Alchemy of Objects-Week 2 Challenge (Asymmetrical Design)

Amazon Rain

Beaded bezel

Hand-made sterling silver toggle clasp

This design features amazonite and blue tiger-eye drops along with Swarovski pearls, fire-polished Czech beads, and matte glass ovals.  It includes a variety of wire, but the hand-made toggle clasp is sterling silver.

FOR SALE:  $50.00  Contact me at krischristiansen@comcast.net

Dancing Flower

Named for the beautiful dancing ladies in my inspiration photo, "Dancing Flower" is a symmetrical design (as per my assignment.)  Creating a symmetrical design sounds simple enough.  It turns out that in this day of asymmetrical fashion, it is hard to go back!  

The design grew from the vintage filigree earring that I dismantled to create my focal.  I added a flower of Czech pressed-glass leaves and hung a smooth glass drop.  The strap includes steel wire-wrapped magnesite rondelles, jade "pickles" (that's the official name given by a former co-worker,) faceted agate rounds, and a couple of vintage metal beads.  The large-link chain is aluminum and the handmade clasp is large gauge steel wire.

I was grateful for my teacher's comment to another classmate about a variety of textures in your beads warrants fewer colors in your design.  It gave me permission to put away the magenta drop and red AB rondelles back in the beadbox and focus on the visual weight of my beads.  Instead of a shock of pink, the drama all comes from the sparkly mirror-backed leaves!

The Alchemy of Symmetry

My first challenge for Deryn Mentock's class, "The Alchemy of Objects" is to create a symmetrical design.  The color palette is up to us.  It didn't take me long to settle on this picture for my inspiration.  Our good friends, Christopher and Elizabeth Peterson and their children Katie and James recently returned from a service trip to India.  This is a photo they took at one of the schools they visited. I love the rich, unrestrained tones in the young ladies' costumes.  I chose five colors from the photo and off I go!  (By the way, check out brandigirlblog.com for the Photoshop template to create a color palette from a photo!  It's in her "Freebies" section.)

I am buzzing with ideas, but they aren't all going to fit into one single design.  After I chose my inspiration, I headed to the antique mall.  Therein lies my next post =)

In the Works

Usually, I post pictures of finished jewelry pieces.  Or something that looks really cool and holds a lot of promise.  Today, I am posting a picture of something that doesn't look really cool.  The picture is just as homely as the actual charms.

Still, I know in my heart of hearts that they will be adorable.  So this post is a record that I'm going to prove it!  Adorable!  I promise.

In the meantime, I'll tell you that the idea for these tinned charms came from the book Semiprecious Salvage.  They are constructed from copper pipe or copper wire and sheet metal.  After the shapes are prepared, they are coated with lead-free solder (the process called "tinning".) The solder serves to connect the pipe or wire to the sheet metal, but the rest of the tinning is largely decorative.

Inside the created bezels are images and/or text from a vintage gardening book.  So far, they have just been sealed with Mod Podge, but I have grander plans =)

The final step that I have accomplished as of this photograph is an attempt to apply a patina.  I used three colors of Gilder's Paste (Patina, Verdigris and Rust) and I will be the first to admit that I am clueless about using this highly touted, funky-smelling wax product.

Stay tuned for the next installment of... "Tinned Charms."  (The sequel is bound to be better!)

Patina Experiments

Recently, I got my hot little hands on this book:

http://www.interweavestore.com/Jewelry-Making/Books/Rustic-Wrappings.html

The initial attraction was the cute projects that I had previewed.  I mean, just look at that awesome wire-worked bird link on the cover!  Furthermore, I had purchased a few lampworked beads that were gorgeous, but I couldn't figure out how to adequately incorporate them into designs.  They need something special!

As I was able to dig deeper into the text (that is code for "I look at all the pictures, first!") Kerry Bogert played around with various home recipes to create the patinas that we jewelry-makers and junkers adore.  Since I just found my liver of sulfur in the depths of a messily packed box and found that the entire container had been neutralized (insane heat creating condensation?), I was very open to kitchen recipes.

The first set-up I tried uses ammonia and salt-water.  Bogert calls for using plastic mesh and a saltwater spritzer.  I did not have either.  The idea behind the set-up is for the ammonia fumes to work with the dappled salt to create a reaction on the metal.  So, I improvised.  I've been saving Crystal Light containers like a crazy hoarder lady, so I cut down one so that it was shallow enough to fit inside an airtight container that I had available.  In place of the mesh, I just poked holes in the lid with an awl.  I'm keeping my set-up small because, so far, I work in small batches in my small house =)  To create the dappling, I sprinkled water over the copper metal and added a couple shakes of salt.  I'm pleased as punch with the outcome!  I haven't completed the last step--sealing the pieces.  The patina is very crumbly and Bogert warns to seal with a product that is NOT water-based so the patina doesn't change color.

In case you are wondering, I did toss the clasps with the beads right into the fume chamber.  The top one is Czech glass and the bottom one is dyed magnesite (which did fade slightly.)

Class is in session!

Next week I begin an online jewelry-making course with artist Deryn Mentock.  It is called, "The Alchemy of Objects."  (See her cool button on my sidebar...)  Excited does not begin to describe how I feel about this opportunity!

Ms. Mentock creates lush designs with found objects, most of them vintage.  I adore the rhinestones and religious symbols that frequently appear in her work.  Whenever I look at her Flickr photostream, I feel like a little girl who has been given permission to rifle through her great-grandma's jewelry box.  It thrills me!

Right now, I am preparing by reading and viewing her introductory material.  Everything is done so professionally...I think she has thought of everything!  Off to check out my tools and supplies list...I may have some shopping to do...darn.

Here is a sneak peek at  the course:
https://vimeo.com/48994335