Modern links chain - slight design changes...

So I did end up making 3 larger rings for the centre - it now sits better as there is some extra weight.
I have just soldered all the links, so no going back now :-)
Will take it in to be plated tomorrow.

New chain design - modern links

I was ill most of the weekend, so not that productive, but I managed to make a slightly more modern looking chain. Although I love the Arts & Crafts designs, I want to try out loads of different styles.

Here it is, still in its copper state, I will probably plate this in silver once I am completely happy with it.

I may make the middle link much larger, and have slightly larger ones each side of it, to make a focal point. We'll see...

Just a better picture of my Art Deco Bee Pendant...

Handed in today, too tired to write any more, but here's a better picture, taken in daylight...

Art Deco inspired Bee Pendant - finished!

We are giving in our projects tomorrow... Here is my finished pendant. Beads are amber, to go with the bee theme. I made everything except the bar on the clasp...

Another Arts and Crafts inspired fancy link chain... in copper, to be plated...

I am still very much into the fancy link arts and crafts chains, and I've been collecting images of them so I can try them out.

I found this image:

And this is my attempt - obviously it will look better when plated...

It's similar, not quite as delicate, not identical... There will be more :-)

Famous at last :-)

My classmates and I are featured in the March Benchpeg newsletter, the picture is quite small, but i'm the one in the green and black, looking interested in something on the table :-)

I also wrote a line or two about my experiences at the Goldsmiths' Library:

Work update - we have our assessments this week, so I've been catching up on all the bits and pieces I need to do - and have very nearly finished my Art Deco pendant. Pictures soon!

Fancy Link Chain - Silver Plated!

I have never had anything plated before, so this was exciting. My copper chain is now silver plated, oxidised, and looks like I had imagined it would.
I like it.

Quite a productive day really...

A while ago I posted about the jewellery library at the Goldsmiths' Company.
Well, I went there today to do some research into chain making and Art Deco. I emailed for an appointment, and when I got there the lovely, helpful librarian had  prepared a pile of relevant books and articles for me to read.
Heaven.
It's so quiet in there, you can just hear the clock ticking, even though it's right in the City of London.
I stayed for hours, made tons of sketches and got some really useful images.

It's a lovely place to work, and I will go back often.

Before I went in, I had a wander round the area, and found this delightful gilded tiger on an ironwork gate:

The only downside to the day was that when I got home I had to pack all of my weekend sales, which has taken me until now. I'm exhausted, and there's school tomorrow...

Fancy Link Chain - Finished!

Finished last night, clasp and everything. Needs to be plated though.

Hand Made Chain and the Tadema Gallery

One of the many projects we have to do for school is chain making. It is something, apparently, that you will either love or hate. I am in the love category - I love making fiddly things and you can't get much more fiddly than making and soldering each and every link in a chain...

The Tadema Gallery in Islington sells high end vintage jewellery, and I spend hours looking at their website - going over the archives of Arts and Crafts or Art Deco pieces.

One of the chains I am working on is inspired by an Arts and Crafts fancy link chain. I'm using copper... But I think I might get it plated when it's finished.

The size in the picture is pretty accurate - I have used 0.9 mm wire, width of links is 3 mm, length of an oval link is 11 mm, so it's quite fine, extremely fiddly, and really fun to make. I have 29 cm (11.5 inches) so far...

Trying out Shelfari - Bookshelf Widget

 Update -I decided I didn't like the Shelfari Widget, and have removed it. I have replaced it with  an Amazon widget recommending books I like.

Found this widget on someone's blog and have decided to try it myself - I think you just add the books you are reading/have read, and you can also write reviews etc'. Since I love and use books a lot, I think this might be fun.
I don't often read fiction, but I'm reading a lot of jewellery books at the moment!

You can find it on the bottom left hand side of my blog. Not that much there yet, but I will be adding to it!

Needle bottle for liquid flux - recommended!

When I was working on my copper scrollwork pendants, I looked for an efficient way to solder them as there were many elements in one piece. I found a youtube video on pick soldering, and that was exactly the technique I needed.  You can find the link to part 1 here.

She uses liquid flux in a needle top bottle, so I bought a couple from ebay - and it works brilliantly. I had been using liquid flux on a paintbrush, but this is so much quicker and less fiddly. Try it!

My day job...

All available in my ebay shop! (link top left of homepage)

Silver sugar skull charms...

I made these a while ago, but through the power of procrastination, just got round to listing these on Etsy today....

School project in progress - Art Deco inspired piece

Project is to take a figure from history, and use that as a stepping stone to design a new piece of jewellery. My figure is Wallis Simpson. From her I reached Art Deco, and found that I quite liked some of the designs, especially ones by Jacob Bengel.

One of the recurring motifs are graduated steps, so I used these as my visual reference.

I played around with some ideas, then it came to me - I could make them into stylized bees. This was probably to keep myself interested in the project - I like making creatures. Here is the very first idea sketch:

And the second:

Then came the model making - we had to have these cast, not fabricated - part of the brief...
There is no way I was going to carve this in wax, so I made the model in copper and fimo.

I then made a mould in two-part silicon, and tried to cast the wax myself. It wasn't really successful - each time I tried, a different part came out well, the rest - with problems...

So - I had to take it in to have a 'cold mould' made - expensive :-(

Next -  I had the pendant cast in silver. Here I have already cut off the sprue, partly polished it and soldered on jumprings to connect it to the chain:

I made an Art Deco style chain out of sterling silver tube, with jumprings soldered onto each end, and another wax cast element that will form part of the clasp:

To finish off the piece, I will need to add some beads (amber), polish, oxidize and finish working out how the clasp will work...

@work Gallery Visit

Another school trip :-) This time to the @work gallery near Tate Britain. It shows and sells work by contemporary jewellery designers, and the owner gave us a long talk about how to get our work into galleries, etc.
It was informative, and interesting to see the work she had chosen.
Maybe one day...

Here is a link to their website