Ring A Week No. 26

For my 26th Ring A Week ring, I etched my delicate vine branch design into sterling and then hand cut the intricate shape, soldering it to a hand fabricated sterling brand. I oxidized it for contrast. I really like the dimension and texture of this vine branch. This ring gave me some trouble that I did not anticipate. The delicate vine was so fragile that it broke in a couple places. I had intended for it to remain in one piece, although I think it looks fine as separate pieces encircling the band. Solder did not flow properly and it took me a couple of tries. I also had some issues with firescale which took some work to clean up. Do you recognize the branch? I also used this motif for Ring A Week No. 14. The two rings are very different.

I've also made a matching pendant (below) which is now for sale in my Etsy Shop.

The Hummingbird :: Ring A Week No. 25

I recently found a dead male hummingbird in our yard. I hoped he was merely stunned, but upon closer inspection it became clear that he was deceased. I buried him in a pleasant area near some bushes and pondered the life of this small, amazing creature, one of my favorite birds. My friend, Kathy, suggested I create a piece of jewelry "to honor and celebrate the fragile, yet beautiful life of the hummingbird. It reminds us that all life is fragile." Another friend, Julie, suggested creating one of my Ring A Week rings in his honor. I thought these were lovely ideas.

This ring has resulted from their suggestions and from some design motifs I've been working with lately. I hand cut the tiny hummingbird and flowers from a sheet of 14K gold and soldered them to a sterling circle which I then cupped and soldered to a hand fabricated sterling band. I oxidized the silver and I really love the striking contrast between the blackened silver and the gold. This ring is one of my personal favorites, perhaps my favorite piece that I've created to date.

Below is the ring before I oxidized it. I've also posted some progress photos to my facebook business page, which you can see here.

I've made several other mixed metal pieces combining silver and gold that are now available in my new Etsy Shop Here are four of them:

Ring A Week No. 24

For my twenty-fourth Ring A Week ring, I melted sterling silver scrap into a ring shape. I wanted to preserve its interesting, undulating edges and organic form, while forming it into a functional ring. Below is the ring shape I started with. I used my hammer and files to create the finished piece above.

Pebble Ring :: Ring A Week No. 23

I recently melted down my gold scrap and made some little 14k gold balls. I soldered several balls together, intending for them to look like round bubbles floating on the band. I didn't like the look of it. The balls were too round and they looked odd connected to each other but with open space between them. They did not look like bubbles. I then flattened the tops of the balls a bit, gave each a more organic shape, and then soldered them to a sterling background, cutting a nice contour around the gold pebbles and finally soldering the assembly to a sterling band. I oxidized the silver for contrast and I really like how the dark background shows off the gold pebbles. I'm happy with how this piece turned out.

Ring A Week No. 22

I had so much fun fabricating my twenty-second ring for the Ring A Week challenge. I love its soft, sleek shape and soft satin finish. I don't actually love it as a ring though. Perhaps it's just not a good match for my fingers but I thought it looked odd on my hand. I decided to also make a smaller version for earrings, which you can see below, and I'm pleased with how they turned out. The ring looks nice hanging from a chain so I may wear it as a pendant. Its hollow form makes it wonderfully light weight.

Both the ring and earrings were made from Argentium silver. Argentium has a slightly higher silver content than sterling (a minimum of of 93.5% vs. a minimum of 92.5% in sterling). Germanium replaces some of the copper used in sterling silver, making Argentium silver tarnish resistant and a bit whiter and brighter. It is also firescale resistant. Argentium is produced using recycled silver.

These are the first pieces I've created using Argentium and I really enjoyed working with it. Each ring is created from two halves that I soldered together. I used Argentium silver solder which is an excellent color match for this metal and I am pleased that there is no visible solder seam.

Fragile Strength :: Ring A Week No. 21

While walking my dog several days ago I found a few broken robin egg shell fragments on the sidewalk. As I examined the pieces, I marveled at how thin and fragile they are, yet strong enough to shelter and protect a developing bird.

Robin egg blue is one of the prettiest colors. As I admired the smooth lustre of the shell fragment, I imagined it set in a ring. In fact, I knew I had to try it. I designed and constructed the ring using cold connections, to eliminate torch work that would destroy the shell. I made two convex rings, one that nests inside the other. The smaller of the two provides support for the shell and holds it in place beneath the larger convex ring. I made a larger flat ring that fits over the two convex pieces, holding them in place. I secured the assembly to the shank with two tiny rivets.

I am pleased with how the ring turned out, although despite being as careful as possible during fabrication, there is a small, hairline crack in the shell. It is nearly invisible but I am still disappointed that I cracked it.

While not a practical ring at all, it was so much fun to make.

By the way, while googling robin eggs I came across this plastic surgery site with an amazing photo of a broken robin egg reconstructed with microplates used to repair facial fractures. How cool! Click here to check out the photo.

Talk About Blog: New Project Ideas

Each month, Handmade Division team members have the opportunity to write a blog post on a given topic. This month's topic is: What new project are you working on now and why?

A project that has been floating around in my head for awhile is a personal series of pieces incorporating mementos from my grandmothers. It's been 21 years since my maternal grandmother passed away; I lost my paternal grandmother at the end of last year. I have wonderful memories of both. From an early age, I remember being drawn to their jewelry collections (of course!) my maternal grandmother kept her earrings on a mirrored jewelry tray on her dresser. During each visit as a child I'd organize her jewelry tray, matching up her earrings and arranging them in neat pairs. My paternal grandmother had a drawer with stacking trays and later a jewelry armoire. I remember going through the drawers with her...she'd tell me about the pieces my grandfather gave her and sometimes she'd give me something to wear or even keep.

As I think about creating pieces in memory of my grandmothers, there are many possibilities. I know that I want to etch their handwriting for these pieces. I still have letters from both of them. A small heart-shaped stone that I found with one of my grandmothers could look interesting in a bezel setting or prong setting. I have bits of jewelry from both of them, with some broken pieces that I would love to somehow rework and incorporate into these keepsake pieces. I like the idea of also incorporating a tiny photo.

While this project is still in the early planning stages, it is one I think about often. I'll wait to begin the work of fabricating until the time feels right and I have a clear vision for these pieces. I'm in no hurry.

Read other Handmade Division Team blogs on this topic:

Rickson Jewellery: http://www.ricksonart.blogspot.com/
WATTO Distinctive Metal Wear: www.wattoonline.com/news