paused mid selection

well, i got my much anticipated gem shipment and now i'm not satisfied with what i ordered. my own fault, really, i just got the scale off. so i am about to embark on a redesign. in the meantime, i have come up with an idea for some initial charms that i think will turn out nicely. i read a guide to running a jewelry business, and it suggested that it is a good idea to offer some sort of initial as a low end sale and i thought, why not, i like working with script and type anyhow.

i got a little bit, ehem, "overzealous" in my soldering, but i'm still relatively satisfied with the concept.

my plan is to come up with a production line that is light and playful in time for the athens indiecraftstravaganza this spring. this design will fit the bill, i think, and i may design my cards around it as well.

the question is, will i make enough in time for the show... perhaps that's what i should be doing instead of working on this blog.

i love to make a tool

which is basically what i spend much of my precious studio time doing today. it's just a series of soldered circles in various sizes with tags stating the size. it's a design tool, so i can grab it and determine what size of circle i need for something. it's in 1 inch increments, from 2 to 9, with little brass tags and chased numbers. it was a lot of fun to do, actually. i risked waking up the baby to do the chasing, and i'm glad i did because now i know that the sound of me chasing at night isn't going to bother her.

i have been very inhibited when it comes to using my anvil. it rings beautifully, but the sound really carries. since i'm usually getting my studio time in while the baby is asleep, well you see my dilemma.

the bracelets from yesterday are ready for tumbling, i came up with an idea for another pair of earrings and started work on a bracelet. a lot of stuff is still waiting on gems. i am getting eager to get going on that, so i am really counting the days.

playing around with design ideas

i am headed in a tangent, but i'm very happy with some of the things i've made today. i'm nearly finished on a pair of bracelets of a very minimal design, and those have lead me to a necklace i'd like to finish tomorrow. since i'm at it, i'll probably do a few earrings as well and finish the set.

lots of pieces are on hold awaiting more materials. it will be exciting to see the array of them when i finally get them all assembled and polished.

i really need to deepen my study of metallurgy; i find myself wondering about the alloy of the solder i am using. i would like to solder entirely in gold. there is something very intriguing to me about privileging the usually concealed seams in my fabrication. as jewelers, we spend so much effort scraping, filing and sanding away excess solder. i think i would like to move in the other direction, toward even larger, luxuriant solder seams in gold. i don't know enough about gold to know which karat would be the best for this task, or whether or not i could make my own solder alloy out of scrap.

this blog may or may not continue, but for the time being it is feeling useful to sit down and organize my thinking with regard to my making.

new to the process

i am still getting into the swing of being back in the studio. it is amazing how taking the past year off really put my hands out of condition for the work. it is so nice to have those little injuries again though.. silly, maybe, but the sight of a blister and a gouge from a slipped file make me feel satisfied and content and ready for more all at once.

the lack of tone is forcing me to take frequent breaks. i shudder to think how difficult it would be for me to attempt raising a vessel of any significant volume! my arms would be jello after the first course.

anyhow, it is a time of recollection for me. i have completely reorganized my studio, and in so doing encountered a lot of my old work. funny how differently i see it all now. even if i haven't been making, i've been thinking and somehow through this time i've still managed to progress, skillwise. i see so many details now that i overlooked while i was a student. i would love to revisit some of these old projects, fix the problem spots, address the issues i see now... but i have so many ideas and not enough energy to pursue them all.

i am expecting a shipment of stones soon, which will be exciting as i have a number of pieces waiting to be finished. i'm feeling drawn to some bold colors at the moment.