All Wired Up Jewelry Designs

My First Tutorial!! Make A Ring with Gold Fill Wire

2012-01-27T16:19:00.000-05:00

Every month my Aspiring Metals Team does what they call, blog roll. I miss a lot because sometimes I just can't think of a darn thing to contribute that I think anyone will find interesting. Well this month, everyone is going to do a tutorial- how to do something- metal, photography for your shop, a technique that someone is good at. I volunteered to do one, then- Oh My, what to do? So, great buddies that they are- they suggested I do a How to Solder and work with gold filled wire. Gold fill is not something everyone likes or enjoys working with but it is pretty, looks like real gold and is a whole lot more affordable than the real McCoy! And no, gold fill does not flake off like gold plated, it does have a core of an alloyed material but there is so much gold pressure bonded, it really does look and act like gold.

How to Make a Ring with 14k Gold Fill Wire

First- start with good material from a reputable supplier. Make sure you are using 14/20 or 14k Gold fill, or at minimum 12/20. Nothing worse than heating something and finding out it's plated as the gold peels off.

Supplies you will need:
Cupronil, Battern's flux or Boric acid and denatured alcohol
Yellow GF solder- there are some better than others, my preference is the paste from Otto Frei or the sheet from Hoover & Strong.
Acid pickle- hot -and possibly super pickle (half pickle and half hydrogen peroxide)
Flex shaft or Dremel- for your wheels- If you don't own a rotary good wet/dry sand paper starting with 100 grit works just fine.
Silicone abrasive wheel- black (this one really cuts through metal so go easy with it)
abrasive wheels- 3M, 80 grit down through pumice
Ring files #2 and #4 cut, other files as needed
polishing compound- my preference is rouge then ZAM

1. Measure and cut your wire to size for your ring. For this ring I used 12 gauge 14/20 GF

2. Bend around mandrel and file ends so they are flush and tight- no light at all in the join area

3. Take your formed ring to your soldering area and coat well with flux on both sides- use a soldering pick or tweezers to flip the ring. If you touch the gold, coat it again. These flux materials protect from fire scale and also reduce the amount of copper alloy that will rise to the surface when GF is heated. The more copper you raise, the more work you have to do to clean and polish after soldering.

4. Heat your ring with a low flame all over to dry the flux, you should see a white coating covering the entire ring. If you have bare spots, more flux is needed. The one in the photo is just right- no shiny spots!

5. For the example above I used Cupronil spray flux- Next I add paste solder and just put it on the seam inside the ring join because I want to pull it through. I heat the ring all over again just to warm it. With gold or gold fill, you only need to heat on either side of the join. Remember, the hotter you get GF the more copper you will raise and the more work you make for yourself for clean up- I am all about less work for cleaning up my own mess. So, heat on medium to hot flame, alternating back and forth on either side of the join so the metal heats evenly. The solder paste will flow through the join and then stop heating immediately.

As you can see, I used a bit too much paste, but in my experience too much is a bit better than too little. If you use too little, sometimes you have to flip the piece over, add more solder and heat again. My preference, I'd rather file away excess solder than reheat and have my GF turn orange red from copper. As you can see, this ring is a bit pink, but the flux did it's job and I used just enough heat to flow the solder without getting the ring too hot. The solder is not the exact color of GF so you do have to file. I put this in a pickle bath- no need for super pickle since I was able to control the heat and didn't raise much copper.
After pickle, I brass brush, then hit the files.
I used a #2 cut half round ring file for the inside, followed by a #4 cut half round file, then a black silicone wheel on my flex shaft to remove an scratches left by the file.

6. Now comes clean up. After filing away the solder, I start with a yellow 80 grit 3M wheel, then follow with white 120 grit, red 220 grit, the blue 400 grit

I keep a scrap piece of GF wire close by to compare color- this is after just the first sanding with the yellow wheel and almost all of the pink cast is gone.

The picture above is after 400 grit and you should see that the color match is almost perfect, the brassy yellow of the solder is gone and this ring is now ready for me to hammer and finish down through 1200, pumice and a final polish with rouge and ZAM.

There is never just one way to do anything with metal. This is just how I work with gold fill. I have used this method for rings, bangles and bezels and my results have been fairly consistent. This is just one way, I am sure there are others. Each person that works with metal has their own tips and tricks. I enjoy learning how everyone does things so I have options in my bag when the soldering Gods aren't with me or things just aren't going well in general.

I hope you will also enjoy some of the tutorials from my other teammates and learn a few of their tricks too!
I know I am looking forward to adding the list of blogs below as the other tutorials become ready for prime time. So please come back every few days and learn a trick or two!

Here are the rest of the participating bloggers each with something special they do and hope to share!
VCArtisanOriginals
Sylvia Anderson
Metals Addict
Lilian Ginebra
Esmeralda
Amy Estelle
Stacy
Mary Anne Karren
Shannon of Gifted Designs
Pennee- All Wired Up Jewelry Designs
Jessica @ Abella Blue
Elizabeth Brown - resurrectionsilver.blogspot.com

Happy Holidays !!!!!

2011-12-23T16:16:00.000-05:00

I wanted to be sure to say a huge thank you to all my customers and friends for a super holiday season and to say Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Kwanza. Whatever or however you celebrate the season be safe, enjoy friends and family and take time to relax and enjoy.

My shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee is still showing goodies for sale, but I am officially on vacation for a few days until December 26th. I had such a lovely holiday season, with wonderful understanding customers and packages that all seemed to arrive at their proper destination. (Heaves a big sigh of relief over that). I made a few new things just for the holidays and did some custom items I thought turned out just great. Check out the gold stack ring set- ordered by an engaged couple for his mom and her future mother-in-law

I also had a special request to do a spoon ring- of all things it seems these are very popular still

But best of all, I got an early Christmas present, my new granddaughter Alexandra Rose born on December 8. Ally is very happy to be loved by many but is especially enthralled with her big sister Olivia who sings to her and tells her stories.

I am looking forward to a full week of time spent with my family (off from the full time job too!!!!) and getting back to the bench after the holidays.

Wishing you all a fantastic holiday!

I Have A Winner!!!

2011-11-01T07:13:00.000-04:00

I am excited to announce the winner of my very first blog give away! Congratulations to Lauren S who is the winner of my sterling floral pattern bangle. Lauren's name was chosen from using a random drawing program on random.org. I have made this drawing entrant accessible so anyone who entered can verify their participation but not see the names of the other entrants. Any entrant can go to http://www.random.org/draws/details/?draw=8009 and check to make sure I didn't miss their entry. I had a total of 60 entries!!!

I have e-mailed Lauren this morning to notify her . Lauren has 3 days to get back to me to accept her prize. If I don't hear from her, the second name from the drawing will be posted here on my blog and on my facebook business page https://www.facebook.com/AllWiredUpJewelryDesigns

I appreciate all who took time to enter my give away and to visit my new website http://www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/ . I do hope some or all of you will come back to shop or visit to see new items as I add them. Gift giving season is upon us - it always gets here so fast!!!!

