And here it is!
The finished piece! I used a bit of light blue gilder's paste on the front to give it a bit of color. The design was cleaned up a bit more after this picture was taken, and was given to my mom soon after. I forgot to get a true final picture.
This one was a lot of fun to make, even with all the troubles. I had to saw the two pieces apart once after accidentally soldering it closed. There was also the frustration in getting the hinge properly attached. The two outer knuckles of the hinge had to be attached to one plate, while the middle hinge was attached to the other and yet they needed to be soldered perfectly in line in order to fit the hinge pin. *whew!*
I really want to try making one of these again on my own, but I'll definitely need to acquire quite a few tools before that can happen. Ah, well!
Oh, and I should mention... I got a great shine on this piece after putting it in a tumbler with stainless steel shot and some dawn soap for a half hour or so. Definitely an important finishing step if you want your piece to really sparkle!
Here it is! Rivet and all!
An exciting first project. I already have a few more planned that I will have to make as soon as I can get my own jeweler's saw and the rest of the equipment. As for my next class, we are going to make a silver ring and I have to start thinking on the design for it.
Oh, here is an excellent video tutorial for riveting!
Argh! I can't believe I am already behind so early in the game! I am afraid first vacation and then sickness distracted me from posting here.
Ah, well. Time to play catch up!
Here was my project for Week #3! It was actually a belated Christmas present made from crackle glass, copper wire, and a lavender chalcedony drop.
This was my project for Week #4. Copper, garnet, and carnelian. It was actually a practice piece for a sterling silver pendant, but I think I actually like this one better!
Aaaaaaand Week #5! I crafted up a pair of heart earrings!
Whooo! Sorry for the project crunch! Still have to post one for this week. I don't have any more updates at the moment. I really need to finish getting together the supplies for my next tutorial project!
Finished two! Yay!
Here are my first attempts. I actually really like the way these turned out! The hardest part about making these is finding the right size to clip on to the ear. The first one I made (not pictured) was actually waaaay too small. These turned out just right!
I decided to add a garnet bead to the second one I made. Just a bit of extra ornamentation!
Definitely going to have to play with these more!
Oh, and the picture above? Extremely hard to take when you are wearing the ear piece and trying to take the picture at the same time!!
Here is another wire wrapped labradorite pendant! This time I added in a bit of copper and I am really loving the effect!
Additionally I have been trying a new type of crafting. Recently my boyfriend has become interested in brewing. It is an interesting process, so I am going to try a bit of brewing myself. He likes to make beer, but I am interested more in wines and mead, so this weekend I am going to start the process of creating a Maple Mead. I found the recipe here. Should be interesting and I definitely can't wait for the taste testing!
Here are a few of my finished items using oxidization. I just love how it makes a wire wrapped piece look so elegant! I think I am going to keep doing this technique with future pieces I make. It gives them a depth that you don't see in a normal polished piece.
