Vintage ring with newly restored cameo

As much as I love doing custom orders or cranking out waxes for more popular pendants, on occasion I find the excuse to do something entirely experimental. I was gifted some lovely costume jewelry last year by JD's grandfather whose wife had been an avid collector. A few of these pieces had the potential to be extremely wearable but were in disrepair. This 10k ring had the most beautiful silver setting with tiny marcasites but one major flaw: a gaping hole where the center stone used to be. After inspecting the makers mark, a quick google search provided the history of the original company and some examples of their jewelry, most of it set with cameos. I decided to make a new one to bring the ring back to life, but I definitely took some artistic license (no women playing harps or the signature human head in profile, as classic as those are). Here's the result!

Spring Accessories

I've been reworking my floral hair picks this spring to include polymer clay blossoms rather than cast bronze. I was looking for a way to resolve the top-heaviness in the cast hyacinths. The new picks are so much lighter and stick comfortably into any hair type. The stems are forged from reclaimed copper cabling, furthering my attempts to incorporate green shop practices. 

 

They are subtle yet whimsical accessories, perfect for the season and any outdoor event you should find yourself attending. Since they are painted hyper-realistically, everyone will assume you're wearing the real thing!

Cute candy collection for Valentine's Day

The freezing temperatures in the Texas Panhandle this month make me balk at the thought of casting outdoors. Investment molds don't like the temperature change experienced in 70 degree weather let alone 28 degrees! So until things warm up slightly I have been focusing my efforts on a collection for Valentine's Day.

These cute candy charms are sculpted in polymer clay and hand painted before being strung on a silver plated chain. I'm offering customizable colours and initials in my Etsy shop. Several styles are available.

This collection is sort of a departure for me stylistically, but I really like the way they came out and with any luck they will be a hit for Valentine's day. Jewelery and candy IS the classic holiday combo!

Blossoming Branches Wedding Band

My fiancé decided he wanted to start wearing his wedding band early (no complaints here!) I worked out a design with him and completed the cast this week. He was quite adamant about his right to a cool ring! Here's how it turned out:

Sweet and whimsical buttercup crown

I would love to see people think about accessories the same way they think about their wedding dress: as something to look glorious in and then be passed down. So many accessories on the market are comprised of pearls and Swarovski crystals wired to a cheap plastic comb. Or feathers and silk flowers hot-glued to a plastic comb. Would you buy a wedding dress if the beading had been hot glued to the bodice? Watching period dramas makes me long for the days of wood, tortoiseshell, and metal hair accessories crafted by hand with the utmost care (items that can still be found at antique stores and estate sales to this day!) I wanted to make my buttercup crown in that spirit of craftsmanship. It was my little pet-project last month which I hope to expand upon.

Autumn Jewelry

Fall has officially made it to West Texas! The leaves are turning some gorgeous shades of yellow and red and it gets pretty nippy at night. I've been compiling some autumn looks using the items in my stock in preparation for my favourite season.

Happy Fall y'all!

Rose Quartz and Sterling Silver Iris Pendant

A couple posts back I shared a commission for a sterling lily pendant I designed around an heirloom tourmaline. I loved the combination of a faceted stone in an elaborate floral setting. This pendant features a lovely, faceted quartz surrounded by two bearded and one Dutch iris (since I can never decide which kind I prefer!) Irises are a flower I associate with my Mom, and this particular stone reminded me of the foggy shimmer that white Iris petals display in the sun.

I am hoping to launch a business Facebook fairly soon (about time, I know...) This pendant along with several higher-end pieces will be featured.

Making Progress: a lovely vintage-style painted hair comb

Moving shop was bound to cause a few delays! Wasps caused the first one by building a forever home in the end of my propane torch (I hope they took out fire insurance). After purchasing an unoccupied torch only to have it not work either, my predictions about slews of new pieces are proving inaccurate for a couple of days at least. I do have something to show for myself which I thought I would share. I introduced a recycled pewter dogwood comb a few months ago for spring, and this new version is painted. It would be a lovely statement piece for a vintage wedding or formal tea. 

I enjoy the look of it so much I think I may have to start offering a painted version of all the designs in my shop! Here's to hoping more work will follow by the end of the week.

Shahmaran Update

I have several new pieces waiting to be cast today, but I just couldn't wait to share this exciting update regarding the last post and my Shahmaran wax. The original I carved for Omerli-CATOM in Southeastern Turkey has not only cast beautifully, but it is also being produced in both silver and pewter for use by the CATOM's artisans. Please check out the project website, created by Turkcraft design consultants James and Umut, where you can see examples of the exquisite micro-crochet and embroidery (a teaser below). My Shahmaran charms will be used in jewelry and as embellishments on their textiles. I will continue to update as the project commences.

Latest Custom Work

I'm getting settled in here in West Texas, and am hoping to open up my etsy shop and resume production to stores within the week. Here is just a taste of some of the custom work I was able to complete before leaving...

This sterling silver pendant features a special, heirloom tourmaline. I carved the lily setting in wax and cast it the day before I packed up my kiln! 

This was an interesting order. I carved this wax of "Sahmaran" a figure from Turkish folklore, to be cast and used in the artwork, jewelry and textiles of a women's art collective in Turkey. As you can see it's a fairly tiny figure! I was excited to be asked to participate in this project and will have more information as it progresses.

In the meantime, I'm just working on setting up my equipment! I will be starting to cast pieces for fall and winter weddings in the coming month, so be sure to have a browse around my etsy shop.