Thank you all for participating!!

My Very First Blog Give Away

2011-10-08T15:45:00.000-04:00

I know, I know- I am really bad about chatting here on my blog. I am promising myself to do better after my daughter presents me with my new grand baby in December. In the meantime, I'm still working full time, trying to create new jewelry and just keep up with the daily grind. But- I have finally got my website http://www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com looking pretty much the way I want. Now all I need is for people to find me on a regular basis. So I'm going to do a give away- a lovely piece of jewelry made by me just for you, the WINNER!

First and foremost - what you will win is one of my favorite and most popular bangles the Floral Pattern Bangle. I will make this in your size and shape in round or oval, your choice and finish in shiny as shown or oxidized to bring out the detail of this lovely pattern. I am choosing this bangle because the company I purchase the wire from has discontinued it- there won't be any more of these made when my supply is gone. This makes this just a little more special because no one anywhere can make one like it!

If you'd like to read the details about the bangles and see the options you can take a look on my site by clicking this link: http://shop.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/Sterling-Floral-Pattern-Bangle-95.htm

Since my blog isn't updated as often as I'd like, I will be posting my giveaway on Facebook and Tweeting about it also. Giveaway starts today, Oct 8 and ends at midnight Halloween - Oct 31. I will draw the winner on November 1 and announce the winner here on my blog!

How To Enter The Giveaway

Giveaway is open worldwide to entrants at least 18 years old. I will be pulling a number from my random.org top hat after 11:59pm EST on November 1, 2011, and the corresponding commenter will win! Pennee will contact that lucky soul for a mailing address. If she doesn't hear back from the winner within 3 days, a new number will be drawn.

Mandatory Entry: Gaze around All Wired Up Jewelry Designs website shop then comment on this post with your favorite handmade item and a way to contact you, preferably an email or facebook user name. If e-mail is used, this is a secure site and no e-mail addresses are shared or otherwise used. Random.org deletes all e-mail addresses entered at the completion of the drawing.

Extra Entries: Don't forget the mandatory comment before moving on to these! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry to count.

1. Like that same item on your facebook page and include the link when commenting. Don't forget to use @allwiredupjewelrydesigns so I can see!!!!

2. Buy anything from my All Wired Up Jewelry Designs Website! Use coupon code NewSite15 at checkout to receive 15% off your order $20 and over (before coupon). Make sure to comment on my blog for anything you purchase, every $20 you spend is an extra entry! Please leave me message when you check out!

3. Like this giveaway on facebook by using the like button on the right side bar of this post OR share it on your facebook page and comment with the link.

4. Like All Wired Up Jewelry Designs page on facebook for one extra entry.

5. Follow Ppenne on twitter. 1 entry

6. Tweet ONCE about the giveaway using the one below or a variation of your own. Leave a comment with the link.

Enter @all wired up jewelry designs #handmade #Halloween #giveaway to #win Floral Pattern Bangle

7. Spread the word! Pin this giveaway to Pinterest. Click to share this giveaway on Stumble Upon, Technorati, Digg, or Del.icio.us. I'll honor one entry for every networking website you share it on, just make sure to leave separate comments for each.

8. Follow my blog!!!!

Please don't forget- I need a comment for each thing you do and an e-mail address or username so I can put you in random.org for this drawing!!!!

I am very excited about doing this give away. If for some reason you are not a bangle wearer and you win- we can certainly work out something so you get something you love for the same value!!!!!

Can't wait to see who wins!!

What I'm Working On

2011-07-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

Here it is almost another month and with all the crazy things that happen in life, no time to blog! My Aspiring Metals Team makes me get off my duff periodically with Project Blogroll which is the teams way of saying- write something about what's going on in your shop! This month we have an exciting bunch of posts (links below) of what some of my aspiring teammates are up to in their shops - what are they working on!!! Loads of fun things- please browse through and see some amazing art and the steps it takes to get a finished piece of fine jewelry.

Hopefully, many of the items I am working on will be found in my shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee very soon! At least that's my hope.

My big news this month is that I finally bought a kiln so I could do more work in Precious Metal Clay - having the kiln should make my life a lot easier and I should get a much more consistent product. In order to create with metal clay, many people use templates, stamps, texture plates. Some sculpt and hand carve every piece. I love making molds with Sculpty Clay. I see a cool leaf, a sea shell or even a twig, I mold it- never know when it might come in handy . I also love to use leftover clay from filing and just dry pieces that inevitably appear. I make a slip with the dry particles and then coat real leaves from my garden which I will then fire to create jewelry. Below are some of my molds and also a picture of some leaves in the process of being coated with slip. It always amazes me that when fired, you can see every single vein in a leaf!

The hen scratched mold at the top is my own hand creation of a cherry blossom branch, to the right is part of a nautilus shell, a coleus leaf and a ginkho leaf. All will eventually be pendants or earrings, some set with stones, some just pretty silver!

Love the leaves- learned a trick on my Metal Clay Heads team that it you tape the leaf to something when you start coating it with the silver slip- it won't curl up on you and crack! Cracked silver is not a good thing at all! The top two heart shaped leaves are from a redbud tree from this spring, the small one and much longer one are from a verbena plant and the last one is from a tree I walked by and liked the leaf- not quite sure what it is!

I also have a series of pendants that have been on the bench way too long waiting for me to have a day to decide how I want to finish each one and put the finishing touches on. The series will all have a different textured back plate to complement the stone and or the design of the final project. For starters I chose a pear shaped labradorite decorated with trim that I think makes it look like a birds tail feathers. So my plan is to oxidize the back plate, the dangle some oxidized chains from a hole I will drill in the bottom center feather then add some tiny moonstone, labradorite and aquamarine briolettes to make a really interesting pendant. The ocean jasper with it's great little orbs of color will have a pretty gemstone on the bail I create for it and the oval labradorite still hasn't told me what it wants to be!

I always enjoy making rings and I'm am way low on labradorite rings in my shop so here's a few in process.

I always seem to be doing something with flush set (aka gypsy set) gemstones lately. Since I've learned how to do it, I feel like I need to keep doing it so I don't forget how! Silly I know, but practice makes perfect. Below is a heavy band ring with a custom order for a 2mm center hot pink sapphire with two 2mm black diamonds on either side. This combo would not have been my choice, but the buyer was adamant that she had to have it exactly like this so who am I to argue! Just waiting for my little diamonds to arrive!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing a little piece of what's on my bench- there's always something in some stage or another of being created and I love being able to walk to the bench and say- who wants to be finished today? He who squeaks me, me me- gets picked!

I hope you will take some time and read some of the other blogs posted below. You'll see some amazing projects and beautiful artwork from my Aspiring Metals Team!

