The *Earth Mother* Necklace

A gift,

wrought of silver and stone...

An ode to Mother Earth,

for an Earth Mother...

The back of the cabochon was too beautiful to cover.


The essence of Mother Earth,


captured in stone...

So I learnt a new technique*,


to let her shine,

to let her breathe.

She is held by a whisper of silver...

A drop of natural faceted chalcedony,


magnificently milky....

...and faceted aquamarines twinkle above her,

like stars on a cloudless night...

An Earth Mother necklace...

...for my very own Earth Mother.

Merry Christmas, Mum.


B.
-xo-


*I taught myself how to create step bezel.  Rather than create a bezel using sheet metal which covers the entire back of the cabochon, I used heavy gauge wire to create a 'step' inside the bezel.  The wire is just enough to hold the stone securely, but thin enough to expose the maximum amount of stone.  Sheesh, it sounds simple when I say it like that! LOL  But to get a snug fit was, well, HOURS of work!!


Oh, and eight soldering joins went into the creation of this necklace! <:-)

Sneak Preview: The *Desert Flower* Ring in Azure

My Muse is happy...


...and so is my husband.


My beautiful new workbench has been put to good use this past week.

The torch was re-ignited after an extended period of quiet...


...filing, sawing, dapping... 


...silver shavings sparkling...


...and a bench pin which is beginning to look as though it is worn and loved.


*sigh*


What joy!  What fun!


I loved every exhilarating minute!


And the fruits of my labour...

The *Desert Flower* Ring in Azure

A statement for your hand at 35mm wide...


...substantial yet delicate...


...a feminine flower...

Wrought of sterling silver and beads in shades of cobalt and azure...

I loved creating it...


...but I love wearing it even more!


~*~


Would you like to see how this ring came to fruition?


I'd love you to come along for a ride down memory lane...


Let's go!


~*~


It all started with an idea...


...one of those persistent, lingering ideas...


...unrelenting in its pursuit of manifestation!


Silver, saw...

...and a circle is borne...
(uh hello, someone needs a disc cutter...if you're listening Santa...!)

...dap, dap, dap...


...a soft, sweeping, sensual curve...

...ring-a-ding-ding...


...ready for soldering!

...a platform for my beadwoven motif...

...a satellite dish for your finger...?
:-P

...and finally, modelling a perfectly pretty patina...


...ready for an injection of beadwoven colour! 

~*~


To re-live the process of creation is oh-so-satisfying...


...makes me want to go back and do it all again...
(and I will...I WILL...as soon as I finish typing this!)


No wonder I can't stop smiling! :-)

More Moroccan magic coming soon!

P.S.  My lovely husband came up with the name for this ring...isn't he clever?!  I think should ask him to christen my creations more often ;-) LOL

Inspired to create...

...with metal!

Perhaps it was Jess, or maybe Lenita?  

Maybe it was Tess, or Anna-Karin?

Most likely it was all of these exceptionally talented ladies who inspired me with their beautiful silverwork (and equally beautiful personalities!) to get back to where this jewellery journey all began.

See, when I was 16, I had a dream...

...no, seriously!...

...I wanted to become a jeweller...

A jewellery-making class in high school awakened something in me, and I fell head over heels in love with working metal to create something beautiful for adorning the body.

I wanted to become a jeweller.

I was determined to get an apprenticeship somewhere.  Anywhere.  I was happy to sweep metal shavings for years if it meant I could one day create jewellery.


I really wanted to become a jeweller.

I started a jewellery-making course at night school.  I learnt how to drill, saw and file sheet metal. But that was where it ended!  I only went along to three classes because I moved interstate shortly after starting.

And somehow, my dream got pushed aside.

I still wanted to become a jeweller.

But I had to get a job and earn money.

In an office.

Enough said!

So, fast-forward 14 years and here I am, a stay-at-home mum to two crazy toddlers, creating beaded jewellery because being at home with my daughter gave me the time and freedom to pursue my creative side once again.

And one day, through this big ol' blog-o-sphere, I stumble across the blogs of the aforementioned talented ladies...and my dream is suddenly re-awakened.

Metal.

Silver.

Fire.

Beauty.

Adornment.

Seeing their incredible work sent my heart racing and my imagination into overdrive.  I ordered silver, solder, saw-blades, and stalked my postman for a week until they arrived.

I read and read and read everything I could get my hands on about bezel setting a stone.

And then I created...

So small, so humble...


...but it is a dream realised...


...a dream finally caught, after years of chasing...

And the most wonderful part of this necklace...the 10mm amazonite cabochon!  I bought it way back when I was a wide-eyed 16 year old, dreaming of one day being a jeweller.  I have carried it with me for the last 14 years, and now it finally has a home.  

14 years in the making!

And I enjoyed (ok, LOVED!) creating this humble little necklace so much, that I went and created a large, statement ring...

I still dream...

...but now I'm chasing my dreams...

...and I hope that you are chasing your dreams too.

Concept Preview: The *Lilas* Ring

With Spring arriving tomorrow (yippee!), I have flowers on my mind.


I don't think I have ever been so happy to see the end of Winter.  The wildflowers that Western Australia are so renowned for are starting to erupt out of the fertile soil, adding the most vibrant colours to the landscape.  With them, they bring a promise of warmer days, endless sunshine and blue skies.


I love Spring!


So with flowers on my mind, I had an idea...


And what started as an idea has blossomed into...

The *Lilas* Ring

It is only a concept at this stage because, well, to be honest it's the first time I have ever fabricated a ring!  And only my second ever attempt at silversmithing (photos of my first attempt coming soon!)


I am still amazed that I didn't destroy the flower whilst hammering the wire to form a rivet head (which holds the flower snugly in place).  I must have good aim! LOL

Hand fabricated from sterling silver wire and my own beaded lilac bloom.

Just perfect for Spring, don't you think.

It may only be a concept at this stage, but I've been wearing it all day and I love it!

Did I mention how much I LOVE working with metal and fire?


I love it a LOT!

What happens next...?

It all started with an idea...

You know how ideas are...

...they don't let you sleep until you act upon them...

...and sometimes they even work out exactly as you had planned...

So what happens next? 

Stay tuned! ;-)