Monday, September 30, 2019

09.30.19 Matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match...

Ever since I started taking classes and making jewelry - going on five years ago - I've had people ask me if I could repair or rework old pieces for them.  My answer was always no, and after repairing one pair of earrings, the answer remains, no. While I have achieved some level of mastery with silver pendants, and I am happy to make custom pieces for folks, the last thing I want to do is mess up something that is important to someone else.

Photo credit: Snooze Eatery
So, when a dear friend came to me earlier this year and asked for my thoughts on pulling diamonds and emeralds out of old pieces, and doing something new with them - I said I'd be happy to look at them with her - but then I was going to refer her to someone else to do the work.

We met for breakfast at Snooze (the food is all good - but I think my favorite is the Spuds Deluxe), got caught up on lives and kids, and started talking about what she wanted to do with all those stones.

There were some inexpensive diamond earrings she had bought for herself, some emerald earrings, and a ring with a large emerald and some fabulous baguette diamonds.  She was no longer wearing any of it - and she wanted some new pieces that she would wear!

Photo credit: De Pastel
I knew before we had finished our conversation that I was going to put her in touch with De Pastel. You'll recognize De's name from lots of posts - she was my instructor for Fabrication 201, and both kinetic jewelry classes.  She's an amazing metalsmith, and has become a great friend.

Not long after we had breakfast De was in possession of my friend's jewelry, and the process of deconstruction began in earnest.  I also got to be a virtual fly on the wall as the new designs began to take shape.
Photo credit: gift recipient



The first piece was a three stone ring, that I knew was going to be a gift for my friend's daughter's birthday.  I got a message from my friend - along with a photograph - when she delivered the finished ring.  Everyone was thrilled!

The remaining stones were set into new earrings, and two more gorgeous rings that my friend kept for herself.

It can be frustrating to have jewelry that you never wear hanging out on your dresser or languishing in a drawer - and it is so satisfying to see great stones in unworn pieces take on new life.

Photo credit: De Pastel
It's also incredibly satisfying when I can connect people in a way that is beneficial to both of them - and strengthens my bond to the jewelry community.  It has been such a joy to watch the process involving two wonderful friends.

I'm excited to get caught up with my friend later this summer - and see all her updated bling in person!

Photo credit: De Pastel




Until next time.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

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.