YOJ 2012 - Week 4 Fine silver woven trinket box

 

 

 

I had intended this to be a long bottle shape, somewhat like the first one I did, only longer and narrower, with a pointy bottom. You can see the first one here: http://fleurviolettejewelry.blogspot.com/2010/07/message-in-bottle-necklace.html But I had forgotten how I had shaped it, or how I had woven it. So I ended up messing up the shape and the weaving. 

I knew this will not turn into a bottle...and I had to turn it into a lidded box.So I thought it was time to be brave and try the hinge and clasp shown in Mary's trinket box tutorial here: http://theangstyartist.blogspot.com/2010/08/trinket-box-101.html I was quite terrified, but this was going to be no bottle...and if I had to salvage my fine silver, I needed to get brave and try the hinge and clasp. So I did. Thank you Mary for your fantastic tutorial!! I made a lid, and when I started making the lid, I remembered how I had woven the first bottle. So the lid weaving is different from the bottom weaving. 

The hinge alignment is not perfect.The box and the lid don't fit too good.

Many mistakes, but I still love this tiny little shiny box. Just looking at it makes me happy. It has a very happy feeling about it. I will keep doing this till I do it better. Because I love vessels, doors and windows! :-D I don't know why. Maybe because each holds within or beyond it, the promise of something probably fun, exciting, beautiful?

The box is made entirely of fine silver (pure silver). The bead on the clasp is a Ruby. The chain is sterling silver. The clasp is handmade.

Blue Sapphire Earrings

These are made with fine silver wire, sterling silver wire, Sapphire beads and Blue-Grey Quartz briollettes.

Peas for Mary

This pendant is made for a wonderful person called Mary. The pea pod is adapted from a tutorial on peapods at http://www.rings-things.com/ (go to the design link, and then to the "sweet pea" tutorial). Or, go to http://www.rings-things.com/gallery/thumbnails-55.html and click on the Sweet Pea tutorial. For some reason I can't get to the direct link. Dave (owner of the Rings-Things store) has graciously given the direct link here in the comments...see if you can get there by clicking it. For some reason I cannot. At any rate, its a great online store for jewelry supplies, tutorials etc. Take a look around over there :-).

I have changed it a little by twisting the shape of the pod instead of keeping it straight, so the pod twists to the left. And I did not making any holes...instead I soldered the wire and made tendrils with it. The sheet is sterling silver and the wire is fine silver.

Ruby necklace

The stone is an opaque Ruby, color enhanced. The pendant is made with sterling silver, and the chain is a single knit Viking knit chain. The clasp and chain extensions are made with sterling silver wire. The necklace has been heavily antiqued.

Chrysolcolla Pendant

Made with a lovely Chrysocolla cabochon and sterling silver.

YOJ 2008 Week #5: Mardi Gras

I don't really know anything about Mardi Gras, but I know that beads and beads and beads are involved. So I have used genuine Garnet beads and fresh water pearl beads very generously here on a sterling silver frame. In the middle is a genuine 10mm faceted Garnet. It took me a week to make this piece.

This piece has been inspired by the works of Magdalena, Iza, Eni Oken, traditional Indian jewelry (from India...the country I come from), and the historical royalty of India.

YOJ 2008 week #4: Blustery

This piece is based on a blustery night that is well known by most people. The night Jesus calmed the raging storms and the sea and the gusty winds to stop the boat and the apostles from drowning. The silver wire fish symbolizes Jesus, there is a boat within, and winds and the sea storm are depicted by the swirly silver wire and Aquamarine beads, Peridot beads, and tiny fresh water pearls. A 10mm pearl depicts the moon. The chain & clasp are hand made too with silver wire and Amazonite beads.

JOY AND EASE AND JOY AND EASE....

This is what someone asked me to make for her. I thought it was a cool idea. She supplied the phrase, "JOY AND EASE AND". So when I stamp it on a ring, it becomes a never ending phrase that goes, "JOY AND EASE AND JOY AND EASE AND JOY....".