The Big Prong Ring

2011-06-27T08:59:00.000-04:00

Have you ever seen something, anything crafty, that you wanted to do and just didn't quite know how. Then you search and search for directions, not knowing exactly how to word your search, you get tons of stuff you aren't even interested in. Then you land on something that sort of makes the grade! Woohoo- you have a starting place!

That's sort of the story of "The Big Prong Ring". I just love prong settings. I read all the tutorials and books, and in theory, I knew just what to do. Problem was, every time I tried, I was working on something small and delicate and I would just totally melt things toward the end. I decided prongs just weren't going to be my forte. Then I saw a few rings, rather rustic looking, but with larger prongs, these looked very doable. Before I got around to trying the rustic route, I got my copy of the July 2011 Art Jewelry Magazine- WOW- Joanna Gollberg http://www.joannagollberg.com/, the queen of prong setting, had done a tutorial. I was in heaven. This woman has some of the most beautiful work I have ever seen. totally my taste. I couldn't wait to dive in and read the instructions.

Instructions were great, but I didn't want to be a copy cat, so I had to come up with my own version of her gorgeous ring http://www.artjewelrymag.com/Resources/Contact%20and%20Suppliers/2011/04/Art%20Jewelry%20July%202011.aspx on the front cover.

I started by pulling out this huge emerald cut rutilated quartz with chlorite inclusions. It was perfect for a big prong ring, set up high on a sturdy band. I got out the biggest wire I could handle and created the frame, cut big heavy half round wire and soldered it in place.

So, now I had to think of something to solder the prongs to- what would make a great looking base, not take away from the great looking rutiles in my stone and not be so big and cumbersome that no one would ever consider wearing it?? I took a trip to my local supplier, Terra Firma in Baltimore, and he had some nice reticulation silver. That's the stuff that's 80% silver and 20% copper. The copper makes it very strong and you heat, cool and pickle the piece about 10 times in order to get fine silver to come to the surface and all the copper stuff to go away. It leaves an awesome pattern on the front and back of your little piece of silver. The best thing is no two pieces of silver ever look the same after reticulation- so this is one of a kind even if someone else made the exact same ring!

Soldering flat bottom prongs to bumpy surfaced silver is not an easy task! There was one prong just a hair shorter than the rest- even though I measured- so I had to keep bending the silver base up until it touched the prong perfectly with no gap and re-solder that one prong. This took more than one attempt I am not embarrassed to say- this was a first for me, so I learned lots along the way!

Finally finished!! I know you can't see from this picture, so I'll add another, but the setting is elevated above the base. Getting these big prongs to close was nother challenge- OMG, I pushed and pushed and they wouldn't lay down. I finally used a bezel pusher as a punch and tapped down the tops. Who knew you had to be so strong to make jewelry?

Sorry for the little fuzzy on the side, I think my cat, who was very interested in photos, must have been looking to close when I set this on the counter! So now you can see the side with just enough space under to make it interesting.

What was really nice, I had leftover reticulated silver so I made this cute little pendant with leftovers. I feel so self satisfied when I use stuff I already have and don't have to start fresh! And, I got to do those cute little rustic prongs I want to try too!

Hope you enjoyed the little story of my journey into the deep dark secrets of prong setting. Thanks to Art Jewelry magazine and Joanna Gollberg for sharing her wonderful technique!!!

A Couple Firsts for Me!

2011-06-11T16:03:00.000-04:00

I guess the most important first for me was my granddaughter's first ever dance recital last night! She was such a little trouper, all dressed in her costume, up on stage in front of a full house audience at the high school auditorium, she never got the least bit nervous. Now her mom and I, different story. So, being Mimi first, and jewelry designer second, I have to share a picture of just how cute my little ballerina looked for her (and my) first dance recital!

This was after she was finished, holding her little ballerina bouquet.

My other first this week was to finally bite the bullet and add real gold to my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee and my new website http://www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/. I'm still refining the website so I haven't started directing traffic there yet- but soon, very soon.
I know I have even posted here about the rising cost of sterling silver, which is now at least below $50 and ounce, but still fluctuating between mid and high 30s per ounce. All the trend this year seems to be gold tones. I just didn't want to add yet another metal to my supplies even though brass is very reasonable. It would still mean buying different solder, wire, sheet and jump rings. I already had some things in gold, I love gold, so I finally decided that gold is one of those forever popular precious metals that no matter what, people will love and buy for someone special. Here is my first little stack ring series. 14K gold tapered bezel with a soft brushed glow atop a heavy sterling band.

You can see all the selections of different stones by clicking on this listing in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/75759875/14k-gold-and-sterling-gemstone-stack
I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts or comments about the ring, the customizable features I allow the buyer to decide- whatever, please feel free to comment. I will also be offering these in the standard round shiny gold setting, but wanted to offer something just a little different. I hope you'll like my new little rings!

Design Your Own!!!

2011-04-03T08:33:00.000-04:00

I know I am not good at blogging on any regular basis, but today I was inspired by the launch of my new website http://shop.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/ which allowed me the capability do do something I have always wanted to do... offer Custom Designed Pendants and Rings!

If any of you have ever shopped my Etsy store http://www.ppennee.etsy.com/, you know that I do a lot of made to order gemtone stack rings, fine silver hoop earrings for everday wear and charm necklaces with a variety of gemstones. I have always wanted to be able to just have one listing with a variety of choices to make it easy for a potential customer to just go in and select what they would like to design their own. Just picture a young woman who wants to give a gift of my Lotus Flower Tag Necklace with a gemstone that matches each of her bridemaids dresses.

She sends me a message asking about what color stones I have, I get back with a list and drag out the camera to take pics so she can see colors and shapes, then she gets back again with what she wants, I create a listing and get back to her and so on. I am sure you can see this isn't conducive to the typical shopper who sees what they want and orders it on the spot and expects to get it in short order!!! We are a nation of spontaneous people who love to see it, touch it and then decide on the spot if we want it. Many of my shoppers have looked around a lot, they know what they want and how much they are willing to spend. Unfortunately Etsy doesn't offer drop down boxes to just go ahead and select a gemstone in the color of our choice. I am happy to say my new website does just that very thing!.

Here is my first attempt at a custom Design Your Own Pendant listing on my website. If you want to go play and see how much fun it is to browse these cool drop down menus here is the link to go play : http://shop.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/Design-Your-Own-Pendant-Custom-Designer-Cabochons-56.htm . I have set up two groups of gorgeous cabochon stones, numbered them, fixed a set price for the work, then I am able to increase or decrease the price for each stone if I happen to have gotten some on sale or if I paid a lot for a rare hard to find specimen stone. Lots of options for chain length, bezel type and the customer can always contact me for a price for extras like beaded wire trim, silver granulation, hand cut designs etc.. I have also done a similar listing for ustom Designed Cabochon Rings, unfortunately I have to retake the photos since I didn't think to number the stones and that still needs work!

