A great day out

Penny and I had an awesome day on Friday.
Penny had run out of silver. To order sterling silver plate or wire you need to wait 2 - 3 weeks for your order to be made up. Being an artist Penny couldn't wait that long. - So after phoning around she managed to contact the refinery who put her on to a local jeweller - Terry - who was willing to let us use his rolling mill to make our own plate.
I was not going to let Penny have all the fun so I went along for the ride.
First we went to the refinery to pick up the silver. Fine silver granules are so pretty. Sterling silver granules arent that pretty. We were thrown a little when the woman behind the counter asked us if we wanted sterling silver with indium or just normal sterling silver. Apparently Sterling silver with indium in it doesnt tarnish as quickly as sterling with copper.
There weren't enough sterling granules for both of us (yes I wanted some too) so I bought fine silver granules and Penny bought half sterling and half fine silver. We bought copper to add to our fine silver and then on to our next stop. Where we learnt that Terry doesnt add copper to his silver because of the fire scale - he adds brass instead. So we only turned Pennys sterling granules into plate.
I was surprised at how quick the process took I was prepared for a couple of hours work.
All in all the whole day was so educational and I still have my pretty sterling silver granules which I am saving for the day I get my own rolling mill. Because now that I have silver granules I need a rolling mill even more then ever.

pierced pendant with resin background

One of the things I need to work on is my piercing.

This was my piercing practice piece.

I drew the motive on my pc. glued it onto my copper sheet and drilled and sawed it out.

Then I made metal frame out of copper and soldered a small bit of tube to the frame. I wrapped clear packaging tape around a piece of glass and stuck the pierced piece to the back of the glass. I then placed my frame on the top of the piece of glass on the tape above the pierced piece so that I could see where to place the three little tubes.The three little tubes needed to be exactly above the 3 holes I had driilled as I intended to rivet my pierced piece to my resin piece.

I then filled my frame with resin, let it set, cleaned it all up

and riveted the piece together then cleaned it all up again and oxidised it.

That is cutting a very long story short.

This piece was a real challenge for me to complete as I came across obstacles in nearly every step.

a square clasp

Finally I have made a clasp for Steves bracelet.

I wanted something masculine and I didnt want to buy a clasp because I always think a bought clasp looks wrong after all the effort that goes into making a chain.

So I made this one out of sterling silver tube.

another teachers present

I think these are made with carnelian stones -the stones have bands of colour so they could be agate. I never really know.

They are made with sterling silver the with a border of twisted copper and silver wire.

After twisting the wire I pulled it through my square draw plate.

blue earrings

Here are a pair of earrings I made for teachers presents.

I think they look better in reality.

I was told that the stones were chalcedony so I came home to look it up only to realise that chalcedony is such a broad term so I am really none the wiser. I wish the information was more specific.

sterling and resin hearts

These still need a little cleanup.

and I may teture the flat part. but I love the way they turn when you wear them and show you all different "faces" to them.

30 november 2007

I decided to texture the face of these I am very happy with the way they turned out.

quick pearl earrings

I made these the morning before a show.

They were meant to be quick but nothing is ever "quick" with me.

I made the head pins myself. I forgot to check that the wire went through the pearls before I made the headpins. so they never fitted. So I then had to draw down some wire so that it would go through the pearls and make more headpins.

I made the chain and ear hooks too. I would have soldered the chain but I ran out of time.