243/365 clif bar

I am really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really tired of making metal rings. This is a Crunchy Peanut Butter Clif Bar.

I made a bunch of sterling silver earrings today, I haven't tired of those yet.

featured artist: silastones

Silastones makes wonderful polymer clay creations. She has been a faithful RAD participant and her ruffled potato chip ring makes me smile, it's made from polymer clay and paint and looks like the real thing.

242/365 soap

It was 10pm and I still hadn't made my ring. My friend Lisa Geertsen of Firelight Forge suggested soap. Here it is.

my pets

Watching the animals is often more entertaining than tv.

more wood!

Another addition to my elements collection, I am really enjoying working with wood. This one will be on etsy in a few days.

sterling silver, saltwater pearl, copper, zebrawood

241/365 shadowman again

sterling silver

This one is a commission for a studio jeweler that I admire greatly, check out his work.

240/365 ebony

sterling silver, ebony, brass, copper, saltwater pearl

The making of this ring was a comedy of errors. I fabricated the bezel first and cut the wood to fit, which was a mistake. The first piece was too small so I made the second piece a little too large and sanded it back which took forever, and the fit is not so great.


Next I inlaid (riveted, really) the wire into the wood, the wood split in one place but I was able to fix it with glue. I sanded it to a nice finish, then proceeded to solder the bezel on wrong - so the ebony piece only fit in upside-down. I suppose I could have made a new bezel, but I chose to finish the backside of the ebony, which had been rough sawn but not planed smooth, so that took forever.


I made a band from two round wires and soldered a strut between them. As I was soldering the band onto the ring, the strut desoldered and the band fell apart. I remade the band and tried again, this time with white out painted on the strut. It also fell apart, and one wire from the band ended up soldered to the back of the ring. So I stretched that wire out some and soldered the other end down, voila.


I applied tung oil finish to the ebony and let it dry about an hour, not really long enough for either the wood glue or the finish to dry, but the ring must be completed in one day, we'll see what happens. After epoxying the wood in I set the pearl on it's post. And you know what? I hate that pearl. Hate. It ruins the design. Bleh. I have to walk away for a while.

239/365 david's ring

This is a commission for a friend that is taking way too long. It was going to be a plain shibuichi band, but the metal I had on hand was too thin. So I tried to make a silver liner, but I went about it the wrong way. Then I tried to solder two pieces of shibuichi together, and did that wrong. This one is bronze, I made several sizes before I got it right. It's a very belated birthday gift, until I successfully make one from shibuichi lined in silver. Phew.

some of the rings I've made for this project

238/365 grampa

I just got back from a visit with my grandfather who is 87 and quite ill. Grampa is in hospice care at home now, he's confined to a bed and taken care of by his wonderful and loving wife, Jan. While I was there Jan, Aunt Sally, and I looked through some old photos and I chose some to take home.

My absolute faves are two of my grandfather, Mr. Robert Durgin, in drag. Here he is in the bathing suit competition as "Miss New Hampshire" - apparently this pageant is a very popular annual event at his mobile home community. Those old folks sure know how to party!


As I said goodbye to him yesterday I was thinking, "This is the last time I will see him", and I wondered if he was thinking the same. It was profoundly sad. I am so grateful to have had him around for so long, my last living grandparent. And if it's all the same to rest of the family, I prefer to think of him in drag. It makes me smile.

best of tn craft exhibition

sterling silver, walnut slice, 2010

I just found out that my walnut necklace was accepted into the 2010 TACA Biennial exhibition, The Best of Tennessee Craft. The walnut slice is prong-set, I cut the silver elements from sheet with my jeweler's hand saw.

237/365 silk flowers

silk flower ring

modeled by Jan

236/365 fondant

Fondant ring, there's still some cornstarch on it and two pistils fell off.

Modeled by Aunt Sally.

235/365 tin foil

234/365 mahogany

Still experimenting with wood, this is mahogany, it's more porous than the bloodwood, I'm not sure if I will use it again.

sterling silver, brass, mahogany

featured artist: rachelle stromberg

Rachelle Stromberg of Mike and Mary Jewelry makes gorgeous modern jewels. She often incorporates circles and spheres in her work and many of her pieces feature pearls.

I am in love with Rachelle's Ring a Day Plastidermy Series, they are hysterical and so much fun. I will add more as she makes them, I couldn't wait until the end of the year to share them with everyone.

233/365 bloodwood

Bloodwood, sterling silver, brass, copper.

I have been wanting to incorporate wood into my work for a while now, last week I experimented with some cherry and was please with the result. Today I made a trip Colco Fine Woods and purchased a number of different varieties to play with. I cut this circle with my jeweler's hand saw, it has a tung oil finish (which isn't dry yet), and I have finally made my peace with epoxy.


Laura Flavin and I recently traded rings - this very comfy band style is based on her idea - I asked her if I could steal it. The wires of the band on Laura's ring are soldered together in the back, making it tapered. I left mine parallel and plan to add a wire strut between the two for support next time.

Wenge, rosewood, bloodwood, walnut, mahogany.

232/365 not my baggage

That's your baggage.

I'm not going to carry it.

new etsy items

I finally got around to listing a few more items on etsy. Have I mentioned how much more comfortable I think square rings are? Wow.

Sterling Silver Square Split Saddle ring size 8 1/2

Sterling Silver Split Saddle ring size 10 1/4
great for a man or woman

7/8" Geometric Sterling Silver Disc Earrings

1" Geometric Sterling Silver Disc Earrings

3/4" Geometric Sterling Silver Disc Earrings

231/365 party popper

party popper, copper

There were microphone issues - I do not have a lisp! At least I don't think I do, and no one has ever TOLD me I do. (Look for my cat in the background taking off after the pop.)

230/365 together or apart?

Islamic Community Center, copper

Ground Zero, copper and sterling silver

Together?

Apart?