Maybe its the pride in finally having a site that's all my own, or just the basic need to be able to do things my own way without "Big Brother" restrictions, I'm not sure, but what I am sure of, is I am a picky shopper and I believe todays on line shoppers are no different. I miss the old days of personalized service I got at a department store. I used to take a few things into a dressing room and then some lovely sales person would go and hunt for a different size, color, matching scarf whatever I wanted! Now I get dressed at least twice to go on the hunt myself- this does not make me want to stay and buy something! I wanted to be able to be just a little bit better at customer service and I just had too many restrictions on Etsy to be able to offer the level I felt my customers were missing.

Yes, I'll still be on Etsy for a while- very few people have "discoverd" my website. But, I am hopeful that very soon I will have someone stumble in, like what they see and how they are treated and send a few friends my way. Wish me luck!

Why Make My Own Website??

2011-03-31T16:08:00.000-04:00

I don't think I can express in words the feeling of joy and pride that I have felt the last two days for just finishing and launching my new website http://www.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/. I have for so long wanted to be able to print my own shop name on my business cards when I mail out a piece of jewelry, now I can!!!
I have always been happy with Etsy and with my shop and friends I have made, that said, I made the mistake of being a buyer first, then opening a shop so I was stuck with my buyer name. Having a shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee really doesn't draw anyone to looking for jewelry to my way of thinking, my real shop name All Wired Up Jewelry Designs is a sub-header under my name. I wanted a real jewelry shop!!

Other reasons to want my own website and shopping venue:
Etsy gets a percentage of every sale I make and a small amount for me to list a new item. If I want my items to stay on the first few pages of a search, I pay to re-list the item which costs me again. The Paypal takes a percentage when a customer purchases something. I told myself over the last few years that this was ok and to think of it as part of my meager advertising budget. But now that silver s approaching $40 and ounce, I feel that having my own website will save me all those fees and I'll be able to hold off from raising my prices to buy more silver to continue filling orders and making new things. If I concentrate on Etsy, I would have to raise my prices or just stop making new things. That just wasn't in the plan!

Reason number 2: It's all mine! I can set my own shipping policies, return policies and refund policies without the hassle of having to ask Etsy to refund any fees and charges I lost. Privacy- big one for me- I am starting to get concerned that Etsy is trying to become the Facebook of jewelry sales. They want me to join teams and circles and unless my customers are savvy and set up their privacy filters, their purchases could be public knowledge. It's no one's business if you want to order a set of custom stack rings for your Mom for Mother's Day now is it??

Third reason: You don't have to "join" my website! You can just come shop and be done with it. I don't want to join a Nordstrom's Club or even Target- why do I need my customers to sign up with Etsy to shop with me?? Their rules, not mine! Sure, you can register on my website if you like, you can bookmark me, make me a favorite or none of the above, but you don't have to!!! I like that.

Number 4- I think websites make customizing so much easier!!!! In the world of Etsy, if I have a necklace with an 18 inch chain and a garnet faceted briolette trimming it, a potential customer has to "convo" me mutiple times to ask about additional chain length if wanted, other gemstone choices and possible additional costs. All easy peasy on my website- it's all about the little drop down box! The choices are all there and you just check the box for what you want to add, put it together just the way you want and head to check out.
This should give you an idea of how it looks- go ahead and play- you never have to really check out unless you want to! http://shop.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/Lotus-Sterling-Tag-Gemstone-Necklace-Customize-It-47.htm.

This stack ring is another example! In my shop, you can choose any stone you want in this 5mm size! A separate listing for 4mm and 6mm with every stone I own listed- so much easier than getting skipped over because I don't have the particular stone listed you are looking for. And yes, I still order a stone you want and I don't have!

http://shop.allwiredupjewelrydesigns.com/Artisan-Sterling-Stack-Rings-5mm-Gemstone-Made-to-Order-15.htm this is my website listing for all the different possibilities for you to create a special ring in the 5mm size.

Setting up the website was so hard for me to do. I am not a big computer geek. I bugged lots of friends and called the poor help desk at the website daily. But that's a whole different blog to write.

Playing with Color

2011-03-19T06:46:00.000-04:00

I had a lot of fun yesterday playing with oxidizing some new pieces I did so I thought I'd share in pictures what I did and talk about what I learned.
First let me say, liver of sulfur stinks! So does ammonia. Unfortunately, in the world of metal and oxidizing, to get pretty color, you have to use one or both in some sort of combination. For many years, dry LOS was the only thing available and it was sold in big containers and came in chunks that you had to break up and add to hot water to dissolve- Phew- the smell- think rotten eggs! And if any moisture got into your supply it turned green and wouldn't work to darken your metal. Luckily someone came up with LOS gel a few years ago and at least the problem of throwing away your ruined supply regularly was solved- it still stinks, but it's very stable and is easy to mix, no punding chunks so it will dissolve.
I don't do huge amounts of jewelry when I play with live of sulfur, mainly because I'm never sure if I'm going to like the results. In hot water LOS will turn sterling or fine silver dark black in about 20-30 seconds. After you get your silver out, you have to dry it and go over it with very fine steel wool to bring up the shine on the raised areas leaving a very dark background. As you can see from this pendant- it can look very attractive, but it's not for every piece of jewelry.

I've been more and more interested in precious metal clay (PMC) and all the options it allows me to explore. I love anything botanical, flowers, trees, leaves! So I wanted to press some leaves from my garden into my clay and make some earrings and pendants for my shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee. I already had a few pieces I had oxidized with LOS, but they were the dark variety like the pendant below.

I picked some leaves from one of my favorite ground covers, Cranesbill geranium which I love because it gets pretty pink flowers in the spring and summer, but at least where I live in MD, it never really dies back totally. It gets pretty reds and oranges on the leaves in fall and I can still at least see the leaves in winter if the snow isn't too deep. Right now- little green and reddish leaves are popping out all over my plant! I chose to do a round pendant and earrings to match. This is what they looked like after I pressed the leaves, dried and fired and then put them in the tumbler to work harden and shine up a bit.

It always amazes me how much detail you see from a leaf- all the texture, veining, even a little piece of the stem where is picked the leaf from the plant. What I hoped to accomplish was to get some of the color I actually see in the garden and not lose the detail of the leaf.
I knew from previous experiments that hot was not what I wanted, nor was cold. Cold LOS gives you what almost looks like gold- nice, but not what I was aiming for. So I tried luke warm, slightly hotter ( praise for the microwave)- I got a lot of yellow and brown, some red, still not what I wanted. I have lots of team mates on my Aspiring Metals Team on Etsy that work in copper. Many have mentioned using ammonia to get that great green verdigris color that looks so great. So I added a little ammonia, starting with about a teaspoon at a time.
Each time I dipped in my silver it got a little more interesting. Keep in mind, if you don't get what you want, you have to keep cleaning off the piece and taking it back to almost shiny silver to start again! After about 3 tries, medium warm temperature and 3 tsp of ammonia, this is what I got!

