Another day, another new piece of jewelry!

As my cousin Marie would say...

Nothing cures a headache faster than a new pair of earrings!

I am very excited! I have finally finished the piece that I have been working on for about 5 months now. It started with an idea that I wanted a bangle bracelet that was a Byzantine Bezel and then I wanted it to wave. Well, I had to test the concept in copper first, to see if the design would work. I hand set 30 bezels with inner bezels to create this bracelet. I decided on amber and amethyst after seeing my friends beautiful amber jewelry.

To catch a break from the bracelet, I made this ring. I got the cameo of the Three Graces last year and it's been sitting around waiting for me to come up with a setting for it. I chose a bezel that I sweat soldered beaded wire around. I also sweat soldered 2 pieces of half round wire to the shank so it wouldn't be just a boring flat piece of silver.

I will never be a hand model as you can tell. I have the hands of Dorian Grey. They age and the rest of me stays young and beautiful. HA! I am wearing the band-aid because the bezel roller went skating across the top of the stone and scrapped my finger big-time.

I am pretty proud of my piece and at the end of the term will be handing it into the Student Art Show at the 92nd St. Y. It is a juried show and the first time I entered something it was accepted. (Nah! that didn't go to my head in the least). They are Black Diamonds and Green Amethysts. I made those tiny little bead caps you can barely see in the photo.

As you can tell, jewelry is a big part of my life. I love making it. I have always been really good a making things with my hands and I have endless patience for small repetitive tasks. I am also a perfectionist. I always worry that I am going to RUIN the work at the last stage of fabrication.

If only I had a real studio space in the house with a real torch. A micro torch has it's limits. Larry would kill me if I brought a real torch into the house. What about a small acetylene one? I'll keep the fire extinguisher near by. Huh???

hahahah

:-)