rivet attempt

I bought a book by Joanna Gollberg that focuses on cold connection.
My goal last weekend was to create a riveted piece. I got side tracked and started making a couple of punches out of steel nails which I got on special from the hardware store.

I made a texture punch. Which lead me to texturing a small piece of silver to death. (annealed three times with hammering in between) Came out great. So I cut off the edges. I then added it to some copper and more silver finally using 2 copper wire rivets. I drew the wire down to just the right size (because I can) and the wire rivets worked perfectly.

My pendant needed a little something. So I soldered a copper bezel to my silver texture.

This is a riveting project so I needed 2 tube rivets to suspend my pendant from.
Tube rivets - what was I thinking? I am going to need a lot of practice at these things.
My first 2 attempts were a huge failure both split - why didn't I practice this first? Ok maybe I can drill these things out and try again.
Try again with a new piece of tube (sterling silver tube bead from local bead shop)
With my first attempt I heated the bead until it looked like it fused closed. This time I solder it properly. and try again. The first one split at the back. - Now I read my book. Perhaps I am hitting a little hard or fast. The next one works but the hole in the middle is a little oval in shape.?
No problem I even the shape out with one of the attachments for my drill. WooHoo works great.

Lttle green stone (was going to be carnelian but I opted for colour instead)

Sand Sand Sand

LOS - need to show off that texture.
Steel wool.
I was going to (might still) Weave/knit a chain for this pendant But I made this chain previously
and it seems to go quite well with the Pendant
So I make a few largish Jumprings with 1mm wire and attach it to my Pendant.

I try not to copy but this pendant looks so familiar that I am almost embarrased to post a pic incase my subconcious has recreated someone elses work of art. Here it is anyway.

Chisel art

OK I am no where near Valentin Yoktov but I had such fun with this.

Now what to do with it?

Bookmark?

I realize now (after posting this on a jewellery forum)

That it is not as obvious to everyone else as it is to me what this is actually meant to be so I googled some pics

A Box

All I made today was a box to put a pendant in.

I used homemade board (not made by me of course)

Lucy's Ring

Yesterday was a public holiday I wanted to play so I did.

I made this ring for Lucy. I dont know what the stone is as she inherited it.

It has a sort of tigers eye effect with very thin yellowish veins running across it.

Anyone out there who reads this by chance and thinks they know what the stone is you are welcome to leave your comments.

disaster

OK that is a bit melodramatic.
I was in my studio experimenting. I really want to be able to make an ingot mold out of charcoal. I was also testing to see just how much silver my small butane torch can melt. (I have a bigger torch but I never use it as it does melt even when you don't want it to.) So I had melted quite a bit of my scrap when I knocked the hot melting piece of metal on to the floor and it shattered into millions of tiny tiny bits of twisted silver.
Unbelievable.
I should have taken a photo once I had gathered all the bits.
because you should have seen it.
It was like broken glass. Really unbelievable.
Next time I am definitely going to be a lot more careful.

Cool tools

This Post is dedicated to my husband who has made me some really cool tools to help with my jewellery making.

Joans Ring

I have been commissioned to make a ring for Joan (My mother in-law) So I spent the day, yesterday making some square wire for the shank.
Isn't it amazing how much more beautiful a piece of wire is when you made it yourself?
Joan has chosen a faceted Rose quartz stone. Still deciding how I am going to set it.

Break

I am having a frustrating break at the moment.
I have a guest for a month and my work room is right above the guest room.
It would be way too noisy to make anything I want to make right now. (which involves a hammer). but watch this space because I have a load of ideas going on in my head which I hope to turn into reality.