I have to say, my leaves aren't blue in the garden, but I was really pleased with the effects I got- and I did get some reds and lavender which i thought looked pretty cool!
Feel free to comment and let me know what you think. I hope you enjoyed reading a little about playing with color.

Rings and Things - 86 and Counting

2011-03-10T14:09:00.000-05:00

It's been too long again since I updated my post early this year on 104 things I wanted to make. So right now I have 86 items to go in the two flickr groups I joined, RAW - ring a week and THAW- thing a week. So here are just a few items I have completed to give you an idea of just how much torching and hammering I've been doing!

This was my first hand made hinge- I got double duty out of this ocean jasper pendant. It was part of THAW and also my entry in the monthy design challenge with the aspiring metals team, this months being Movement. Well, it does move, but I got no where close to winning against architectural structures that spouted water, spinnin g rings and such, but I did learn how to make a hinge and I loved these stones. Ocean jasper always reminds me of colored bubbles kids play with in the tub.

Another THAW entry- again, I got double credit- for myself, because I did a rough prong setting (we all have to start somewhere) and another THAW entry.

Take your breath away? This was sold as fast as I listed it in my Etsy shop. A gorgeous piece of aquamarine rough, again a first for me to set something other than a calibrated cabochon, and this one was a RAW entry.

The last RAW entry I'll show off is what started to be a riveted ring. Rivets are just so versatile and it's not messy at all to rivet 2 pieces together, unlike soldering with all the flux and pickle and yukky quench water. But, it was not meant to be. No matter what size wire I hammered, I couldn't get the top rivet to be large enough to show that amount of copper I wanted for a pretty contrast. So, I made a copper ball and soldered it onto the sterling wrap ring. Seemed to me that shiny copper just set off the texture perfectly. I did the texture by hammering the silver on the sidewalk before forming. I have this listed in my shop as a made to order item since I think it will be a great casual piece to wear this season.

My last THAW entry- tryng to get more interesting pendants and earrings, I decided on precious metal clay as my medium. I love playing play dough with my granddaughter and this isn't much different- just way more expensive. I made an impression of a pretty dahlia, then used a pmc syringe to create a setting, fired to burn off the clay, which leave almost pure silver (.999 instead of sterling that is .925) and then set a pink CZ in the center.
I just have so many things I want to learn to do with metal and there really is so little time. Hope you enjoyed my little picture update. Wish me luck, I only have 86 more things to make!

Rock On!

2011-02-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

I'll bet you thought I was going to talk about music from my title- nope, I'm here to talk about rocks! Big ones, small ones, shiny ones and tall ones! Being part of the Aspiring Metals Team monthly blogroll makes me think about all sorts of fun things that have happened to me since I became a metalsmith. One is an additction to all sorts of rocks. Some talk to me and I know right away what they want to be, a ring, a pendant, part of a bracelet. Some just want me to look at them, they aren't quite ready to speak yet- they are my babies and I can wait patiently until they are ready to say what I need to hear to create something to show their beauty and allow them to go out into the world!

I'll start with big ones and one tall one. These are some of my favorites because I love the colors and movement in them. The big center cherry creek jasper has already spoken- she wants to be a brooch set on a lovely hand stamped piece of silver with vines and hand made cherry blossoms. The poppy jasper in the upper left wants to be a pendant but hasn't mentioned yet what sort of embellishment will suit. The dino bone (yes- real dinosaur bone) is a very reticent stone- refuses to say anything at all. The Botswana agate on the bottom left and the rainforest jasper have started to babble some, but no real direction for me yet!

Next would be the shiny ones. They talk way to much- me, me, me! They all want to be set in a ring all alone so they can sparkle and shine, catch everyone's attention and be adored. It gets really noisy in my studio sometimes as I head to my stone corner looking for a new project. The loudest of these are the apatite- the pretty blue green ones left front- they know they are loved but still must always be first pick!

Small ones- I love the little guys, shiny and faceted, rough crystals and polished stones. They come to me knowing they will be beautiful rings and sometimes just want to be held and cuddled. They don't have a lot to say, and seem to be very patient to wait until it's their turn. I look for intense defined color in my small stones. Rings are very special and very personal items for the wearer so they must speak to the wearer as well as to me.

Next are just a few of my favorites. I love stones with pictures or that remind me of something I have seen or read. The Bruneau jasper top left reminds me of the book Dune with dark sky and sand everywhere- what's lurking beneath? The Sonioran Sunrise on top is just that- a gorgeous stone that has it's own internal sun that shines all the time. On the botoom right an Owhee Jasper that looks like a big dust storm rolling through the desert and on the left a picture jasper. A lonely outpost in the desert stands sentinel over the cactus and tumbleweed.

So those are just a few of my rocks. I have a bad addiction to rock, so I couldn't possibly show the all or I'd be hogging up way too much blog space. I also want you to have time to visit some of my teammates to see their beautiful stone collections and read their stories, some will really surprise and captivate you!

The Aspiring Metals Team list of stone addicts is below- have fun reading their stories!
Now if you want to see some really exciting collections, check out these links below of the awesome Aspiring Metalsmiths.

Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
Clarity @ Scrollwork Designs - http://thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/
Stacy Low - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Chrissi Lynn Designs - http://www.chrissilynn.blogspot.com
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell - http://www.stephstargell.com
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/show-us-your-stones/#more-4
Claire - brightstar109.blogspot.com/
AristiKat- http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/

How Far Have I Come?

2011-01-24T10:23:00.000-05:00

Our Aspiring Metals Team Blog Roll for this month was about showing our early work or even our first work. It made me start to think of how far I have come in such a short time, how much I've learned and how much fun I've had working with metal and creating jewelry that lots of customers own and love.

I think like most metalsmiths, I started with beading then went on to wire wrapping and creating with a combination of stones, gemstones and wire. Well, as much as I thought some of these pieces just rocked, they weren't what I really loved and wanted for myself. Take a look at this- I thought I was the cats meow when I first made this necklace for a New Years party I was attending!

I called this my Champagne on Ice necklace and boy was I proud of it. Now all I see are mistakes, some messy wire wrapping on some of my stones and definitely not really me!
But I jumped ahead a bit- my first work was just beading- so string it on, crimp the ends put a clasp on and you've got a necklace or bracelet. Well, it sounds easy, but when I started, my crimps popped off or I didn't know of "crimp covers" that made everything look nice. This is an example of when I conquered crimp covers!

So then I took a fusing class and got totally hooked on playing with the torch. How much fun this was, I could fuse circles, make shapes, bracelets, hammer things, this was great!! But not without pitfalls mind you- lots of melted metal that never fused, lots of bubbles in the metal that made lumpy circles. Ahh- the learning process can be so frustrating. But I finally conquered fusing and did lots of circles, squares, teardrops and ovals!
This is one of my favorites to this day! This bracelet is fused fine silver which I did solder together. I was already itching to play with more fire!

