The Evening my jewellery and I went to visit "Bare".....

Last Wednesday evening we had a jewellery exhibition at a Local Art Boutique....it was a fantastic evening of friends getting together and displaying their individual work collectively.The wine flowed and hopefully the creative thinking did too!
Thanks to all my friends and colleagues for their continual support and inspiring conversations!

Back from the Mountains.......

After a week in the Drakensburgh mountains and feeling completely better from being sick, I am happy to say that Im back and ready to go!have had a bad run of things what with not feeling well for so long and work piling up....... but now its time to get stuck into it and tie up lots of loose ends with my work.I have a few more orders that have been waiting to be done and then a couple of new designs that Im just dying to get started on!
My last post was still along the flavour of my last showing so, as I dont have pics of the wonderful view of the burg yet I will leave some shots of finished pieces that were sold.
Will blog again soon...

Most favourite "Happy accident"

This is fast becoming one of my favourite pieces,
I love the cross and how detailed it looks just with the simple
overlapping of the same heart shaped elements, tiny seed pearls finish off each end and give it a more regal look.
The
idea of using different sized fresh water pearls happened quite by
mistake and its an idea I used in more than one piece.The pearls are
just as beautiful but seem less stuffy and haughty with size variation
and also not going all the way around the neck - the half chain adds to
a happier mix of modern day Vs old fashioned.

Filligree wannabies....

I had finished these earrings earlier this week and forgot about them, they are quite pretty and remind me of my, dare I say it? Portuguese roots which is, ok, I'm enjoying them quite a lot and might just delve into some more Portuguese looking pieces like the filigree work and maybe even the gold plating.
It really feels like there is not enough time for everything, or maybe I'm just a really slow worker and cant keep up with what I think of..... which quite easily makes me loose the thought in the first place and then I land up not doing much........

An afternoon of "setting" around....

I just have to include this post today as I'm really chuffed I managed to finish setting both these pendants!My setting is OK to say the least so I am quite proud of them!I would like to set all my work but cannot promise that I will as sometimes I get it wrong!Mental note to self : Make sure the settings width is a perfect size i.e. 0.5mm all around , no more just winging it!!
Success!I can taste it!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this piece its exactly what I wanted to make!

"basket "earrings with brio crystals

Before I get onto the things I have been working on recently I need to still post some pics of a few more pieces.....
These earrings are a favourite of mine as they are so eye catching when worn. I'm really happy with them and wouldn't change much.I had initially made a pair that had ear wires that didn't work too well,the wire was soldered straight onto the basket instead of being attached to a jump ring for more movement.So they had to be re done and now they are great.I would like to make another pair for next months showing but without the Briollette and gold plate them!Stunning!!!!

Snowflake sphere necklace

Snowflake sphere neck piece - an amazing seller! Here is a picture of the how the pierced spheres look as a necklace.I had initially, hung them from a normal snake chain and tried a couple of variations but the lariat effect emphasized the actual ball the most.This is the kind of piece I can always count on selling, it really looks good on all age groups, even though at first glance it seems like quite a modern sort of trendy piece that only the younger demographic would wear.
They come in a flattish sort of sphere or a perfectly round ball. As well as, in two different sizes (this is the larger size) Strange how the simplest designs can sometimes be the most successful.....

More Trinkets!

As the new working year is well under way and I would like to have all of last years work up on my blog before I get stuck into my new collection I am going to try and get the bulk of things done today.There are too many ideas and thoughts bubbling up inside me and I need to make space for them.... My "Spring" collection will obviously be floral with a variation of pattern, size and repetition, maybe some 22ct thrown in to keep in the sunlight style! but I'm not exactly sure what i want so Ill explain my thoughts properly later on.
For now here are some more of last years pieces.....

Snowflake and crystal briollette earrings in polished silver as well as blackened silver I made them in two sizes but the smaller size seems to look and sell! better.

Synth Smoky Quartz pendante

This piece I am keeping for my b-tech work although its currently decorating the neck of my mother. I only need it at the end of the year anyway so it doesn't matter. Its a variation of the "Victorian Brooch" piece. Ive had this lovely large synthetic smoky quartz for some years now and never knew what to do with it, while I was making the first piece this one popped up in my mind and I had to do it!
I tried it out with the cultured pearls but it seemed too over the top as the stone is 25x18mm, quite large. So I kept it simple and made a matching bail cut from a section of the same patterned metal and left out all the detail like the tiny fused balls and extra stones.
I am currently making one for a customer but with synthetic Peri dot, pale green definitely gives it a new twist and is reminding me that if I am to leave frosty Winter behind and let Spring in with all its colour and light and hope!I better start letting some bright colours creep onto my bench and see what i can make of them!

Victorian brooch pendante..

Here is a piece that I really enjoyed making, I got a huge sense of achievement when i completed it, like my work was really going somewhere and that i was finally making jewellery that spoke to me... I love the Victorian feel it has and the way I fused tiny balls on the end of the wires in order to keep the pearls in place. It feels like it should have or could have been a charming brooch on some great lady's high lace collar. What a stunning feeling! I'm sorry I didn't get more photos of it (especially on the body) before I sold it, shall have to make another one.

I pierced out the Fleur de lis sections of one of my snowflake patterns and domed them to create this design, soldering them to the tube setting for the 10mm white cubic zirconia.There are white fresh water pearls that have been secured in all four corners of the piece and a white crystal briolette hanging from the bottom of it. Unlike most of my other pieces, no bail was made, as I felt it added another section to the piece which was too much. It also reminds me more of a brooch this way.

The last image was taken when I was still playing with the design, I thought I would include it here anyway. I think they would make rather stunning but rather heavy earrings!

Snowflakes in my Hand....

These pierced and domed spheres were the first pieces I made at the very beginning of my B-Tech, I was very excited about them as they were so simple but so striking at the same time.I remember the rush of energy I had once I had completed and polished them, they seemed so perfect that for a long time i didn't want to make jewellery out if them, I just wanted to play with them and hold them in my hands.

The design came from some arabesque like patterned pierced out squares that I just loved and wanted to do more with.
Once I had stylized the pattern and pierced them put, the most logical step was to dome them and solder them together!
These spheres later became lariat type necklace that are one of my best sellers.

Snowblossom Ring

There was no avoiding making this Blossom ring, at the time I was still trying to avoid anything botanical and go in a direction that was more about pattern and repetition.But this ring happened so easily and looked so eye catching, I finished it played around with colour finishes like blackening and an acid white effect ( I liked the starkness the black and white gave to my work ) and put it away, not giving it much thought.
In hindsight this ring has a special place in my body of work, I love the fact that its so large and that it really looks like a lace flower.
Its strange how you can do things your not consciously aware of and then they turn out to be important milestones.
This ring is important to me as, although it doesn't have any obvious historical references, it's beauty and effectiveness lies in the fact that hard metal can look like delicate lace.
It also seems to be quite a hit in my Etsy shop so it clearly catches the eye.Something I would like all my pieces to do, to emulate uniqueness