Colorful abstract geometric enamel cloisonne art pendant

Tuesday marked my last enameling class at the 92nd Street Y. Though I was disappointed for it to end, I begin my new enameling class in Brooklyn on Monday.

I absolutely love enameling. As frustrated as metalsmithing makes me, enameling makes me happy. I love the whole process and that satisfied feeling you get when you pull a "baked" piece from the kiln and see your colors turned to beautiful glass.

It generally takes me about three hours to do a small piece, so I had just enough time to finish one more art pendant in class:

Once again, I was very obviously inspired by my love of modern art. But though the blocks of color look randomly set up, I took a lot of time to arrange the cloisonne wire in the exact pattern that I wanted. I think that's part of why I enjoy this art; because using cloisonne is a bit like wire wrapping. You have to shape and arrange the wire in the way that you want it to appear. However, instead of actually wrapping the wire, the cloisonne fuses to the enamel when fired. And there's no soldering involved -- woo hoo!

In my last piece, I felt that I hadn't added quite enough black enamel onto the pendant so I made sure to apply enough coats this time around. I like the glossy, smooth finish of the colors. I was afraid that the oval shape would make this look like an Easter egg, so I avoided using too much pink or yellow -- and I've been assured that the pendant doesn't look egg-like!

To finish the piece, I made a chunky chain out of 16 gauge fine silver wire. Overall, the piece involved a lot of labor and material, but I had a great time making it. I'm anxious for Monday to arrive!

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations.

Mixed metal jewelry designs

After having such a good experience at the craft fair this weekend, I decided to go ahead and finish the jewelry projects that I'd started in class. I could wait until I begin advanced metalsmithing tomorrow and work on my pieces at the school, but I'd rather put them behind me and work on something new. Besides, I'm happy with the way my stuff turned out. My last teacher would probably say that they're not shiny enough and would criticize me for not soldering the jumprings, but I think they're pretty and would proudly wear them.

I made an abstract copper pendant with a silver bezel and blue glass cabochon:

And then made a pair of abstract copper earrings with silver earring hooks:

The earrings are actually made of material that was leftover from the pendant. I spent over an hour hammering a sheet of copper to get that textured design and had a lot left over after sawing out the disc. I didn't want the rest to go to waste and had just enough to make a cute pair of earrings.

Carving out the designs with a jeweler's saw was a challenge, but I'm getting the hang out it. The hardest part, believe it or not, was sawing out the circle for the pendant. I was so careful with it because I wanted to keep it round and not accidentally saw into the space, so it took me forever to finish it.

I'm happy with my work, though. I may not be the best metalsmith -- yet -- but I like how my stuff came out. And really, that's all I can ask for, right?

To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs.