From Start to Finish

I have been working for a while on this piece.  It is very heavy and includes a lot of silver.  I am really happy with the way it turned out.  Mostly because it is very close to the drawing I came up with months ago.  This piece was a challenge for me, from cloisonne shapes I don't usually use to bezel setting which I am in need of more practice.  I feel this piece shows my current level of metalsmithing skills, which I am always improving.  Forgive me, the pictures were taken with my iphone.

Here is my original drawing of the piece.  My inspiration was circles.  The entire necklace is circular, not a strait line to be found.

Here is the base of the enameled disk with cloisonne wires ready to go

This is the enameled disk with granular enamel painted on and ready to go into the kiln

in the process of adding color and firing to build up layers of glass

Ground and finished disk, ready to set

Here is the setting all soldered.  It's starting to come together!

I tested the disk in the setting many times to ensure a good fit

I also pierced the back and used blue counter enamel so it would show through.  A little secret for the wearer to know ;)

I actually broke a file!!!! I guess I don't know my own strength.

Here is the finished product, completely soldered set and ready to wear

A close up of the pendant

My favorite, the pierced back :)

I hope you enjoyed the journey for conception to reality.  I have enjoyed documenting it for you :)

Random Stuff to Share

Earlier this summer, I took a pottery class and made this bowl for our dining room.  Us creative types just spill creativity all over the place ;)

I am currently obsessed with figs, I bought this flat at the West Side Market in Cleveland and ate all 24 of them in 2 days!

My little guy.  I had to put him in, he's just so cute.

On the beach in Fort Lauderdale.

In case you don't know, I'm in love with Kate Spade handbags.  While on vacation, the outlet was having a phenomenal sale! I loaded up with bags and accessories.  This was on one of the care cards inside a bag.  I love it!

More of the beach

I saw this on facebook and loved it so I had to share it :)

My best friend Jess and I in a lovely store in Wilton Manners, To The Moon.  They had all sorts of old timey and super funny gifts.  

Josh Barker, I know you will appreciate this.  A little throw back to my previous post about haters.

On the Bench

I am getting very excited for the holiday season! Most of my applications have been filled out and sent in and I have some new designs to feature at these upcoming shows.  Here are some of the things I have been working on.


These first two pictures are new necklace designs to match already existing earrings.  I am making an effort to challenge myself lately.  Soldering jump rings may not sound like a big deal but when they're 24guage and the solder is teensy, it was. 

This is a new necklace design to match the forged circle earrings.

This designs matches the forged teardrop earrings.  This one is a work in progress, I'm not totally digging the huge tear compared to the others. 

 The next few pictures are a new feature necklace I am working on and may submit to Saul Bell (we'll see, it's a big scary).  The concept is circles, each and every part of the design is circular, not a strait line to be found.  

Here is the silver disk to be enameled, I have already bent the wires to form the design.  As I said, I am challenging myself, those circles are tricky business. 

This is after the first firing, I wasn't really happy with the colors, so I changed them up.  It actually turned out really good :)

This is after I tweeked the colors.  I like the way it turned out.  Now it needs to be bezel set and put on its necklace.   I'll post pics when it's done. 

Traveling is Full of Inspiration

For about a week, I have traveled to visit family in Cleveland, Ohio and to visit friends in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  While we were traveling, I had a few free minutes to take a deep look at my surroundings and make some sketches.  In fact, now that I think of it, I had a major delay on my flight to FLL and got some great new collections drawn out for the holiday season. 

While we were in Florida, my husband and I got a chance to go down to the Keys and hang out on a kayak through the mangroves.  While we were paddling our arms to jelly, we saw some beautiful sights.  An egret extremely close up, a beautiful bird with such a graceful shape.  It took flight and I was in awe.  I was also taken with the beauty of simple things we see every day, like ripples from a drop, yet in the bright light and peacefulness of that kayak ride, they were amazing. 

Though we were busy visiting with friends and family, taking time to appreciate all that the natural world has to offer will serve as inspiration for future pieces. 

Eco Conscience

With the green movement really taking off in so many ways, there are many ways to help. 

