j-squared jewellery
All things available for purchase can be found here.
[If you see something on here that you like which isn't listed on my etsy, please get in touch. It costs to post listings on etsy, so for now I am following a supply and demand policy]
So this is the first taster of what I have been wanting to do since finishing my silver jewellery course last year.
This is a hand-cut and finished pendant of a wolf face in sterling silver.
I wish I had managed to get a photograph of this as a finished necklace. It was on a fine silver chain, and looked absolutely beautiful.
Unfortunately, this was a last minute piece for the local arts market last month, and by the time it was finished, it was time to bundle all my stuff into the back of the car and go, and it got snapped up by another stall holder.
Fortunately, it is not a one off. I have a pattern, and plans to make several more.
Clusters of clear rock quartz, swarovski bicones and fluorite chips on silver earwires.
I love these colours together. The swarovski bicones have a reflective AB coating which blends in with the green and purple of the fluorite beautifully.
And again in brass.
Another Christmas addition to the studio was a doming block and punch set. I made the mistake of scrimping for a cheaper block, and I regret that now. The doming holes are ordered chaotically, don’t have a set correspondence to the punches, and I’m limited with how far I can dome a disc or shape. However, despite this, these copper earrings came out pretty nicely. They’re based on one of the first pairs of silver earrings I ever made, although they are unfortunately missing the lovely texture due to my lack of a rolling mill. I’ve been told it is possible to texture metal using a hammer only, but in this case, it really didn’t work. I just ended up with flat netting and metal that looked a little bruised, but nothing else.
The copper earwires have been coated with clear nail varnish to stop the ears of their wearer going green.
I know I’ve had a very long quiet patch, so it’s well past time I showed off what I’ve been up to since Christmas. Thanks to a very generous xmas stocking, I now have some metal working tools along with my beading ones, so the possibilities have expanded…
However, my time has done the opposite, thanks to my volunteer jobs getting a little bit busier, a post-christmas pantomime and getting an actual, paying job.
I’ve tried to fit in some studio time when I can, and this was a result of my first play with my lovely new saw and bench peg.
When I was doing my weekly classes in London, I got pretty good at cutting out circles. From the state of these, the skill has slipped back a bit, but the hammering effect turns it from a bit of skewed cutting into something quite raw and primitive. I’ve been meaning to do some matching earrings.
All of this necklace is handmade, the chain, the fastening, everything.
And here are the rest of the project test pieces. The flower rings are fantastic. Should definitely be able to get the kids doing these. I’ve always loved knotting and friendship bracelet making, so I indulged in a little experimentation with some spiral knotting with ribbon and gold thread.
FUN WITH TEXTILES!
These last few days have been all about getting back to grips with my textiley roots, as I’m going to be running a demonstration stand at a ‘Vintage Fair’ at the weekend. It’s for an arts charity I volunteer for, and I’m bricking it. All these little projects have to be child friendly, which took everything to do with metal out of the picture, more or less.
The results have been better than I expected, despite not being able to find any felt (which was the recommended material for most of the flowers) and I’m hoping they’re not going to be too complicated for kids to follow - either with a needle, or some copydex.
I just hope they follow worksheet instructions rather than look at me work for a reference. I’d forgotten how clumsy and…uh…unconventional my sewing tactics are…
[Little disclaimer: All of these things were done following/accidentally adapting online tutorials from other websites. I will try and compile a credit/reference list asap]
So, I have a new scanner - one my macbook will actually recognise as a scanner - which means I can upload what I did over christmas :3
I’m a chronic doodler. Massive. Huge.
I think I might actually have a problem.
This started weeks ago as some slapdash scribbling to kill time, then due to being dragged to various church based Christmas events like carol concerts, carol services, ect. ect. it kind of grew into something else.
Then I got coloured fineliners for Christmas.
I barely made eye contact with any of my family for the following twenty four hours. I was too busy putting in the colour.
Follow me, I’ll follow you :)
This is the first successful version of what I like to call the foldable necklace. It can be worn in two ways, either doubled up with an s-clasp fastening, or with the fastening removed, and the necklace opened out into one long string of beads.
The two silver-plated jump rings can be positioned wherever the wearer likes when the necklace is open, either hanging at the sides, or one at the back, one at the front. In that option, a pendant or charm could easily be attached. I really like this design, and plan to do many more…
