Friday, April 27, 2012
HubPages Article: How To Use A Jeweler's Saw
Check out my latest article on Hubpages: It's a tutorial that tells you how to use a jeweler's saw.
This skill is for the more advanced jeweler, as you also have to have some basic drilling skills. But you can learn them in tandem, as I did.
I'll soon have tutorials on drilling and filing -- not the most exciting topics, but absolutely necessary in the world of jewelry making.
Meantime, to purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
Crazy For Coil Rings!
Guess what I've been up to all week?
Hi, my name is Naomi and I am a wire wrapped coil ring-a-holic!
As funny as this photo is (and kind of creepy; my husband says it looks like a jewelry graveyard), there's a method behind my madness. I've been working overtime making these wire wrapped coil rings in silver, brass and copper for my upcoming craft fair. I've sold a bunch online and off, and people keep marking them as favorites on Etsy, so it seems like a good idea to have a stash ready for the event. I plan to display them in a nice, prominent place and entice buyers with their shiny appearance and wacky designs.
Meantime, I'm very excited because my bracelet ramp arrived today! Yes, I am a total geek about all things jewelry including supplies, but this ramp will make my anodized aluminum bracelets look awesome. I still have to actually make a few more so I have a true display, but I'll show you them when they're finished.
To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
Hi, my name is Naomi and I am a wire wrapped coil ring-a-holic!
As funny as this photo is (and kind of creepy; my husband says it looks like a jewelry graveyard), there's a method behind my madness. I've been working overtime making these wire wrapped coil rings in silver, brass and copper for my upcoming craft fair. I've sold a bunch online and off, and people keep marking them as favorites on Etsy, so it seems like a good idea to have a stash ready for the event. I plan to display them in a nice, prominent place and entice buyers with their shiny appearance and wacky designs.
Meantime, I'm very excited because my bracelet ramp arrived today! Yes, I am a total geek about all things jewelry including supplies, but this ramp will make my anodized aluminum bracelets look awesome. I still have to actually make a few more so I have a true display, but I'll show you them when they're finished.
To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
Upcoming Craft Fair!
Spring is in the air, which means it's time for craft fairs! My next one is going to be the Great Neck Street Fair in Great Neck, NY on Sunday, May 6 from 11-6. I'm booth No. 217 and we'll be assembled on Middle Neck Road, which is the main drag in Great Neck. So hopefully I will see some of you readers who are from the NYC/Long Island area. I'll be selling my items at a discount -- and my stuff is perfect for Mother's Day!
I've done a few craft fairs already, but am feeling more pressure to do well at this one. For one thing, there's the situation with my job. As you know, I was laid off about a month ago and am now freelancing/selling jewelry/taking classes. That said, I'd like to do more than just break even this time at the fair. I want to come home with a nice, hefty profit! This street fair is supposed to get thousands of people, so it'll be nice way to kick things off.
It's about more than the money for me, though. I've been working my butt off on my jewelry this year. I've been creating new designs, experimenting with different techniques and just trying to make higher quality, prettier jewelry pieces. I hope that people recognize this and my efforts pay off -- literally and figuratively.
I've had to learn about being a businesswoman and I'm anxious to put my gathered knowledge to the test. I plan to be more assertive -- not annoying or pushy -- but just more "out there" so that people know who I am. And I'm going to make sure that my booth is not next to my nemesis'. Yes, I do have a craft fair rival, and no, she doesn't sell jewelry. She actually sells kitchen products. But she is so annoyingly aggressive and will lure people away from your booth into hers ... while you're talking to the customers. Ugh! This happened to me at two shows and I'm not letting her steal potential buyers from me again.
Other than that, I've enjoyed doing fairs, though they're a lot of work. So if you have a craft fair in your neighborhood, please go and support your local artists. And if you're in the NYC area, come to the Great Neck Street Fair!
To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
HubPages Article: How To Make A Handmade Wire Wrapped Stone Pendant
I've published another jewelry making tutorial on HubPages. This one shows you how to make a basic wire wrapped stone pendant. I use lav stone to make the necklace, but you can use any kind of stone you like.
Some people may wonder why I'm giving away my "trade secrets" with these tutorials, but I don't see it like that. I'm just sharing a skill that I've learned and after that, it's up to the student to come up with his or her own ideas for designs. Still, everyone has to learn from somewhere and I'm happy to help. I initially learned how to make jewelry by watching videos online and reading blogs such as this. I'm now taking classes. I'm proud that I've reached a point where I now feel confident in sharing my knowledge.
But if you want to take a stab at making this pendant, head here.
Meantime, to purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
Some people may wonder why I'm giving away my "trade secrets" with these tutorials, but I don't see it like that. I'm just sharing a skill that I've learned and after that, it's up to the student to come up with his or her own ideas for designs. Still, everyone has to learn from somewhere and I'm happy to help. I initially learned how to make jewelry by watching videos online and reading blogs such as this. I'm now taking classes. I'm proud that I've reached a point where I now feel confident in sharing my knowledge.
But if you want to take a stab at making this pendant, head here.
Meantime, to purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
HubPages Article: Make A Silver Wire Wrapped Coil Ring
I just published another article for HubPages.
This gives a step by step tutorial on making a coil ring. I chose this as my next instructional project because everyone seems to like these little rings and they're fun to make once you get the hang of it.
Anyway, you can check it out on my HubPages page, which is here.
To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
This gives a step by step tutorial on making a coil ring. I chose this as my next instructional project because everyone seems to like these little rings and they're fun to make once you get the hang of it.
Anyway, you can check it out on my HubPages page, which is here.
To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Bold oversize anodized aluminum abstract star ring wire wrapped with silver band
By now you're probably sick of reading about anodized aluminum pieces, but here's one more for tonight: my deconstructed star ring. Usually stars have six points and this one has about eight, but that's the fun of creating abstract art; you can show common things from a slightly different perspective.
I think I like making colorful jewelry because it makes me feel happy. It reminds me of rainbows, party balloons, confetti... all which relate to celebrations. Yeah, that's probably a little cheesy, but it's true. And I figure that if my pieces make me feel good then they're hopefully making others happy, as well.
What's funny is that I'm not a loud dresser in my life. I'm actually pretty conservative and tend to wear subdued colors (blues and greens and pinks) and subtle prints and patterns. That goes for my jewelry, too, as I usually don't wear a lot of statement pieces.
But when it comes to making jewelry, I like to go a little crazy and experiment with patterns and shapes and colors. Maybe this is another side of me that's coming out? Maybe this is why I enjoy making jewelry so much; because I get to be creative and let that wilder part of me come loose.
Anyway, here are shot of my abstract star ring:
To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
I think I like making colorful jewelry because it makes me feel happy. It reminds me of rainbows, party balloons, confetti... all which relate to celebrations. Yeah, that's probably a little cheesy, but it's true. And I figure that if my pieces make me feel good then they're hopefully making others happy, as well.
What's funny is that I'm not a loud dresser in my life. I'm actually pretty conservative and tend to wear subdued colors (blues and greens and pinks) and subtle prints and patterns. That goes for my jewelry, too, as I usually don't wear a lot of statement pieces.
But when it comes to making jewelry, I like to go a little crazy and experiment with patterns and shapes and colors. Maybe this is another side of me that's coming out? Maybe this is why I enjoy making jewelry so much; because I get to be creative and let that wilder part of me come loose.
Anyway, here are shot of my abstract star ring:
To purchase my jewelry, head to Naomi's Designs on Etsy.
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