MEOW! Photo Gallery: Cat-inspired wire wrapped, enamel and precious metal clay jewelry

If you've read this blog for a while, then it's pretty obvious that I'm a crazy cat person. We've had cats since 1999 and my favorite feline, Maya, is often my muse for jewelry pieces. My children's line, MayaGirl Creations, is even named for her!

I've designed a lot of cat jewelry, including an enamel cat necklace, a precious metal clay cat pendant and even wire wrapped earrings shaped like cats! The PMC necklace was sold to my friend's aunt, who is also a cat lover; I got a kick out of seeing her wear it to a Christmas party a few weeks ago. That cat pictured with the necklace is my Maya. She likes to supervise while I'm working...

So if you love cats, head to my shops Naomi's Designs and MayaGirl Creations. You'll find the purrrrrfect piece.

Poor, misunderstood precious metal clay

A couple of summers ago, I took a class in working with precious metal clay. The course was only six weeks long, but I really enjoyed it. There was something very satisfying about digging into that clay and getting my fingers dirty.

Precious metal clay (or PMC at it's known) is a clay that's 99 percent fine silver. When you bake the clay in a kiln, the binders and water are dried out and you're left with a piece of silver. It's a great substance to use for making jewelry.

During my time in that class, I made several pairs of earrings and a few pendants. I made my clay go far. Unfortunately, PMC is REALLY expensive. For about $50, you get a tiny hunk of clay that's the size of a marble. You can stretch the clay -- literally and figuratively -- to be used for a couple of items, but if you want to make anything large, you need a lot of clay. I went through a few packs of clay; so far, it's been my most expensive class at the Y.

I've managed to sell most of my enamel and metal pieces that I've made in class, but I haven't had the same luck with my PMC jewelry. I get a lot of admirers at craft fairs -- "Oh, this is nice! Is it silver?" -- but people seem to balk when I explain that yes, it is silver, but it's silver clay. Maybe people don't like the idea of wearing clay jewelry? I don't know. I'm tempted to just say that my pieces are silver and leave it at that because I'd technically be telling the truth... but then I'd feel guilty about my lie of omission. I always like to share how my pieces were made and what materials were used. It's part of the fun of selling handmade things!

I haven't taken another PMC class because it just costs too much money to do something for fun. I'm all for making jewelry simply for the love of designing, but we also have to pay our rent. But maybe this will be the year that my PMC pieces get some love....

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

Craft Fair Disappointment

Today was the Autism Speaks charity event and the in-person debut of my kids' line, MayaGirl Creations. The fair was held in the basement of a nearby church and was set up to be a really nice event. There was a live reggae band, a fashion show, an arts and crafts table for the kids and a dozen vendors. Unfortunately, hardly anyone attended. There were about 50 people there, but almost all were somehow involved in the fair itself. They only got a handful of traffic.

Despite the low turnout and despite the fact that I made a nice donation to the cause, I still managed to turn a small profit. It was disappointing, though, to have so few people. Had my friend been able to hold the fair in the church yard instead of the basement, she probably would've had much more traffic, but she explained that she didn't have the insurance to run an event outdoors. Apparently, if a kid gets hurt outside, for example, there can be a suit and, I guess, the church isn't covered. That sounds ridiculous to me, but that's our country for you.

My friend, the organizer, was disappointed with the numbers for today, but she still did a great job in setting things up. This friend, by the way, is the same woman who helped me out when I broke my leg a couple of years ago. And it was my broken leg that led to me making jewelry (it was something to do while laid up in bed), so in a way doing this fair was like coming full circle. No, I didn't make a whole lot, but people did seem to like my pieces. I did sell a couple of precious metal clay and enamel pieces, so I was pleased to move those. As I've said before, my "unique" pieces sell better in fairs than they do online -- and this again proved to be the case.

There was one little girl who was obsessed with my stuff and kept coming over to try things on. Turns out, her name is Maya! So she was thrilled when I told her the name of my line. She was upset, though, when her mom wouldn't let her buy earrings due to allergies. Instead, she got a ring, but I know that she had her heart set on the earrings. Maybe when she's older, her ears won't get as irritated.

