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.

Hearts Entwined

This was made from Eni Oken's tutorial. Gold filled wire, Ametrine, and Green Amethyst.

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!!

New Wire Sculpted Pendants

These are some wire sculpted pendants I've made over the last few days...techniques learnt from Metallique and Preston Reuthor courses. All stones except one are genuine, and they are all set in 14K gold-filled wire.

This blue stone is Amazonite:

This is a Unakite:

I am not sure what stone this is...I think it is Jade. Any ideas?

This is Fluorite:

This is an Agate cameo...mum and baby:

This is actually an Amethyst colored man made stone (the only man-made stone in this section; the rest of the stones are genuine). But when I took a picture, the picture looks blue:

This is a Peridot:

This is a Pink Topaz:

There are 2 Citrines and a string of fresh water pearls:

Two Pink Topaz here, but the bigger one is not the finest quality...the edges are not pink. Maybe the heat treatment wasn't done well?

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.