Metalsmithing Class Part IV

Last Thursday's class was actually really good -- much better than the first few. Only five students showed up so the teacher seemed to be much more relaxed and was actually able to take the time to show me stuff. She didn't seem to be annoyed with me for asking so many questions, as in the past. Maybe she just works better with a smaller crowd? I know that when I was teaching music, I much preferred one-on-one sessions than a classroom setting.

Anyway. I finally got to solder my ring! Basically, I had to place tiny bits on solder metal on the seam and then torch it. It was really cool watching it melt into place. Now my ring finally, well, looks like a ring. I just have to sand it even and clean and it''ll be finished.

Meantime, I showed my instructor my sketch for my next project, which is going to be a carved pendant with a set stone. She liked my idea and gave me some good suggestions, so I'm eager to get started. I'd really like to take a break from the ring as I've been working on it for several weeks, so I'm looking forward to working on something new. I'm feeling more confident around the tools (even though I'm still a spaz) so I'm less nervous about drilling and sawing out the design. I'll also be learning how to set a stone with bezel wire, so that'll be interesting.

As of now, I think I probably will take Jewelry II next fall. Though this class has been frustrating in some ways, I do like learning the new skills and I enjoy feeling like I accomplished something. I would like to learn how I can solder at home, though.

To see my (as of now) non-soldered jewelry, head to Naomi's Studio or Naomi's Designs on Etsy.

Wire wrapped copper chandelier triangle earrings with blue Swarovski crystals

As I said in a previous post, I've been trying to design more challenging pieces of jewelry. This weekend I finished these wire wrapped copper triangle earrings.

These earrings weren't technically hard to make, but were very labor intensive. Altogether, I had to make 42 little triangles -- 21 on each earring -- so that took a few days to complete. I think they look really cool, though, almost like a waterfall. My original plan was to weave the blue Swarovski crystals throughout, but I think that would have been overkill. I like how they turned out with just the little pop of blue at the top of the triangle cascade.

These chandelier earrings are pretty long at about 3 1/2 inches, but are surprisingly light-weight. I test drove them today while I was cleaning and almost forgot I had them on.

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

Silver wire wrapped chandelier earrings with sapphire blue teardrop crystals, spirals and filigree design

Wow, that's a looong title, but there's a lot going on with these wire wrapped chandelier earrings. These statement earrings were a true labor of love, but I like ho they turned out.

First, I made the filigree pattern - and that was the easy part. I then had to make every spiral, altogether 28. And then I had to made the links with the sapphire blue crystals. Sidenote: these crystals are not Swarovski; they're Celestial Crystals, which are available at Fire Mountain Gems. I love Swarovski, but they can get pricey. Celestial Crystals are also really pretty, but cost a lot less. They also have some different colors and shapes from Swarovski so I like to mix and match.

Anyway, once I had all of the parts, I put together the earrings. I then had to get all of the spirals to hang evenly, which took a lot of cutting and tightening and adjusting.

It took me a couple of weeks to finish these, but it was worth the work. I'm trying to make more complex, challenging pieces and I'm proud of these.

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

My cat, the best jewelry making partner

Okay, time for a silly, cutesy post. I just had to show off some pictures of my baby cat, Maya, who loves to keep me company while I make jewelry.

She's usually very well behaved. She doesn't grab at the wire or bat the beads around, or anything like that. But she does like to watch. So when I was working at the kitchen table, she jumped up to keep me company. She'll often stay there with me for hours. She's such a sweet girl.

For more of my jewelry, head to Naomi's Studio or Naomi's Designs.

Wire wrapped heart earrings with red Swarovski crystal hearts

I've made many earrings with Swarovski crystal hearts, but in this pair, I made the hearts themselves.

For these dangle earrings, I used a simple spiral design to create the interior curve of the hearts, then twisted the wire around to form the rest of the shape. I then attached two and finished them off with the red Swarovski crystal heart. It's a very classic triple heart design, but has an abstract take on it.

What I really love about these earrings is the way the gold and red colors play off of each other. They're very "warm" earrings because of the colors used and they look great with almost anything. I can definitely see pairing them with a little black dress. Sometimes the simplest designs can be the most complex.

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

Wire Wrapped Lava Stone Pendant With Blue Swarovski Crystals And Filigree Design

I call this silver wire wrapped lava stone pendant Dark Side Of The Moon. The way that the wire wrap turned out looks a little like craters to me, which is why I gave it this name.

Lately, I've been experimenting with more complicated wire wraps. I'm trying to do tighter, more detailed designs that take more planning out, and this is an example of one.

I wanted to do some layers on the wire wrap to give it texture, so I had to go back over the initial wrap and add some loops -- but getting them to be in the exact right position took a lot of maneuvering and adjusting. Still, I'm happy with how this came out. I like the little blue Swarovski crystals; they add an extra sparkly touch!

Formore of my jewelry, head to Naomi's Studio or Naomi's Designs.

Metalsmithing Basics Class Part III

My silver ring is finally beginning to look, well, ring-like. I'm not quite up to soldering the ends together, but I'm close.

As everything else with this class, each step was a time-consuming procedure. I don't know if it's just this teacher or the process of metalsmithing in general that accounts for there being so much time to each step; I guess it's a combination of both.

I filed the ends of that ring for what felt like ages and even worked on it over the weekend, but it wasn't smooth enough for the instructor. She ended up filing it to perfection for me. Then I was finally able to heat the metal and soften it so I could mold it into a ring shape. Actually holding the flaming torch was a little scary, but it was cool! I felt like a badass knowing that I was melting down solid silver. I then had to dip it in acid to clean it, which again was a little unnerving, but the silver came out looking nice and shiny.

I then hammered the ring around a mandrel until it formed a round shape. And next class, I should be ready to solder the ends together ... uh, I hope.

I'll admit, I'm still not thrilled with this teacher and I can tell that she doesn't much care for me, either. I can be a dumbass when it comes to using machinery. I need a lot of instruction. But I know this. I know my weakness. I know that I need some extra times being shown how to work stuff, but the thing is, I also know that I WILL eventually get it and then I'll be really adept at using whatever computer, drill, torch, etc. So I ask a lot of questions. I suppose it can be annoying when you have to show someone how to do something multiple times, but I'd rather be annoying than pick up a torch and not feel 100 percent with it. I'd rather be safe and ask the "stupid" question and make sure I know what I'm doing.

Unfortunately, I can tell that this teacher who likes to rush through instructions, is fed up with me. She got a little snippy with me when I asked for the third time which way to turn off the gas on the torch. And you know what? I'll probably ask again. We have these classes a week apart (two weeks since the last, actually, since she went on vacation) and that's plenty of time to forget a procedure, especially when you're dealing with dangerous chemicals and there are multiple steps. So she may not like me for my incompetence, but frankly, she can kiss my ass. I paid good money for this class and I am going to learn the way I want to.

I'm still debating whether I want to take Jewelry II. I'd still like to learn more because I like the actual skill, but this awful teacher has soured me on the classroom environment. I've been watching a lot of videos about soldering and am trying to learn more on my own.

For more of my jewelry, head to Naomi's Studio or Naomi's Designs.