There were several women who admired stuff at my table, were like, "Ooh, it's between these two, I'll be back..." and then, of course, never returned. Have I mentioned how frustrating that is? I understand it to some degree when you're at a large fair and you want to check out the hundred or so tables before making a decision. But at this fair, there were only a handful of vendors! Basically, you just had to spin around to see everything. So it was annoying when they walked away and forgot about me. I mean, I spent all week working my butt off on these items, I was completely lowballing the price AND part of my profits went to the cause. Plus, these women kept going on about how they "loved" my work. Know what? For $10 or $15, just buy the damned thing! I'm not selling the Crown Jewels; I'm selling costume jewelry. I'm not saying to waste your money or to purchase something just for the heck of it. Not at all. Times are tough and many need to be frugal. But if you're PLANNING to buy something, just do it, especially if you're at a fair and it's a handmade item that an artist worked hard to complete. It's so discouraging for us to think that we've made a sale ... and then nada. So next time you go to a fair and are all set to buy some item that you "love" don't hem and haw, and get distracted and forget. Buy it and show some respect for the artist.

Anyway, time to get off my soap box. Like I said, I made a small profit and made some money for a great charity so all in all, it was a successful day. I'd definitely work with this friend again and will do what I can to help her get more of an audience.

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

Fall Jewelry Classes!

It's only the middle of July, but it's already time to register for fall classes at the 92nd Street Y. Though I've enjoyed taking my enamel class at Fitzgerald Jewelers in Brooklyn, I miss going to the Y. I prefer being in Manhattan, plus it's a much more professional environment. The teachers at Fitzgerald have been wonderful and are so, so talented, but the equipment is lacking. We're basically taking the class in the store whereas the classrooms at the Y are specifically set up to be studios.

I definitely plan to take enameling and precious metal clay again. I really liked both and especially enjoy working with enamel. This time, the class will be 15 sessions long, so I'll really get to know the ins and outs of this art. I'll have a chance to do some more intricate cloisonne work, just in time for the holiday craft fair season.

PMC is more of a fun class for me. It's only seven sessions, but I love the teacher and managed to make a lot of pieces in her last class. This is a very relaxing thing to do, and I need that sometimes.

Now my big question is, do I take a third class? Fall is going to be busy with craft fairs and travel and whatnot, but so many classes look interesting! I DO NOT plan to take anything that involves metalsmithing; I need a break from that. But I am thinking of taking wax carving. When you carve in wax, you can get a mold cast and then make hundreds of the same piece. It's a step for mass production. Much as I like making every piece by hand, this method would open up some opportunities for me, especially if I'd like to sell to stores. Plus, it seems like it would be fun to carve little wax sculptures. So I have this class marked for consideration.

I have to say, my time at the Y has been very productive. Here's a look back at the pieces I've made there:

Chunky silver ring:

Mixed metal stacking rings in copper and fine silver with blue cabochons:

Enamel and cloisonne pendants:

Copper pendant and earrings:

Precious metal clay pendants and earrings:

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

More precious metal clay fine silver earrings

I finally got around to finishing the precious metal clay earrings that I'd made in my pmc class. Working with pmc is fun, but it requires a lot of filing and fine tuning to get the rough edges out of the finished product. But here are my three new pairs of pmc earrings:

When making the leaf earrings, I tried to make the leaves look as realistic as possible. Many people will cover actual leaves with a pmc slurry; the leaf then burns away when fired, leaving a leaf cast. However, I made these freehand and carved out the little veins myself.

The square earrings have a fun geometric pattern in them. That was me just playing around with shapes and textures, but I think they look a bit tribal.

I also textured the triangle earrings with what looks like a pattern of scales. Looking at them on this page, the earrings really look like little fins or dragon tails!

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

Funky fine silver earrings made of pmc

I had so much fun in my precious metal clay class! Working with this material is just so relaxing and you can do so much with it. The class was tiny (only four people), but our teacher was great and the other students were interesting.

I managed to make so many pieces during the six week semester and was admittedly very business-minded. I wasn't too experimental; I made many pendants and earrings, things that people would actually wear and that I could sell. The other students, however, made some crazy stuff! One woman made a small pmc basket and then filled it with little baby figurines (which she attached using resin). And just because it wasn't creepy enough, she filled their eyes with cubic zirconias. Meanwhile, the guy in our class had this plan to make a piece with doll eyes (what is it with creepy doll parts?), but ended up making pmc thistles and peanuts. He did so by covering the items with thick coats of pmc slurry; then when you bake them, the items burn out and the precious metal clay cast of the item is left over. Neat!

I felt a little boring making my pretty earrings, but I just wasn't up for making pmc clown heads or something. I wanted something a bit more ... mainstream. Still, I did joke about my items. They had to be dried before they could be put in the kiln so we'd stick our pieces in a toaster for a few minutes. So I'd say things like, "Time to bake the butterflies," or "Time to cook the cat heads." I think we all had a macabre sense of humor!

Here are some of the fine silver earrings I made in this class, all of which I listed at MayaGirl Creations:

I definitely plan to take another pmc class come October when the Y resumes classes. I don't understand why it isn't more popular, but hey, more equipment for me!

