2017...time has been flying by...

 What have I been up to lately...?

A bunch of experimenting really.  Seems like I am always looking for that one "look" that I can put my name on.  There are jewelers out there that you see their work and think, "Oh I know who made that piece".  I love adding color to my pieces...so I am always drawn to enamels.  Below is a piece I made using separation enamel.  I don't know if I like it or not yet but it is definitively something I need to continue experimenting with. 

 The pieces below are a few pieces that I made over the last few months.  The pieces involve many layers of different types of enamel.  I had to figure out the timing of the layers so none of the colors would burn out.  Very time consuming especially when you don't take very good notes.  I have to say...keeping accurate notes is my week spot.  I can make something amazing and 6 months later I won't be able to replicate it because I didn't write something down as accurately as I should have.  I ALWAYS think I will remember it...but I never do!  :-(

Once you get into enameling it's really hard to stop at one technique...:-)

The above samples were made from layering vitreous enamels and adding in foils or my own crafted high fire decals...which I absolutely love doing.

More to come...stay tuned!  

Youtube Jewelry Tutorials

I had an email the other day on how to make a claw setting for a rose cut (flat back) gemstone.  I looked around a bit on line and didn't really see a tutorial on that.  It's a great setting to make...it's actually the one I prefer making...but  I don't have any ready made tutorials on that right now.  I guess I will have to put that on my to do list.  However, it did get me to thinking about all of the great youtube jewelry making video's I have watched over the years.  I decided to make a list of all of the youtube "personalities" I like to watch. You will learn a lot from these talented individuals.  I will add to the list as I have time!!

Nancy Hamilton - https://www.youtube.com/user/nancylthamilton/videos

Soham Harrison - soham harrison

				soham harrison this is a place where i describe how to make simple practical jewellery
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Melissa Muir - Melissa Muir

				Melissa Muir Melissa Muir is a Jewelry Artist and Teacher now based in the Draper, Utah area. Join her as she teaches and demonstrates the proper use of tools and various...
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   Leslie Villarreal - Let's roll a silver sheet!

Let's roll a silver sheet!

View on www.youtube.com

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Rio Grande - https://www.youtube.com/user/RioGrande1944

That's enough to get you started!!

Thanks...Aimee:-)

NEEDING TO HONE IN ON MY TECHNIQUES

I decided to stop the C H A O S.  I need to focus more on ONE TECHNIQUE AT A TIME! I'm sort of all over the board and I am making myself sick...  Ok, sick is not the word, how about crazy!  Ha! Ha!

I literally feel like all of this information is exploding inside my brain.  The first thing I did was sit down and make a list of the techniques I already know and am comfortable with teaching.  The reason I say teaching is because if I can teach it I have to know it inside and out.  The second really long piece of paper was a list of all the things I want to learn.

Wow...I have a really long way to travel on some of this stuff.  I will try and blog/journal some of my travels...if not for the sake of giving back to the wonderful metalsmithing community then for myself...I am sure I will forget some of this stuff and it will nice to be able to look back at some of my experiments.

I will eventually write about some of my experiments.  Hopefully sooner than later.

Below are a few pictures of my most recent enameling escapades and will be a good starting point for my journey.

I started off with enamels shortly after my second son was born...I'd say it was around 2003 or so.  I have mostly enameled on silver.  I love, love, love the shimmer and transparency of the transparent enamels on the fine silver.

Transparent enamel over silver...pretty, pretty, pretty!!!

 The hearts below were my last pieces I made before the liquid enamels arrived...

 

Opaque enamel over copper with silver leaf.

However, lately I have turned to copper and just purchased a butt load of liquid enamels.  That is where I am going to start... 

Multi-color kaleidoscope of fun with enamels

Have fun with your enameling experiments!!!

A Metalsmith's Christmas

What's on my Christmas list...?  A billion tools...  Oh how very sexy!!!  Ok, maybe it's not sexy, but think of all the sexy things I can make with those tools!!!!

Actually the only thing on my Christmas list is a good hydraulic press.  Maybe a Bonny Doon press or one made by Kevin Potter.  If you are in the market for a press you should check out 

http://www.potterusa.com before you buy one.  Kevin Potter makes some great presses and they are cheaper than Bonny Doon's...  sorry Bonny...  your presses are good too.  There are lots of how-to videos on line for the different ways to use your press.

Moving on...  I have been obsessed with diamonds lately...actually for about 2 years now.  Not the actual diamonds (although I like those too), I am drooling over the diamond shape!  So when I ran across these on line I just had to post them!!!  Aren't these adorable?????!!!!!?????  I will be running to our local (brand new, just built👍) IKEA store for these...  Oh how pretty these will be on a Christmas tree!!!😋

http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/60304169/

A while back I made some diamonds out of paper...just to see if I could I suppose...

Then I started making some out of sterling (baby steps, right?!)!  I think they are in my Etsy store!  I will link them if I can.

Pink Diamond Necklace

                                                                              AND

Blue Diamond Ring

I had better run!  More jewelry to make and more Christmas shopping to do!!!

Have a very Merry and Sparkly Christmas!!!

Aimee 

THE tip on soldering earring posts!

                                             

  THE tip on soldering earring posts!

 

There are a lot of excellent posts on how to solder earring posts.  I won’t be going into the basics because you can already find that on-line. Below is a link to an excellent article (with pictures) by Doug Napier.

http://jewelrymonk.com/2014/10/30/how-to-solder-a-post-onto-an-earring/

So once you have soldered the earring post onto your earring back …you are left with an annealed (soft) piece of wire sticking out of your earring.  If the wire does not bend out of place the first time you shove the nut on to the wire, you are quit lucky. 

You could tumble it or oven harden your silver…BUT the BEST way to harden that wire is to take your pliers and give it a quarter turn.  It is now work hardened!

Now clean it and polish it up!!!  It should wear without bending now!