A Personal Project

This week I've been working on a special personal project, a necklace to honor the memory of my dog who died on March 23 at the old age of 16. We had been together since he was just 7-1/2 weeks old, and he had been a constant studio companion since I started my jewelry business. I am grateful for the time we shared together, and I miss him deeply.

For the necklace I created a sterling silver, locket-style piece with his photo etched inside a cupped pendant, to be worn close to the heart. A sterling disc nests within the cupped piece and bears a Native American sentiment that I've handwritten and etched into the metal: "We have walked together in the shadow of a rainbow." These words have special meaning for me and remind me of our years together.

Rest in peace, my sweet boy.

Indiana Artisan Marketplace

While I've taken a bit of a break from blogging this year, I've been busy at work in the studio creating many new pieces. This weekend I'll be exhibiting at the Indiana Artisan Marketplace. If you are within an hour or two of Indianapolis, this event is well worth a road trip. It's a great opportunity to purchase some fantastic artwork from Indiana and Kentucky artists and sample and purchase edibles from the food artisans. Visit the website for details. I hope to see you there!

Green Amethyst :: Ring No. 52

My final ring for the Ring A Week challenge features a 10mm cushion rose cut green amethyst that I've set in sterling silver. I've given the ring a brushed finish. I fell in love with this pale green stone and have decided to keep this ring for myself. It is so comfy and fits perfectly.

Participating in the Ring A Week challenge has been an incredible experience. At times, with a full schedule, it was hard to keep up but I'm so glad I was able to finish in time. I've really enjoyed seeing the creations of other challenge participants. You can see the entire pool of Ring A Week rings on Flickr.

Tension Setting :: Ring A Week No. 51

This is my first attempt at a tension setting, in which the stone is held in place solely by spring tension. I formed the ring from square wire, allowing the two ends to bypass each other to hold a 3mm faceted peridot between them. The shape is not perfect, the band twists just a bit and does not flow quite as I would like, but I still think it looks nice on the finger, since the back of the band is not the focus. It was challenging to spread the two ends apart and insert the tiny peridot, yet incredibly satisfying to hear it snap into place. It seems very secure.

Ovals :: Ring A Week No. 50

For my latest ring, I decided to start with the same basic components as the previous ring, solder them together in the same sequence, but alter the components and finish to change the look of the second ring. After cutting five circles and then cutting smaller circles out of the larger circles, I rolled each piece through my rolling mill to create ovals. I then soldered them together. I oxidized the larger, open ovals for contrast and gave the small ovals a bright, brushed finish. I really like the effect. Below are the two rings side by side.

Circles :: Ring No. 49

For Ring 49, I've cut small circles from larger circles of sterling silver and soldered them all together to make this simple ring. I've given it a brushed finish.

I've fallen just a bit behind with my Ring A Week challenge. (Thanks to my fantastic customers this holiday season has been very, very busy, with not much free time for creating rings!) I still intend to meet my goal of creating 52 rings by year end--three more to go! Stay tuned....

Walnut Nautilus Ring :: Ring A Week No. 48

One of my first rings for the Ring A Week Challenge was a ring made of wood. As I near the end of this year-long challenge, I've again revisited wood for one of my final pieces. I've hand cut and shaped this walnut ring, giving it a soft, smooth finish. I then etched my tiny hand drawn nautilus shell design into a small sterling silver circle. It is soldered to a post that is inserted and secured in the wood shank.