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

Fine silver pendant necklaces made of precious metal clay

For as much time as it took me to make pieces in metalsmithing, working with precious metal clay means more "instant" gratification. Sure, skill and time are still necessary if you want to complete a nice piece, but the process is so much quicker, which I love. The way precious metal clay works is when you fire it, you burn out the water and binder ... leaving a pure silver piece of jewelry. It's very cool.

I've now made several pieces from pmc. Here is a look at them:

This one has kind of a tribal inspired design. The shape is a little rough and organic looking, but I think it works with the bold swirls.

This is my music lovers' pendant into which I carved a treble clef and music notes. It's simple, but pretty.

Here's my kitty cat pendant necklace. I'm proud to say that I carved the cat freehand -- no stencils or patterns or cutters were used to make him.

These are my favorite so far of my pmc jewelry. These little discs are so simple, but delicate and the little design adds some texture.

I already have ideas for my next few pieces, so stay tuned! To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs. To purchase my children's jewelry, head to MayaGirl Creations.

Enameling And Precious Metal Clay Class, Part II: Works In Progress

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm not the best at metalsmithing, but I'm loving my enameling and precious metal clay classes. Both are so much fun and the time flies by.

Making enameled jewelry is a lot like painting with water colors. This week, our teacher showed us how to wet pack the powdered glass so we could paint it onto a test strip. You add a drop of water to the glass and it turns it into a paint-like substance; you then use a brush to dab it onto the surface you intend to enamel.

In our case, we're currently working on copper test strips. We cut a piece of copper and covered part with clear flux and part with white enamel. We then painted glass colors on top to see how each colors looks against the various backgrounds. The colors pop against the white, but are more subdued against the copper. By using the test strip we can see how the colors appear so that we can make a more informed choice when we actually start a true enameling project.

Even though this is just a test strip, I still think this is really pretty!

The shiny flakes are pure silver foil. It's so fine that you can add a little water, take a brush and just stick it to the strip. I definitely want to find a way to include some foil as an accent. As for the test strip itself, I really want to do something with it -- maybe turn it into a pin.

While enameled jewelry involves painting, working with PMC involves sculpting. We finally got to play with the clay in our last class and I got so involved in my work, I completely zoned out. The teacher was even like, "Wow, you're so quiet!" But I made an organic-looking pendant into which I carved a little spiral design, and also made little round earrings. The earrings are still with my teacher, but we had time to fire up the pendant. It's not yet finished as it needs to be oxidized and polished; right now it looks like a gray lump. But here's a preview:

Since it took so much work to make a little ring in my first metalsmithing class, it's nice to take a class where you can get results pretty quickly. Not that I mind working hard, but sometimes it's nice to get some instant gratification! I'm definitely repeating these classes in the fall because I'm having such a good time. But for now, I'm glad I'm at least getting an introduction.

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

Precious Metal Clay Class, Part I

I had my third class today, which was precious metal clay. I think I'm in love! I used to enjoy working with clay as a child, so I feel as if I'm getting to play.

What's nice about working with PMC is that there's so much freedom. You can create almost anything, it seems. The teacher was showing us all of the molds and textures that we can work with, and it was almost overwhelming to realize all of the possibilities. The instructor showed us how to make our own molds or textured designs and shared stories about projects that her other students had completed. One covered a beetle in slurry and clay, fired it up ... and had a silver beetle. Interesting, but I think I'll skip that one!

The only downside to PMC is that it's expensive! It is silver, after all, and a few ounces of it costs $57 USD. Crazy! I have some at home -- I purchased a kit a few years ago and never opened it -- so I finally took out the clay. I couldn't believe how little an amount there is. You can make maybe one or two things with it.

Still, what's great is that if you mess up, you can roll the clay back up and start over. If the clay dries out, you can add water and make it soft again. I like being able to do a trial run on designs without having to waste metal or wire.

I practiced making some piece, but I still need to get the hang of making my own mold. As always, I want to make as much as I can so I'd rather design my own textures than use ready-made ones. So I carved an intricate design into a bar of soap and rolled the clay on top. Unfortunately, I carved a little too deeply so the clay got stuck in the crevices. I tried again by just lightly scratching a design on the surface, and this time it worked -- I got a nice textured pattern onto the clay.

I don't think I like working with soap, though. She said that she likes Ivory soap because it's flat, but it's really not; plus, it has "Ivory" carved into it, which takes up a lot of space. I'm going to try some other surfaces, maybe a piece of wax, to see what works best.

Our teacher said that a lot of jewelry designers look down on metal clay because they think it's too "arts and crafts-y." I think that's ridiculous. Every medium has its place and if you're making beautiful creations, that's what really matters.

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