More Earrings

I had some time today, so I made a few more pair of earrings. These were some beads I had hanging around, I don't really know what they are. I needed some ear wires so I made some based on this tutorial.



This is a simple set of 4, 6MM hematite beads.


These were hanging around, don't know what they are, but I really like these. I made these ear wires also. Once you get the hang of it, making ear wires is pretty simple.


A little different this time, two beads on opposite ends, lightly hammered to strengthen the curve, homemade ear wires.

New Earrings

These would be a new pair of earrings to go along with the bracelet I made. These are very simple to make. Each one consists of two 8MM hematite beads. To make the earring I cut a small piece of 1.0MM round wire about 40CM long. I heated the end of the wire to form a ball, then popped on the beads and made a loop with round nose pliers. Couldn't be any easier.

A new design

Helen asked me what I am planning for my next project. I just made a couple pair of earrings (photos to come soon) but longer term I want to learn CAD/CAM. Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing. In one of my previous jobs I worked with a guy who had a milling machine and it was fascinating watching him create things out of blocks of metal.

There are few different disciplines to learn and master on the path to understanding CAD/CAM. Here is a nice explanation of what is involved.

It's common to think of a metalsmith as hammer and anvil, torch and metal. CAD/CAM design and production places the metalsmith's artistry in a new location, the computer lab and machine shop. Do these techniques make you any less of a traditional metalsmith or more of a metalsmith? Does working in the same medium where you could as easily design a door knob or pair of shoes take away from the experience of being a metalsmith?

Bracelet Complete

Well, I did finish the bracelet. It came out OK, not as well as I had hoped. For the stone settings I used some prefab ones I had purchased from RioGrande. They were a bit stiff, and not exactly the correct size for the 8mm X 10 mm Hematite stones. Next time I will build my own bezels.

A New Bracelet

If I can get it together, this will be a new bracelelt for my wife. It's about 7.5 inches long and will contain 8 Hematite cabs.

I Suffer For My Art

Last weekend I was supposed to attend a workshop on setting faceted stones at League of NH Craftsmen's Studio in Hanover, NH. But, because of the weather, it was rescheduled for late March. So, with a little unexpected time at home, I decided to play around with an idea I got from the latest issue of Art Jewelry http://www.artjewelrymag.com/art/default.aspx. I've been obsessed with hollow forms and when I saw the cover of this 'zine, I was taken with the idea of enclosing space this way. Here's a photo of the first, second and third attempts at a hoop earring using wrapped wire to enclose the space. I'm still not satisfied, but it was kind of fun to do....except when I used my pliers to pull a wire taught and the pliers slipped and I hit myself in the mouth - hard!! I didn't see stars, but I did actually see $(@#)&^&$*## and today I have a fat lip to show for my efforts. So, yeah I truly do suffer for my art.

Now, I am not at all sure where this is going. A lot of times, I'll see something and feel compelled to give it a try and then put it down and the idea submerges and incubuates for a while and will come around again at a later date. Today, I'm going back to working on the space debris project I posted last time around. I spent all of class last Tuesday getting the post set on the flap and expirementing with the catch. I think I've come up with a gauge and dimensions that will work and now have to shape the catch, grind away a bit of one layer on the bead to make some room for it and then solder it in place. I'll post the finished work when it's complete...whether I'm successful or not.