Then came PMC- metal clay- this is just fine silver in clay form. It really has it's challenges, but so many possibilities. Again- took a class, had a ball- but realized to be really good at this, I would have to take lots more classes and spend an awful lot on a kiln and other supplies. So, I made a few cute charms and a pendant and decided I would put PMC on hold for just a bit. This is my first attempt at a pendant. This was not my design at all- it was made in a class given by Dina Alexander on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/dinaalexander and it was her design she allowed me to make since I just oohed and ahhed over how beautiful hers was. And hers is sooo much prettier, but I still loved all the possibilities with texture and dimension.

So now on to my first metal work and the first challenge I ever cried over - I had hearts in mind for earrings. . I was so proud of myself for just being able to make something from scratch. I asked questions, watched you tube videos and made these earrings!

They don't really match- the ear wires would not solder on and stay put- what a mess! At least now I know you saw your earrings out together so they will at least match even if they aren't perfect!!

Now I think I can actually say I make some pretty things but still have a lot of challenges ahead with learning new skills and perfecting those I have under my belt! In fact this is my first attempt at rustic prong setting and I was very pleased with the results!!

I hope you enjoyed taking this little journey with me and I hope if you found my journey interesting at all, you will take a peek and read about some of the others on my team below!
Jessica - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Clarity - http://www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Stacy - http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com/
Gloria - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Joy - http://www.joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
Autumn - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
Gayle - http://www.thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com/
Sylvia - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/

104 Things I Want To Make This Year

2011-01-15T16:01:00.000-05:00

I have lots of goals for my jewelry business and to help me along, I joined to groups this year - RAW and THAW. Sounds nothing like jewelry related organizations, but they are two Flickr groups that have crazy women and men making a Ring A Week or a Thing A Week and posting to the group. Last year someone came up with Ring A Day and I was dumbfounded that anyone could even think of doing this. No way- I have a full time job! But hey, a Ring a week is doable. Then someone on out aspiring metals team said, why not just make a thing a week- not just rings. So, here are the 2 groups - http://www.flickr.com/groups/ringaweek/ for rings and http://www.flickr.com/groups/thaw2011/ for anything and everything else!

My first entry for RAW was one of my favorites to date- a Peruvian pink opal which I have listed in my Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/listing/65499989/pink-peruvian-opal-ring-size-7-ooak

So my first THAW entry I had Valentine" Day in mind (as did a ton of other people it seems) so I made acute little heart necklace with a dainty little pearl.

And week 2 I submitted this Rainforest Jasper pendant necklace wich has the most amazing colors!

So here I sit now, instead of making my RAW 2 entry, so I have to run, but I hope you'll take time now and then and check out the 2 fun groups and all the great entries!

Dreaming of New Techniques with Metal

2010-12-10T16:34:00.000-05:00

There are lots of things people dream about, a special trip to somewhere exotic and beautiful, a new dream house. I am a member of a great group on Etsy called the Aspiring Metalsmiths Team so my dreams revolve around learning new techniques so I can create some of those gorgeous designs swirling around in my brain.

I would like to share my little pipe dreams so you can either have a good chuckle over my aspirations or root me on while I keep challenging myself to go to the next level with my skills.

My first new technique I promised myself I would conquer is flush setting or as it is sometimes called "false gypsy setting. This technique involves drilling into a piece of metal, getting the oh so perfect size that matches the diameter of your shiny faceted stone, with a seat to hold it level and then very carefully burnished down the metal around the hole over the stone so it is "flush" or level with the surface of the metal. Below is an example from one of what we fondly refer to as one of the "big dogs" in metalsmithing on Etsy. This ring is from tinkertown- http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinkertown?ref=seller_info and I think it's a beautiful example of the beauty and simplicity of flush setting. The possibilities of this technique are just endless!

The second technique I would love to learn is etching on metal. Wow- Picture a piece of lace, very fine, very beautiful, then picture that pattern permanently etched onto a piece of metal and made into a gorgeous cuff bracelet that you can look at and admire the beautiful pattern over and over! It's like texture without the expensive rolling mill, texture plates and all he space you need to set up that big piece of equipment (not feasible in my little house). Basically, etching consists of an acid bath the eats away and a design or pattern that you have created by using a resist (something that prevents the acid from eating away the metal). The part where the resist is will stay smooth, the part where you have created your design gets eroded away and leaves a permanent design. Here is a picture of a lovely pendant created in copper by my teammate Asa Pearson of asapdesigns, http://www.etsy.com/shop/asapdesigns?ref=seller_info

As you can see from this picture, not only can you do a totally unique design, but you can add color!!!

I have a really long list of more things I'd like to lean, but those will have to come after I master these two. I hope you've enjoyed a little glimpse into my journey with metalsmithing!

I hope you've enjoyed seeing some examples of my aspirations for learning in the new year. If you'd like to see some examples of other metalsmith's dream techniques, just check out any of the blogs below and share our dreams.

Gayle - http://thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Jessica @ Abella Blue - www.abellablue.com/blog
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Autumn Bradley - www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Scrollwork Designs - www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com/
Carole - http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
Heather - http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
Esmeralda (SilverBlueberry) - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Stacy http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell Designs - http://stephstargell.com

The Workspace - November Blog Challenge

2010-11-10T07:55:00.000-05:00

My Etsy team, the Aspiring Metalsmiths, decided it would be fun for each of us to show where we work to creat all our shiny things for our shops. Well, I call anything a challenge when it comes to organizing a teeny tiny space where I have collected 10 pounds of necessary supplies and tried to store it in an area that should never have more than 2 max! I don't have a lot of fancy tools, or big professional items like a rolling mill or kiln or even a flex shaft ( that's a big girl tool that lets you change drill bits, polishing wheels and other necessities with ease- it also lets you control the speed at which you use these things). Nope, I have basics- a dremel drill- which has only 4 speeds with just a switch, a small torch, no big tanks of fuel would fit in my space and lots of hammers and pliers.
So first, the birds eye view of where I start creating my rings, bangles and necklaces.

You will note in the background I have a poster important to all women jewelers, Les Aromes du Vin, the aromas of wine, this is my reminder that if I am productive, I get a nice glass of wine at the end of a successful project! On the right is my dremel, back, some of my pliers, drawers contain hammers, files, and all sorts of scribes, dividers, calipers and even used dental tools for getting in tiny spaces (the dentist is every jewelers friend). Underneath are all my bracelet mandrels and just to the left is the tower of wire!!

Next, we all know I am a complete stone freak - Gollum had nothing on me "precious" - so so would think I have this amazing system for storing my gems and stones, being able to sooth my soul by glancing at all the pretty colors- oops- no space for that. Here's my "system" of storing gems and stones.

