Snowflake :: Ring A Week No. 45

I love the delicate beauty of snowflakes, and at this time of year I cannot resist drawing them. I etched one of my hand drawn snowflake designs into silver to create this ring. I oxidize most of my snowflake pendants to show off the delicate designs, but I loved the frosty appearance of this ring and decided to instead burnish the delicate lines of the etched design to create subtle contrast against the frosty, brushed background.

Amethyst Leaf Ring :: Ring A Week No. 36

It's been a busy month, but I've finally finished ring number 36. This ring, created for a customer, is a modification of an earlier Ring A Week design, ring number 7. For this newest ring I've set an amethyst cabochon, instead of peridot, in the center. I've also given the bezel and stone a lower profile so that it is a bit more protected, nestled among the leaves. Other than those differences the two rings are quite similar yet the change in stone color gives the ring a different look.

Tiny Butterfly :: Ring A Week No. 35

A tiny etched silver butterfly perches atop a sterling silver band. I've oxidized the ring and hand finished it to show off the delicate etched details of the tiny butterfly.

I'm hard at work preparing for an art fair next weekend so this week's ring is simple and sweet.

Ring A Week No. 33

For my latest Ring A Week ring, I've created a sterling silver band that matches my previous ring. The etched design is so detailed and delicate that I wanted to make a simpler piece to show off the detail of the etching. I like how it turned out.

Vine Ring :: Ring A Week No. 14

This week, I made a ring featuring my vine motif. The vine design was etched into sterling silver and I then carefully cut around portions of the delicate vine above and below band lines. As with many of my pieces, I've oxidized this ring to provide contrast and highlight the design. I made the first ring featuring this motif last fall, which you can see below. I chose to cut the first ring quite differently, leaving wide, angled margins around the etched vine, which achieves a very different effect. I was pleasantly surprised by how delicate the new ring looks.

Vacation and Ring A Week Number 9

I am back in the studio after spending a lovely week in Park City, Utah. It was a wonderful and much-needed break. Since I was away, I didn't have the opportunity to create a ring this week for the Ring A Week Challenge, but I did recently finish this special ring for a customer. It features the words "well behaved women rarely make history" which I've handwritten in calligraphy and etched around the hand fabricated sterling band. I've oxidized it and I've given it a brushed finish. I'm really happy with how this ring turned out. The very tiny etched lettering is deep and crisp.

Below is a photo from the trip. The mountains were beautiful.

Ring A Week Number 8

This past week was a busy one, which included a quick trip to visit family in Michigan, so there was less time for ring-making. I did manage to create this sterling silver spinner ring for my eighth ring in the Ring A Week Challenge. The wide band is encircled by a thinner seamless band etched with a portion of my hand drawn rose garden design and oxidized. I etched the silver flat before forming the seamless band. The thin band rotates freely.

Ring A Week Number 7

I'm not sure why, but design ideas often come to me in the shower. My seventh ring in the Ring A Week challenge was one of those ideas. I was thinking about this small peridot cabochon that I've had for awhile and wondering how I might use it in a ring when this image of the peridot encircled with leaves popped into my head. I began drawing and etching the leaf design right away and the finished piece is exactly as I envisioned (which is not always the case, so I was very pleased). Below are some photos of the ring in progress.

This is my favorite ring (so far) that I've made for the challenge and it reminds me that spring is just around the corner.

Happy Father's Day

My dad is so supportive of my work. He checks in on my Etsy shop regularly to see what I've been making. Every now and then I get an email from him, commenting on a new piece. After receiving one of his emails last week telling me that he liked the new Hurt No Living Thing Necklace and the poem that inspired it, I decided to make him a keychain for Father's Day with the public domain poem by Christina Rossetti. The poem reminds me of him; he has such compassion for all creatures. I hand lettered the poem in a spiral and etched it into a hand formed sterling silver cup. It was a challenge to fit all of the words onto a piece small enough to work as a keychain element, and I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Below is the poem by Christina Rossetti. Happy Father's Day, Dad. Thank you for your compassion and care for even the tiniest of creatures.

Hurt no living thing:
Ladybird, nor butterfly,
Nor moth with dusty wing,
Nor cricket chirping cheerily,
Nor grasshopper so light of leap,
Nor dancing gnat, nor beetle fat,
Nor harmless worms that creep.