Silver and copper bezel stacked rings

My last metalsmithing class was on Tuesday. I've never been so happy to have a "fun" experience end.

I know now after taking metalsmithing classes for the past five months that I just don't care that much for that art. I certainly respect it and now know what goes into making rings and chains, etc., and I defintely came away with some new skills. But I just couldn't get into it.

Part of this is because I don't seem to have any natural abilities when it comes to doing metalsmith work. I could never figure out how to properly solder items and was constantly over or underheating items. Most of my items weren't successfully soldered together or melted under my watch. The only times I "succeeded" was when I had help from my teachers -- and both seemed to realize how untalented I am at this. My last teacher was just plain frustrated with me. This last one was very kind and patient, but even she sort of gave up on me in the end and just did all of my work for me. I just didn't look forward to the class and always felt like an idiot.

I think another reason that I dislike metalsmithing is because it's a very technical art. Granted, making any type of jewelry requires certain skills. However, hen I work with wire, clay or enamel, I can get lost in a project. With metalsmithing, you constantly have to file and fire things and time things ... there's a lot of labor and work that requires you to be on your toes. I just couldn't lose myself and be creative with it.

I haven't fully given up on metalsmithing. One of my jewelry class friends suggested that I get a soldering gun and practice on my own. This way, I won't be under the pressure of getting a project done in time or have to worry about a teacher evaluating my skills. I also won't have any teachers jump in to finish projects for me.

Anyway, I managed to make these silver and gold stacking rings with bezel set stones in my class. I had *a lot* of help, but I did at least 80 percent of the work and they do look cool:

On a funny note, I made up a little song as I used the easy solder (which melts at a lower temperature than hard or medium solder) to attach the bezels. To the tune of Phil Collins "Easy Lover," I sang, "This is easy solder. It'll fuse your ring, believe it. It'll meld your jewelry. Your piece finally will be complete." Hey, I had to find some way to enjoy myself!

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.

Metalsmithing Class Part VIII: Comedy Of Errors

Yesterday was one of those days where just everything went wrong. I didn't get much sleep and then had to get a lot of blood drawn for an upcoming medical exam. And so I stumbled into my jewelry making class bleary-eyed and woozy. I didn't want to miss class because I'm almost done with that darn pendant that I've been working on.

What I didn't realize, though, was HOW out of it I was -- that is, until I began dropping stuff. First, I went to file the end of my bezel (the wire tht's wrapped around a stone in a piece of jewelry) and knocked it onto the floor. I then cut up tiny pieces of solder wire -- and knocked their container over three times! Three! I then went to solder the seam on my bezel and when I went to screw the cap back onto my flux paste, accidentally picked up the little cap in which I'd stored my solder pieces. So that's right, they were dropped again, only this time I dumped them into the paste.

And it doesn't end there. I cut more solder pieces, but they kept falling off of my bezel when I was trying to lay them out over the seam (they're supposed to stick to the paste and then you fire the piece before the flux dries out, but they weren't staying put). I finally got them to stay in place and torched my bezel ... and my teacher pointed out that the seam wasn't lined up. She had to pull the bezel apart to undo the soldering and somehow managed to salvage it. After some cursing and filing and shaping, I redid it and this time, managed to not drop anything before successfully soldering it together. But as soon as I returned to my work station, I went to sand down the edge of the ring -- and yep, dropped it right on the floor!

Bt now, everyone was pretty much laughing at me and my teacher just shrugged and said, "Look, we all have off days." I explained about having had my blood drawn. I mean, I know I'm a klutz, but this was rediculous, even for me.

Still, I managed to make my bezel and didn't accidentally burn down the studio in the process. The good news is, I'm much more comfortable working with fire. The first time I used the torch I was freaked out, but now it seems like much less of a big deal. And the fire turns all sorts of pretty colors....

In other news, I'm officially signed up for my three classes: Metalsmithing II, Enameling I and Precious Metal Clay. I'm really excited for them! My teacher says that the morning classes have a much different feel, that it's kind of like summer camp. I can live with that. I want my classes to be informative, but fun.

Meantime, I'm really glad I'm taking this class, even if I don't like every element of it. I've definitely picked up some interesting new skills and that will only serve me in the long run.

Hopefully, my bezel will be attached to my pendant by next week so I can show a pic of my final product.

Okay, bad joke time: When I attach the bezel, will I be committing emBEZELment? Haha.

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

Metalsmithing Class Part V

We're now down to five students in my metalsmithing class -- and ever since the class got smaller, it's gotten better.

I'm still not done with my ring (I need to sand and clean it), but I needed a break. So in my last class, I began working on my pendant. It's going to be a hammered copper disc with a carved radial design; in the center will be a deep blue stone with a sterling silver bezel wrap. I'm then going to make a silver chain. My original plan was to go with all copper, but the teacher suggested mixing metals.

I spent the last class drafting the design and then hammering the copper. It's amazing how difficult it can be to draw a perfect circle! It seems like it would be so basic, but you need the steadiest of hands. I traced a pill bottle to get the right size and kept slipping a little on the page.I finally got one that looks good, but I was beginning to feel like I was back in kindergarten and just learning how to draw shapes.

Once I did that, I had to chop the metal into smaller pieces with these giant sheers that look like a guillotine. I then hammered the copper so I could create a nice texture on the metal. I don't want the copper to be shiny and smooth; I want it to have a worn and weathered "antique" look. So I spent about an hour pounding the crap out of that metal! Let me tell you, it was a great way to get out my frustrations -- even though my arm was so sore afterward.

Next week, I get to drill and saw my pendant and then comes the fun part: wrapping and soldering the bezel. That's uh, going to be interesting. I'm a little scared because you have to be so precise with it. But I've gotten this far...

Our instructor show us some other cool things you can do with metal like stamp it and create "hemispheres." It's amazing how many options there are and it's fun, but a little overwhelming. I want to try every new skill she's showing us, but I have to pick and choose which techniques are right for each design.

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