Awakening to Fine Metalsmithing

I think of 'fine metalsmithing' as those pieces where an art jeweler makes something more difficult, amazing and complex, that goes a little beyond the ordinary.

While art jewelers often make affordable, more accessible everyday pieces, they will  break from their routine to create a coup de gras piece now and then.





I've curated a new treasury of Etsy metalsmiths' work to illustrates this.

As I come to understand how metalsmithing is done, I can see deeper and deeper into the methodologies and thinking of the artists who create it.

Though some pieces in the treasury could also be defined as 'fine jewelry' because they use gold or precious stones, the artful invention of these pieces anchor them firmly within my definition of 'fine metalsmithing.'

Please follow this link to see my treasury:  Coup de Gras: Fine Metalsmithing on Etsy I

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTQyNzY0NDF8NTQxNjA2NzEz/coup-de-gras-fine-metalsmithing-i?ref=pr_treasury


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The necklace in the photo, above, is my Trapezoid Fan Necklace. I fabricated it in copper and sterling silver. Each piece is handmade in my studio by me. I consider it one of my coup de gras pieces!

In a Minimalist, Contemporary Mood...

I was recently struck by a different creative mood and made this Contemporary Leaf Pendant.

It is made of darkened sterling silver, bright sterling and back onyx.

It features 'dots' in flattened sterling 'stepping stones,' sterling tube slices and round drill holes.

Its self-bail is the stem of the leaf wrapped backward, large enough to accommodate many chains, omegas and cables.

The black onyx cabachon is set in fine silver bezel wire.

I'll be producing more works in this vein before too long, as it was fun to make.


You can find this and many other metalsmithing and fold-formed pieces in my Etsy shop. This is the link to this piece, in my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/78890934/contemporary-leaf-pendant-with-black

August Sunshine: Golden Rutile Quartz!

Summer isn't my favorite season in the deep South of the U.S. Hot. Humid. Buggy. Muggy. Ick.

But, the visuals are stunning. Everywhere it is verdant beyond belief. An orgy of green accented with blossoms everywhere. A second springtime, but more intense.

The golden rutilated quartz cabachon I set into this copper Trapezoid Pendant echoes the bouncing sunlight that is everywhere when it's not raining. You can almost feel it.

Two views of my Trapezoid Pendant with golden rutilated quartz. To the copper trapezoid, I soldered a shapely sterling silver leaf (with hammer textures from a chasing tool) and several flattened sterling 'stepping stones.' Drill holes in the copper repeat the circular motif found throughout the piece. (It's linked to an 18" stering chain with sterling toggle clasp.) Available on my Etsy shop at:




http://www.etsy.com/listing/78889276/trapezoid-pendant-with-golden-rutilated

Of Lichens and Mushrooms and Little Weedy Vines... a treasury!

I pay attention to the details. Walking in nature, I first see the broad strokes, the macro. And then I hone in on the tiny details.

And so I notice little blossoms and seeds fluttering in the wind. I see the superorganisms that are fungi. The honeybees gathering nectar.

I've curated a treasury on Etsy: 'Fungus Among Us,' to celebrate this kingdom of living things that are neither plant nor animal.

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTQyNzY0NDF8NTEyMDE5OTQw/fungus-among-us?ref=pr_treasury

And I'm including a shot of my Spider Lily Ring because it reminds me of the tiny details I'm so fond of. It has a wide hammered band. I fabricated it from sterling silver. The blossom is also sterling, with a bit of copper at its center. You can see it and many other rings in my Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76020001/sterling-blossom-ring-spider-lily-with

Pebbles & Stone: My New Treasury on Etsy

I've long be fascinated by organic, natural shapes and nowhere am I more excited by it than in art jewelry. Pair that idea with recycling sterling silver in my own studio and you get my Pebbles collection. (You'll find them in my Etsy shop.)

Today I curated an Etsy treasury, a collection (or list) of works by Etsy artists embracing an idea or theme. I named my treasury 'Pebbles & Stones' and selected 16 marvelous works depicting Earth's building blocks.

At left is my Pebbles in Chevron Formation necklace. I melted piles of sterling silver scrap with my acetylene torch until they drew up into rounded mounds of metal. Then I soldered them together and added a ring at each end so I could attach a bold sterling chain and clasp to make it wearable. It's a nice, hefty piece. You can see more details in my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76734607/sterling-pebbles-necklace-in-chevron

And this is the link to 'Pebbles & Stones,' my Etsy treasury.  Enjoy!

http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTQyNzY0NDF8NTEwNjE5MjQy/pebbles-stones?ref=pr_treasury

Glad to be alive!

Some days odd things happen and you experience the "razor's edge." A fluke event reminds you how fragile -- and miraculous -- life really is.

Today, I was in my car as a massive rotten tree fell beside me. Its branches brushed my fender, but it was the loud, explosive noises that shook me to my core.

The tree brought down many wires and cables from the nearby utility poles. As they snapped, fire and sparks shot from them like loud fireworks. For over two blocks, wires and cables fractured and fried in four directions. I was in the epicenter with the tree. A transformer overhead exploded. Though it lasted only half a minute, it felt like 10 minutes of wild visuals and percussion.

Of course, my adrenaline dumped into my system. I was disoriented, confused. It took me long moments to sort out what had happened.

I did call the authorities and they did take charge and eventually put our segment of the grid back together. It took about 4 hours. No one was hurt. I'd been alone in the street, with the tree, having this experience. But people soon came running.

Tonight, I shared this story with friends in person, and on Facebook. My heart is very full of their love for me and my love for them. All of us are glad the tree fell parallel to my car and not over me.  It's felt very good to remind each other of how important we are to one another. Though we walk on the "razor's edge," it's very nice that we experience such love and good feelings.

This is my Heart With Window pendant. It is fold-formed in copper and hangs from a nice rubber cord. You can see more photos of it and learn more details on the link below. It's featured in my Etsy shop.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/76934064/window-to-my-heart-fold-formed-copper

Examining Beauty... My Treasuries on Etsy...

I've discovered the simple pleasure of curating 'treasuries' on Etsy. The curator can make up to 16 selections from artworks on Etsy to fit a theme, and publish on Etsy. To date, I have curated two.

The first, 'Jellyfish Dreaming,' features 16 images of graceful, colorful jellyfish in several craft categories. Because I want to invite the world to join me on my journey through metalwork jewelry, many of my selections in this treasury are the works of metal artists. But the old gallery owner in me wants to balance the collection with related works in other media. The link to this treasury is:  http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTQyNzY0NDF8NDM1MDUwODQ5/jellyfish-dreaming?ref=pr_treasury

My second treasury, 'Of This Good Earth,' explores 16 subtle, earthy works (including metalwork jewelry), from beaded beads to a hammered copper bowl. My thoughts were on where land and sea join and one can think about things aquatic and land-based.  The link to this treasury is:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/MTQyNzY0NDF8NDM1MDUwODQ5/jellyfish-dreaming?ref=pr_treasury

There are more Etsy treasuries in my future! Ideas are percolating and, when they are clearer, I will publish again. My own work has been included in a number of Etsy treasuries.