YOJ2008 Week #3: Australian Culture

This week's piece is a pair of earrings based on the Australian Aboriginal Didgeridoos. I took a long bone pipe bead and sawed it into two, so that one end of each piece would be sort of flared. Then I painted aboriginal symbols on each piece with acrylic paints. I made the earwires and the headpins with sterling silver wires. After taking the pictures I realized that I have not painted the bottoms of the beads (Didgeridoos). LOL! Will do so tomorrow. It is 1:17am at night now. I just got done with this piece and another order.

YOJ2008 Week #2: Zodiac Sign Capricorn

The theme of YOJ week #2 is the Sun Sign Capricorn. Garnet is one of the birthstones for the sun sign Capricorn. So I chose a Garnet CZ to make this solitaire with sterling silver wire. I love it that I can make solitaires now!

Red Spongy Coral Heart

I know this will not be a favorite for many because of many reasons....one maybe because it is so busy? But as Natasha put it, "It is a nice kind of busy....sometimes busy looks nice". I like it...it looks warm and friendly, and looks like it is smiling :-).

Another wire prong setting: Citrine

This is my 4th attempt at prong setting with wire:

Prong setting with wire

I've been dying to do these....prong setting with wire. Solderless...simply wire. And so today in two attempts I reached a somewhat reasonable piece. Its made with genuine Mystic Topaz and Brass wire. Thanks Metallique! :-) Great tutorials!!

A fine silver Viking Knit necklace

I love making these, and still have to finish a thicker fine silver chain and a gold-filled filled chain with end cones and clasps. I love how this turned out, and I love how my clasps are getting better and better! :-) Great to wear by itself or wear it with a fine silver pendant.

3 Wire Sculpted semi-precious stones pendants

Here are 3 wire sculpted pendants I have done. These are all semi-precious cabochons. I am sure only about the Aventurine. The black one is either Black Onyx or Black Jasper or Black Agate. And the last one looks like Unakite to me. They are all wrapped in 14K gold-filled wire.

A Bracelet Watch

This is my first bracelet watch. Made of 16, 18 and 20 gauge Sterling Silver wire and Rec. Turquoise. I like it quite a bit :-). But I have to get better at taking pictures. LOL!

Melissa's angel.

I love the angels Melissa makes. It looked simple enough to see. But I realized when I was doing it that I am fine with making tight coils, but when I make loose large spirals, then the flow is just not there. Need much more practice there. And yes, I know, I need to file the wire ends in all these pieces I have done. LOL! I will do it a little later. I will practice my large loose spirals on brass wire before I attempt another sterling silver angel.

The main part is in sterling silver, the head is a Rose Quartz bead, and the belt is in gold-filled wire.

Spiral bracelet

My first silver piece I have patina-ed (LOS). At first I thought I liked my silver shiny ONLY. But I think I do like it antiqued too :-). The big spirals are not as good because I realized that 18 gauge sterling wire could not handle very large spirals. For spirals as big I'll need 14 gauge. Next time I'll do it with 14 gauge. However, I do like it, and it looks great when worn too! I was VERY happy to make it yesterday.

It is made of sterling silver, wrapped in gold-filled wire.

Ooops! One more earlier piece :-)

I made this one too around the time I made the sets for my mom. This is made of sterling silver wire and gold wire. I made this before joining metalsmithing classes.

Another early piece I forgot to add: RA

This is a pendant made in honor of the Egyptian Sun God - RA. I call it "The Glory of RA". I feel a great connection to RA...and happen to see "RA" written just about everywhere...especially on car lisence plates. I've made this pendant with polymer clay, gold-filled wire, genuine Citrine and genuine Emeralds.

The chain on it -- I still have to add that to my blog. I have made it with 28 gauge gold filled wire...with the technique of "Viking Knit". Quite proud of it. But I still have to finish it with a clasp etc. After that it will have its own blog entry :-).