Next to the box on the left are 2 huge bags filled with those adorable origami boxes filled with individual stones from Cabbingrough http://www.etsy.com/shop/cabbingrough, who has the most gorgeous rocks! In the black box I have organized, again in bags and tiny bags for each stone type, all my faceted gemstones, to the right in little containers are my small to medium cabochon stones.

Now- on to where I actually put things together. Yup- not here- guess where?? The kitchen of course. I need a sink, I need fireproof counters, I need room!

Yes, my set up is very basic. Torch, soldering pad, tripod and a box full of tweezers, various solders and to the right of all this, near the sink is my pickle pot- small crockpots are great for pickle.

Now that you've seen my space, I hope you will really enjoy knowing where your lovely jewelry actually comes from. It's my home, my workplace and it's where I love to be! At the end of the day, when creating is done, and the wine poured, I grab a book from my shelf, curl up and read about yet another techniques I want to learn to do to make more pretty things. This last few weeks has been devoted to flush settings. They are much harder than I thought.

I sure hope you've enjoyed visiting my space. If you have time, listed below are some of my fellow teammies who have shared their space on their own blogs. Visit them and compare- we are all so different in what we create and how and where we work, it's lots of fun to see the differences and similarities!

Jessica Lopour - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Jeanne Millman, Golden Water Creations http://www.goldenwatercreations.blogspot.com/
Sylvia Anderson www.SylviaAnderson.blogspot.com
Steph Stargell Designs http://stephstargell.com
Clarity, Scrollwork Designs, www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Brandy, The Frogs Pond http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com/
All Wired Up Jewelry Designs http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Esmeralda, SilverBlueberry, http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Heather, Misty Ridge Designs http://mistyridgedesigns.blogspot.com/
Joy http://joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
Nancy Creations - http://nancysjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Carole Axium http://www.caroleaxiumdesigns.com/journal/
Stacy/Form and Function http:formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Lisa at http://sandytoesjewelry.blogspot.com/

Private Sale in the Works

2010-11-06T21:27:00.000-04:00

Before I start to tell my few but loyal readers all about my upcoming sale event, I have to do a little bragging. My team leader on Aspiring Metalsmiths Etsy, Clarity Collins of Scrollwork Designs http://www.etsy.com/shop/Scrollworkdesigns, toughed it out and submitted 10 items from designer members of our team. Now this was extremely difficult, since there are about 80 or more of us! To pick 10 items she took recommendations and her own personal knowledge of many of the artisans, took into account tine with the team, how much we support the team and all that good stuff. Well, we made it into the Holiday Gift Guide on Handmade Spark! We are all doing the happy dance on our forum. Take a peek and enjoy some of our handpicked items, many of which absolutely belong on your wish list or under your tree: http://www.handmadespark.com/blog/holiday-gift-guide-featuring-the-aspiring-metalsmiths/ - as you can see on my header- we even got a cool button to use on our blogs!

Now, I'm not the most consistent blogger there is, but I do really good when it comes to running a sale and shipping out the goodies. I only do about 4 of these a year (I do still have a full time job that requires my attention over 40 hours a week!), so I try to make my sales worth it to my customers. This sale is for current customers only and for those who have asked to be added to my e-mail list for these sales. I don't want to spam anyone, so I always ask when someone buys if they'd like to be added, I post on facebook so fans can be added, and now I'll comment here- if you want some really good savings- head over to my Etsy shop, go to contact, and send me your e-mail so you can get the sales details! Just to be safe, here's the link to my shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee, just look under my Shop owner section and hit contact, simple as that.

Just for a teaser- I usually give a 5% discount on stackable ring sets of 3 and 10% on 6 or more. Lots of people have big families, so getting mother's rings is a good start, then there's grandmother's rings, your best friend needs some for her kids, or heck your BFF just loves pretty jewelry. For my upcoming sale- sets of 3 or more will get 15% off and free shipping. The only restriction is that sets of 3-5 must contain at least one non-gemstone band, sets of 6 or more will need to have 2 non-gemstone bands- your choice, and I have 3 in stock and am adding more this coming week. The bands really do make the sets look great and they can also be worn alone when you just want something simple- and heck, they're really nice! So 2 regular priced rings that are $39 plus a band for $12 would be $90- your price will be $76.50- around $25/ring.

Teaser number 2: I made a real haul at my local gem show this weekend, I got some awesome 4mm green diopside, Burmese rubies and the most fabulous teal blue toumalines. These will be available for the private sale before they are offered in my shop - when they're gone, I will remove the listing since I only got these for the sale. I will mark them as reserved, so only my private sale customers know they are available for sale.
Talk about your red and green for the holidays or a "Blue, Blue Christmas", these are really high quality and the sale I got will be passed on to you. Once the "reserve" is off, the price will go up for my regular shop listings.

I hope this little preview of my sale will inspire you to send me a quick e-mail and get your name on my list. Sale starts November 13 and runs for 1 week, after that prices revert to normal. More details to come when you get my Sales Event e-mail.

Silver Prices and the Artisan Jewelry Market

2010-10-20T10:05:00.000-04:00

Is there anyone out there that isn't feeling the brunt of the precious metals market prices? If you shop at a jewelry store, you've surely seen a huge jump in the price of gold and platinum, if you shop on line the discounts are getting smaller and smaller. For those of us in the hand crafted market, silver has always been our mainstay. Silver was more affordable, lovely to wear, and fairly easy to work with and create with. Over the last 6 months, silver supply costs have risen by almost 30%. Why? No one has been able to explain this to me to my satisfaction. I use 100% recycled silver- does it cost 30% more today to recycle than it did 6 months ago?? Probably no chance that is the case, but suppliers are taking full advantage of raising their costs based on the spot price of silver posted daily.

In hopes of maintaining my small hand crafted business, I decided to do a real cost analysis and find out just what it costs me to make for example, a sterling stack ring. Now, not all gemstones are created equally as we all know. A fine quality aquamarine or Brazilian amethyst costs lots more than a heat treated topaz to make a sky blue topaz stone. However, even some of the treated stones can get up there in cost. So I went through all my receipts for stones and silver, plugged them into a spreadsheet that looks at all my fixed (rent, electric, tools) and variable costs (silver, stones, mailers, accountant) and it calculates my cost for each item. To my surprise, I was right on in my "estimated costs" for lots of my artisan crafted products. To my chagrin, I was overpriced on quite a few of my rings. So, good shop owner that I am, http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee, I lowered quite a few of my prices by 10% or more on lots of my gemstone rings.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54357922/sky-blue-topaz-sterling-stacking-ring

Now, I hope this makes lots of my customers really happy. Since I offer discounts on multiple ring purchases, this should make most everyone who has hesitated, reconsider a purchase that isn't for a special gift, but just something they'd love to have. On the other hand, will I be able to continue making these little pretties at this price if the cost of silver continues to skyrocket? I guess only time will tell, but let's hope we as artists can continue to provide our wonderful customers with the best possible quality at a fair and affordable price.

