IT'S DONE!!! Prong setting!

Fabricated prong setting, using a 12mm amethyst from my Grandmother, and sterling silver wire. 

I made a stone setting sample before I made this final product, which helped measure the size of the basket setting. 

Stone Setting!!!@&%#%!@!!%&&%@

I am very excited to be doing my first fabricated prong stone setting. This is an amethyst handed down to me through my Aunt Barbara from my Grandmother. It was in a temporary gold-plated prong set ring. I took it out and started to measure a ring and prongs in sterling silver to fit the stone.

I used 18 gauge wire. 

this is a 12mm stone which I thought would be interesting to set. It was a challenge because the stone has such a dramatic shape. I enjoyed getting used to the angles as well as fitting the stone in its proper home. Something that really adds to the learning experience is that the stone is sentimental to me.

Lost-Wax casting II

Hi! Here is a photo of the two wax molds, sprued up, right before investment (a hard type plaster which covers wax molds so they can be burnt out, to leave negative space behind).

Here is a photo of the two pieces after casting, it was a wonderful success because wax castings do not always come out!

I enjoy carving wax, although it is tedious it is incredibly satisfying after casting. Clean up is hard work, however I appreciate it because I am in control and  I just purchased diamond burs so I have the proper tools to get into the small spaces. 

Lost-Wax Casting

One of my favorite methods for an extremely satisfying product is lost-wax casting. Here I have carved two rings out of the green wax (which is harder), and in red I have sprues which are pathways for the hot metal to reach the ring mold.

These two pieces came out successfully (as I will show in the next post). It is important to do the weight conversion correctly so that you use the correct amount of sterling silver for the casting.

When casting you will always use more sterling than is required because you must put the ring on a "stand" (sprues and a button).

Student sale is poppin'

Hammered brass cuff bracelets for the student sale. I used 18 gauge which ended up being too thin. Don't forget to make a sample, learn from your mistakes, then make some more!

I made 5 cuff bracelets, and I remembered to make an extra small one for the sale, just in case!
I love photographing my pieces, its important to be proud, and to learn.

Flush Setting

      Flush setting is not easy. It is the most simple-looking stone setting and yet it took a while to accompllish! This piece was inspired by a mosquito. I have an interesting obsession with turning ugly things into beautiful things and often I end up being influenced by insects and creatures. 

     My favorite part about flush setting is that you do not solder a tube for the setting; you drill the hold for the stone! I chose to make cubic-zarconia eyes for this mosquito!

As usual, I keep up with my high polish because of how attractive it is!

Any suggestions for ideas??!

Best part of being a bench jeweler is that you can wear your work. Tell me of a history student that normally would wear their project on a ring??

One of the toughest things is keeping your work in good condition. Whether it be keeping brass jewelry polished without oxidizing, or resisting to wear your sterling silver ring because you feel guilty about the scratches! 

The Wu-tang ring I cut out of brass and soldered in 3 spots, it is a two finger ring!

My 3-D triple tube setting Brass ring can be seen on the left at an angle, 

My second lost-was cast sterling silver ring with orange cubic-zarconia on the bottom.

Also there is a spinning sterling silver band with flush set opals (I did not make this ring) I purchased this at TJ Maxx, surprisingly. 

I would love to make a spinning band! Any suggestions?

Don't forget to have some fun...

Look at this awesome face shield I scored! I am so proud of it, Thanks, Tara!!!

Taking advantage of all available resources is key. My close friend and co-worker gave me this precious gem for my birthday recently and I am thankful for it:

The Complete Metalsmith is reliable, and trusty. I enjoy looking through it as much as I enjoy using it to look up important information. Its a weird feeling to enjoy hard work but once you've found your career path, you can expect enjoyable earnings. 

Presentation

I have found that the further I get in my career, the more presentation becomes a factor in my work. I posted this three finger ring prior to this, however I did not submit a final picture because a progress picture is much different then a final picture. Although this photograph comes from my Galaxy S5, the presentation is still taken into consideration. I did also make the "middie" band on my index finger, it is made small to fit on that part of your finger.

If you care about your work, you should care about the presentation. Make sure it is clear, thoughtful and obviously it must display your work effectively! 

Being a student...

As a student, you realize there is actually no such thing as spare time. I have been wanting to make a piece with my name on it (silly, I know) since I started in jewelry. As cliche as it can be, I love bold gold jewelry with words in calligraphy. I imitated this style in 18 gauge brass by making a three finger ring with my name, Briana!

Although it is my job to break away from the ordinary, it is empowering to be able to effortlessly recreate a classic design seen almost everywhere, and by hand!!! 

This ring has 6 solder spots as you can see in the third image above. I found that with this three finger ring, I had to take it to the ring stretcher because when sharing three fingers at a time, the sizes actually have to be bigger than your usual sizes to allow for some movement; don't worry, it won't fall off! 

A lot of people question my regular use of brass. I love brass because it is inexpensive and it is my favorite yellow metal color, if not even more yellow in color than filled gold sometimes. Yes, it does turn your finger green, however that goes away after a few wears, and to me it is worth it.

Last Pair!

The fourth pair to complete the earring challenge were hollow forms. Working in my comfort zone, I chose to work with 18 gauge sheet brass. The hooks for the earrings I made out of 20 gauge filled gold wire.

