - a friend asked if I could make them with a different colored stone.  We discussed what she wanted - she chose yellow citrine - so that's what I did.  It was fun to revisit the skills I learned in that class - I made these earrings in sterling, but my plan is to move to argentium, so my next pair will be a somewhat new experience.

I'm so excited - and humbled - that people have asked me to make jewelry for them, or someone important to them. I look forward to putting more of my work, and myself, out there one piece at a time.

Until next time.