Copper Leaf Pendant at the Dallas Arboretum

On a beautiful fall day in the gardens of the Dallas Arboretum I taught basic jewelry skills to 10 wonderful ladies. We hammer textured, stamped and added patina to a copper leaf which was the focal of the necklace. Using basic wire wrapping techniques we added colorful bead accents to our pieces. Every one's pendant looked great.

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Wired Up Beads

I was featured on our blog at Wired Up Beads. We're having each of us write about our creative process. I think its fun to see how we each work through our ideas. Check it out.

Stacking Rings

Fabulous and Fun stacking rings made by fusing Argentium Silver wire. 

 Using Argentium Silver makes it a breeze to make

ring bands the same size.

  I was able to fuse the band and the rivet wire at the 

same time - only heating to fuse 1 time.

Argentium Hollow Bead

A multitude of uses - A bead is a small, decorative object that is usually pierced for threading or stringing. I will be teaching a class showing how to create a hollow bead of Argentium Silver. I’ll be demonstrating and teaching fusing Argentium Silver. For those of you who have tried to “sweat” solder sterling silver and had a frustrating experience, come and learn the joy of fusing Argentium. Also there is no fire scale to add more finishing time spent polishing the purple stain away. It’s more fun to spend time creating and not at the buffing wheel.

I absolutily love working with argentium silver, I’ve learned to use the unique properties of Argentium to make the metal work to my design’s advantage.

Custom Ring

A custom ring designed for one of my customers. Picture Agate Cabochon in Argentium Silver.

Cabachon Bezel Setting Tips

For those just learning to bezel set stones here are a couple of things to keep in mind. Choose a round or oval stone, save the irregular shapes and pointy corners for when you have a bit more experience. Also the profile or the how the stone is doomed will affect how easy it is to set.

Stone 1 is a little high proportionally for a first try. Stone 2 does not have a smooth dome, it comes to a blunt edge which makes is a little more difficult. Stone 3 has the best profile for a first time bezel.  

Once you have the perfect stone for your first try the above diagram shows how the bezel should fit around the stone. It would just firmly grip the edge at about one-third of the height of the stone. 

Mixed Metal Monday

Start the week off right in class learning Metal Piercing and Riveting

Come create this mixed metal pendant with in my class. You will learn how to pierce (to make interior cuts on) your metal, opening up a new world of design possibilities. We will layer the pierced copper piece with textured brass underneath, adding a stunning level of dimension to your piece. The two pieces of metal will be joined with Argentium silver tube rivets. One of the rivets will also function  for the opening for an S hook bail. This Mixed metal pendant is the perfect way to start accessorizing for the spring!