Almost Finished!

Today I finished the large pieces of the jewelry. I had to rethink my designs. When I was trying to fit the stone in the bezel wire I couldn't keep the stone in it. Since this happened, I have to string the stone through wire. For the necklace, I found some old beads to put on the ends. This was my favorite piece. I really enjoyed making jewelry and I plan on finishing all of the other pieces at another time.

Saws, Hammers, & Fire

These past few days I have been working on my jewelry at home. I realized that jewelry takes more time than many people presume. I got all of my large pieces cut out. So far I haven't broken a saw blade. Typically they break frequently in one practice, but I have really developed a skill with the saw. I am glad that the sawing is over with. After I finished my sawing experience I began to use the hammer and mold my swirls that I am using for a necklace. I prefer this look over the polished look, it is very "hand-made" looking.

Today, I learned mainly how to sweat solder. At first I was intimidated by the fire, but after a while I became calm. As you heat up the metal it changes colors rapidly. It is very odd, especially when the solder begins to melt. The copper pieces would change from black to purple to orange and then to red. I found it quite entertaining. I completed one set of earrings, but I have to file them down tonight.

Filing the Edges

Today I finished cutting out the necklace piece and I managed to break four saw blades during that process. Then I began working on my silver earing piece, but I cut only one out because tomorrow I will try tom make the next one similar in size and shape to this one. I also learned how to use files on metal. I kept slipping the metal file and filing down my finger nail. I can't wait until something gets completed because right now I do not know what to expect my outcome to be!

Sketches

In order for me to create jewelry, I need some sort of idea. With my mentor, I was able to come up with a few designs that I plan to go by. These ideas came from a mixture of what the "pioneers" of "modern jewelry art" did. I mixed some of their pieces with a twist of my concepts of jewelry. I plan to try and make my pieces more elaborate if I have the time.

Starting from the BASE.

Today, I began to cut out pieces of copper. I used some scraps of some copper to practice my ability to saw a straight line in metal. Once my mentor felt I was ready, she let me loose. I started off cutting out one of my necklace pieces. In order for me to saw in curves I had to make tiny holes with a drill bit to help the saw maneuver corners without breaking.

It was a tiring experience. Never did I realize how much work is put into something so tiny! I didn't have enough time to finish that piece, but I hope to cut it out tomorrow.