Keeping Busy On The Bench

  Since I last post with you, I have been busy on the bench. Really at this point not much is completed. It takes many, many processes and pieces. To put together and finish into a completed piece of "wearable art" jewelry.

Many times I have been asked " how long did it take you to make this piece".   Well, to truely answer that question is very hard. As with many artists that really MAKE their jewelry by hand fabrication. I do not make it a policy to "time" each process. Simply because as an artist I become so "taken" into the designing and making of it, time just flies by.So my reply to this question is usually "about 25- 30 yrs." Which is about how long that I have been making jewelry.

To the left is a picture of some of the the pieces that I have made so far.......

At top center is a pair of large Montana Agate earrings. Below are several beads made in Sterling Silver and Copper; a dragon fly pin; another pair of small Montana Agate earrings; Rhodocrosite and Tourmoline pendant. If you look to the left top, you can see the pair of Agate earrings that I showed the design process in the last posting. I am still making up the finished design for the metal beads. At this point I will add Silver links along with some other beads to make a long necklace.

  Often I will have stones laying on my bench in visual sight while I am fabricating...off to one side of course. Sometimes, designs just "pop" however, other times I will think out several designs before actually sketching.

 Stones like these are placed in reference to where they may be when piece is made.

This morning I have these ....plus several more "working" in my mine.  I will often go thru our "candy" in the safe to gather a few stones. And before I realize....the whole plastic bowl is full!    On the left are two pieces of  beautiful Baltic Amber with a newer found color combination of Picasso Jasper. I am really "drawn" to these colors right now so I have several shapes and colors.

To the right are three more free form cabochons with a 5mm round Hessinite Garnet. The Garnet will accent the red orange colors that are flowing thru the Picasso .

Back to the left side...this will be a set of three pieces. Georgeous Purple Sage with Dandrentic "fern" like markings. I will most likely add some Amethyst and Citrine stones as accents.

.....Back to the metal pieces in the picture at the top...Next I will tumble polish then, I will polish each piece by hand with the buffer. Clean the buffing compound throughly off each piece, rinse with lots of clean water, and hand dry them one by one inspecting them for any compound left or other imperfections that need to be done. Then finally, I am ready to set the stones and do the final polishing; take pictures, and make up a price tag, and put them into a plastic bag ready for our next show.

Then, I will post these pictures to our blog, Facebook, and our Etsy store for you to view and  purchase them. Knowing some of the process done to create these I hope will add to the excitment and interest in the piece that is YOURS.

 Just attempting to give you an idea of what is done by all artists in their attempt to make you their own creation just for you!