As a metal smith, I try to do my part by recycling my scrap silver.  One of the reasons I choose to buy from Rio Grande, is because they refine their own silver.  They pay up to 80% for scrap silver.  They then use this silver in their refinery to produce various products.  Though no product will be completely recycled, I feel I'm doing my part.  Here is a very informative article regarding recycled silver. 

As a mom, we decided to start using cloth diapers when my son turned a year old.  Though it was a shift in the way we do things, I still think it was worth it.  It not only has saved hundreds of diapers from the land fills, but has saved us hundreds of dollars.  We also have discovered a very helpful website that speaks about the toxicity of various products. Skin Deep has added a baby section and is always adding more.  Though we haven't changed all of our baby products, we have changed products that James puts in his mouth (like bubbles in the bath) or one's that we use every day (like baby powder). 

As a home maker and wife, I do my best to conserve energy by consolidating trips, turning off lights and watching the heating and air conditioning usage.  I also try to minimize the amount of bags I use in the grocery store.  Mostly this comes in the produce department and at check out.  We also get a local produce box each week.  I've been using this produce bounty to freeze and stock up on produce for the winter.  I'm looking forward to using this in some homemade soups. We also keep chickens in the backyard.  We let them free range during the day and they provide us with eggs.  We also use the manure in our compost pile, which makes for wonderful fertilizer.  Another consideration is MPG as a big factor when purchasing vehicles. 

Though these are small things, I feel they are making a difference. 

Bezel Class

So on Friday, I went to my favorite little craft store, Ornamentea, and got some inexpensive stones to practice my bezel setting.  This is because I have struggled with a piece that uses a bezel and I needed some help.  I was willing to practice on my own and figure it out, but to my advantage, Ndidi was teaching a bezel setting metals boot camp on Saturday.  I took it as a sign from the universe that I needed to be in this class, so I quickly signed up and looked forward to solving my bezel setting issues.

Ndidi is a phenomenal teacher! We had various skill levels in our class and she gladly accommodated all of them.  The morning was focused on sawing out and finishing the back plates of the pieces.   Then in the afternoon, we conquered the bezel! I learned a bunch of new tricks and tips that made me feel confident in what I had learned.  I have said before that the sign of a good class is one that you walk out of feeling like you could do it at home by yourself, this was one of those classes.  I highly recommend Ornamentea's classes to anyone learning any new jewelry skill.

I got to practice a lot of bezel setting, which was exactly my goal!

Finding the Right Customer

There are two parts to selling to the right customer for your business.  First is figuring out who your customer base is, second is reaching those people.

First, figuring out your customer base.  This requires a lot of observation.   Who is purchasing your product?  Ask your customers about their purchase and listen to their answer.  For example, is it a gift? If so, who for? And how old are they? If your customer is buying for themselves, do they have children with them? Are they wearing other jewelry, (this applies in my case, not for everyone)?  Take notice of how your customer found out about the show.  Did they happen across it or did they look for a show?  If they looked for it, you can deduce they go to craft shows often.  You also need to take into account your price point.  If you are at a higher price point, you need to consider that your clients need to have a greater amount of disposable income.  My items are quality handmade pieces from precious metals, this makes for a higher price point.  So, my customers tend to have more disposable income. 

Reaching your customer base is a mixture of timing, location and marketing.  Reaching my customers has a lot to do with the show that I'm participating in.  As for timing, the time of year tends to be the biggest factor.  For me, the best sales come around the holidays.  People are in the buying mode and looking for gifts for other people.  Even my loyal customers tend to buy more during the holidays.  As for time of day, I have found there really is not any rhyme or reason to it.  Next, location is something to consider carefully.  I am not only participating in shows in the area but I also sell my items through retail locations.  You want to be careful not to saturate an area with your product but still be visible.  This is a very tricky balance. In talking to customers at a show, when it becomes apparent that they are probably not going to purchase anything but admire your work,  it's nice to have somewhere local to refer them.  That way, if they need a gift or a piece in the future and you don't have any upcoming shows, they can still purchase your work.  Lastly, marketing is very important.  I have found that using social media is a free and easy way to let your customers know where they can find you.  Also, keeping your website updated with your contact information and upcoming events can help. This way, when you hand out your card with your website, your customers can refer to it and easily locate you.

Once you find the right customer, you can concentrate your efforts there.  Especially in regards to marketing and choosing shows.