My favorite finish is high polish, I like to use a cloth buffing wheel with Zam compound (Zam can be found on www.riogrande.com) The only problem with these earrings is that with hollow forms, the solder seam should never be visible, or for any forms for that matter. My professor suggested painting the inside for an interesting design aspect but there are many options to be explored. They were a little bit heavy because I chose 18 gauge sheet instead of something like 22 gauge however I enjoy the weight although some people like lighter jewelry. 

Hopefully I can find time to reproduce this design and to solve the problem of the solder seam that is visible! Wish me luck!

Strictly Circular

Yes, I am still posting about the earring challenge! I participated in it this September; the third pair fabricated were circular earrings where the only rule was that we had to use only circles, discs, holes, etc. I still chose to work with 18 gauge sterling silver which allows for great shine, texture, and most importantly for earrings; it is light weight.

For the viewers who are not familiar with metal work, I always try to include an action shot of before or after of soldering. I hammered most of the circle wires for texture before soldering everything all together. I added jump rings and more circles for movement. I chose to hand form earring hooks also in 18 gauge sterling silver. 

I really enjoyed doing the earring challenge because all of the different rules and guide lines allowed for me to push my design skills and explore areas of design I wouldn't normally push myself to explore. 

Earring Challenge

The first pair of earrings for the earring challenge, as you can see below in the previous post, were focused on found objects in which I chose sea shells. This second pair shown here were focused on line. I chose to work with sterling silver 18 gauge wire, I soldered two mirror imaged structures to form one pair of earrings. 

Earring hooks are the same as the earrings, hand made in 18 gauge sterling. I chose thicker sterling for the structure, although it was risky to use a thick gauge for earrings, 20 gauge is a more common size. I have no problem getting 18 gauge into my piercings so they're okay for me but perhaps if I were to reproduce this pair, I would make the hooks out of 20 or 22 gauge sterling. These were fun and simple and the hardest part was soldering. 

Greetings!

Fall semester is in full gear! Took a moment to share some old and new items that have not yet made an appearance. Starting with four weeks of an earring challenge between classmates, we covered design aspects everywhere from line, to strictly using circles, to setting found objects and the last pair were hollow forms. 

For the found object pair I used a traditional cross prong setting to set seashells on the top and bottom of the earrings, the middle design, I cut out of brass:

In the future I would like to explore this design, perhaps break away from this habitual 2-D earring design and to find a unique way to add more dimension. The found object aspect of this challenge was exciting because, like most artists, I often have sentimental found objects all over the place. To give these seashells a purpose is fun for me and to have fun while designing is the ultimate goal (for me, at least).

Environment: Be Creative... or Breative!

I found this picture of one of my very first fabricated rings, I realized some pictures do not bring out the best qualities in rings. If you want to make a point, be sure the environment and display are visually effective, also keep in mind the type of piece, for example, if it is a necklace, it should be worn in a photo to better display its function.

Display: Is it Visually pleasing?!

Even if its for a short amount of time; make that display pretty! Here is something I whipped up to display my work so far as an undergraduate:

I plan to invest in professional display pieces in the future! Either white leather or black velvet depending on the color of the Jewelry. Metal smithing vessels still in progress but progress shots help to really bring out the most important highlights in a final piece. Something might become more obvious if you see what it looked like before the final stages!

Don't let the copper control you, YOU control the copper!

More progress pictures for Metal Smithing, It is important not to raise over metal that has already hardened. Annealing is a fresh start to resolve any mistakes from previous hammering sessions. 

The fires-scale is pretty gnarly so I make sure I always leave my vessel in the pickle for an appropriate amount of time to prevent any permanent fire scale.

Tongs for red hot metal!

Metal Smithing Progress

Raising vessels: 6 inch vessel, 12 inch vessel, Catenoid in progress:

Heat management is a key factor as always, especially when working with such a large flame. It is amazing to work with the metal using such force getting great results! These are half way progress photos, planishing to finish up !

Transformation: Consistent Transition

Making a series can be exciting, especially when you can make improvements with each piece completed.
I was drawn to centipedes and pill bugs, using dimension and geometry I wanted to connect each to look as though they're all related.

Photos for additional 2 pieces are coming soon! This was the most successful of the three fabricated, I learned a lot making broaches, must perfect the pin back!

Inspiration: Where to look?!

Drawn to the creepy 'crawliness' of the centipede, I took a geometric approach to achieve the feel of this creature in an abstract way. Research is key:

Linkage

This piece is a brass necklace linked together using wire and sheet metal. For inspiration, I looked at Ambigram's as a reference. I found one with Gothic lettering that was interesting to me, I changed it and made the design unique.
Rough sketch before fabrication:

     At the end of the elongated middle pieces, i hammered the sheet metal to create wire to allow for linkage/movement.After further discussion/sketches, I decided to avoid the middle pendant and focus on the necklace as a whole. Sketches help me tremendously in the preparation because the order of process is the key to a successful piece. 

Final Product:

Clasp solution (has yet to be soldered):

CLEAN UP CLEAN UP, everybody do your share!

   Working in metals can be laborious and time consuming (of course) but it is always worth it! We can spend as much time cleaning up a piece of work as we spend designing and creating it. Clean up includes rough filing sharp edges/filled in air bubbles. 

   For this ring, filing it to fit a certain ring size can take a while! Also sanding the object with at least 3 different gradients of sand paper. And finally, polishing/stone setting.

Ok, so here is the freshly casted, ROUGH, soon-to-be-stone-set sterling display:

   

   

I used heavy-duty wire cutters to remove the "stand" or cast sprues from the ring. Then I used sanding mandrels and sandpaper to clean it up. As well as a rubber polishing mandrel afterwards to polish it up.