365/365 finale

Our little friend has made it to the top of the pink tourmaline gumdrop! This is it, the end of Ring a Day. What an amazing experience it's been. Thanks to all of you who have followed my progress over the year, your support has meant so much to me - without it I would have stopped making rings a long time ago.

This ring is for me and I spent most of the day making it. I didn't have a plan and as a result made two settings and three bands before I finally settled on this design. The setting is a concave bowl (and probably more trouble than it was worth.) The ring isn't perfect, but it is one of the most complex pieces I've made, the stone is yummy, and I'm happy with it.

Stay tuned for Ring a Week! Each day I will feature a ring made by another artist, and I will upload my weekly ring each Sunday. RAW baby, RAW!

364/365 emerge

copper and sterling

Once again the figure is loose, and can be worn ascending or descending according to the wearer.

363/365 bunny

My mom sent me these bunnies for Christmas, they hung on our tree when I was a little girl.

Doesn't he look angry? Perhaps it's due to the accordian.

362/365 vertigo

aluminum and copper

361/365 fork

I'm working on a thumb ring design for a local Memphis chef, the concept for the design is his. This one is really rough. The sun motif proved to be too delicate for my saw blade and will need to be simplified, and the inner tines on the fork are too thin. The back of the band also needs to be widened for strength.

360/365 hang

The figure is not attached, it balances. Until it doesn't.

copper and sterling silver

358/365 diamond

359/365 merry christmas!

sterling silver, copper

I made the paper today!

Ring bearer: Art project stretches metalsmith's creativity over 365 productive days

357/365 nosebleed of the century

I actually wondered if I might die. Luckily I didn't.

356/365 nickels

ring of nickels

355/365 pearl

354/365 ringtone

I made a ringtone from ring #353,
as was suggested by some of my facebook friends.

353/365 hessonite

soon to be a hessonite garnet and silver pendant:

the finished necklace:

352/365 how to pronounce tomi

Here is the origin of today's video ring, you might need to click for the larger version to read it:

ETA: This video and facebook friends led to ring #354.

351/365 raw

copper

It's Ring a Week for 2011, care to join us?

350/365 terrier

sterling silver

349/365 poem

I decided to write a poem today, and that as long it began and ended the same way it was cyclical, and therefore a ring. It's a stretch, I know, but you're all used to that by now.

No, it's not about RAD. I hope it reads like a ring.

five years from now

Today the Handmade Division is talking about where we would like to be in five years.

That's a tough question because I don't set goals according to a timeline, I don't think on those terms. (Which tells you I have no business plan.) I will always make art, I love making wearable jewelry, and I love making art with kids. I like that teaching gets me out of my studio and my head so I will probably always do both. Unless I do something else. I have a hard time sticking with one vocation for very long, eight years is the record. The two constants are art and kids.

As far as my metalsmithing skills, I want to steadily improve those over the next five years. I want to learn raising, chasing and repousee, advanced stone setting, hand engraving, and welding iron and steel. I want to equip my studio with tools like a large shear, a rolling mill, hammers and stakes, a GRS engraving gizmo, a hammer handpiece for my flex shaft, as well as a bench and hand tools for pewter work.

I will continue to work with kids in the community through schools, museums, etc. I want to start writing more grants and maybe thinking about some long term projects. One of my dreams is to eventually start a community-based arts organization that serves all ages and abilities and is free to the public. Five years is probably too soon for that, but you never know, it's out there. Whatever I'm doing in five years, I hope to be healthy and happy.

Please visit these other members to read their hopes for the future:

Andes Cruz
Tosca Teran
Beth Cyr
Tess Norberg
Rebekah Timlin Meddles
Jewelry by Natsuko
Bella-Bijou Jewellery
JJ Papke

348/365 wool

It's chilly!

ring a week for 2011!

I'm committing to making a ring per week next year. My hope is that it will keep me working conceptually, but with the ability to spend more time on a piece and perhaps expand on some of my ideas from Ring a Day. In addition, I have declared 2011 The Year of The Stone. I will be working on adding more stones to my designs, and learning more advanced gem-setting techniques. So look for more rings with gemstones.

I've started a group on Flickr for Ring a Week (RAW). Please join in! There's no need for rings to be metal - but you already know that if you've spent any time on my blog. It's not necessary to commit to the entire year, it's a personal challenge and there are no rules. Bring on RAW!!

347/365 pearl necklace ring

today's ring

made into a necklace

346/365 american spirit

a ring of many meanings

345/365 xmas tree

344/365 peace

hand sawn tin

343/365 i can't

THIS is the new low. A ring creatively made of dog poo is better than this.

342/365 key ring