I have read several other blogs on this same subject, so I won't beat a dead horse. Many artists are rasing prices prior to the holidays because they're afraid they won't be able to afford to replace their stock of silver when holiday demands deplete their current inventory. What I am hoping is that I will break even, maybe even make a small profit and that these ridiculously high prices will eventually come down. Keep your fingers crossed for me and for those who have purchased from me or other artisans in the past, thank you for supporting the small businesses that try so very hard to offer you something special.

A Reminder That My Shop is Going Green

2010-10-06T10:31:00.000-04:00

I made an announcement on Facebook a few weeks ago and got several thumbs up that my handmade jewelry is now made of 100% recyclable silver and all my gemstones from reputable jewelery suppliers that have verified that none of their gems come from those horrid places where people are worked hard, in terrible conditions for no money and at risk of their lives. In other words, conflict free gemstones.

See this blog from my fellow Etsy metalsmith who wrote a paper for her college course on gemstone mining if you'd like more information. http://thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-social-entrepreneurship-means-to.html

I thought I would clarify a few points just so everyone who purchases from me understands what this means to me and to them as buyers.

Well, it is important to me to make sure that I am not creating beautiful things at a cost to the environment. I have made changes in my purchasing and in my daily routine to keep All Wired Up Jewelry Designs as "green" as possible. This is a lot of hard work and research, I'm probably not all the way there yet, but it is my goal to be 100% by year end.

First and foremost, all my creations are made with reclaimed &recycled metals. Unfortunately the world of jewellery is full of "dirty" and non-earth conscious practices, and mining for new metals is one of them. Not only does metal mining produce huge amounts of environmental waste, but it leads to contaminated waterways and our precious earth. By using recycled and reclaimed metals, AWUJD is doing our part to keep the beauty of hand crafted jewelry, without the price to the environment.

In addition, I purchase my gemstones from ethical and reputable sources. I work directly with small stone businesses and family owned mines. I have developed a great relationship with these small business so that I get great stones at fair prices and know I am supporting U.S. business done without child labor, poor working conditions or stones obtained in any illegal manner.

My next step is to use up all my current packaging and go to 100% recycled for sending your lovely treasures!

So now you know that when you see this bracelet in my shop, it was from a reputable U.S. family owned business.

And when you see my cute gemstone sterling stacking rings in my shop, they were make with 100% recycled metal and fro conflict free gemstones! http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee?section_id=6791576

So, wear your AWUJD jewelry knowing that each pieces boasts the support of small business, comes from environmentally friendly materials and is entirely hand crafted by an artisan that is working hard to make both beautiful jewelry and a better environment.

I'm Part of an Awesome Team on Etsy

2010-10-03T20:32:00.000-04:00

This is Sunday, and I promised myself I would blog at least several times a week. I also promised in my last blog to start highlighting some of my favorite artists. Today I'll start with a small group and at least once a month, with their permission, I'll give you some details about members of my awesome Aspiring Metals Team on Etsy.

As a group, we decided we wanted to get recognition as a team on Handmade Spark. Handmade Spark features lots of different crafts and artists, so the rule was, the team leader had to pick 10 photos of work that represents their team. No problem you say, lots of pretty shiny baubles to choose from. There are 200 members on our team!!! And they want 10 photos. I wouldn't have wanted to be Clarity of Scrollwork Designs this month for anything. You can see Clarity's work in her shop on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Scrollworkdesigns .

Well, she finally came up with 10- we blogged about it on our team blog, talked about on e-mail and here is a link to the Treasury Clarity created to show 10 great pieces of work out of 200 members :
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4ca65fe474868eef72440abd/awesome-aspiring-metalsmiths#4ca66206868d6d91019b664f

We were all grateful she had to do the work and happy for those whose work represented the team. I was honored to be included with my sterling hammered cuff bracelet. I've been on the team since January 2009 when it began. Just so you know, the whole team is planning a sale in January to celebrate our anniversary! Guess it will be a January white sale, you know, for those who got money for Christmas and not any of the really good presents they hinted for. This will be your big chance to score some great one of a kind jewelry at a great discount.

Not to be outdone, I am seriously considering sponsoring a give-away here on my blog to celebrate being back and in hopes of gaining a few more readers. With more readers, I'll be more inspired to do some actual posts on jewelry making techniques, jewelers tricks and best buys for those who want to start making their own shiny adornments.

Have a lovely Sunday and come back again next week. Next post will be my first on jewelry making start up needs and must haves.

Back To Blogging with Rings Galore

2010-09-30T10:27:00.000-04:00

Wow, it's been a very long time since I've blogged. I'll make it short and sweet- my explanation is my daughter got married! Weddings are such a lot of work, I just had to stop doing something, so the blog took the hit
I am happy to be back to blogging and even happier to be back to the bench. I have started adding lots of new hand crafted items to my Etsy shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/PPennee, rings, bangles, earrings, just lots of fun everyday wear for the modern woman I design for! Busy women can't be bogged down with lots of big career wear decisions every day, nor can busy moms who have to take kids to school and activities and still have time to do their own things. So my goal for the fall and winter was to make things that would meet those needs, go with lots of fall color wardrobe choices and look great if the day turned into an evening out with friends or a dinner date with your husbnd. Here are just a few of my newest listings. Click my shop link for detailed descriptions and prices. Feel free to contact me with any questions!

From top to bottom- Biggs jasper ring with hand stamped pattern band, fine silver foxtail pattern chain, Crazy Lace agate ring with hand stamped pattern bandd, full bead heavy wire bangle, matching 1 1/4 inch post hoop earrings and 2 fabulous fire agate rings. Lots of choices and great colors, patterns and textures for fall and winter.

I am very excited to be back blogging and along with showing off some of my new items, I will also be highlighting some of my favorite artists, new blogs I love and doing some mini tutorials on making basic rings and earrings with just a few basic tools.

CZ Stacking Ring Give Away

2010-08-23T16:47:00.000-04:00

I know I have been really delinquent in blogging lately but the daughter's wedding planning is as done as it can get, so I will try to be much better at keeping up at least weekly.

The good news for this week is I have been running an ad on a lovely blog called Bright Bold and Beautiful which has wonderful decorating ideas, gorgeous artwork and lots of fun give-aways by sponsors. Well this week I am a sponsor. I will be giving away one of my terrific looking white 5mm CZ stack rings. These rings are made to be sturdy enough to wear alone with a solid sterling band that will take lots of wear and tear, but look great stacked together with other lovely colored stones or even just some of the fun beaded bands or textured plain bands. I have a huge selection of gemstone rings but do take time to take a look at the blog and enter to win. Find it here http://www.brightboldbeautiful.blogspot.com/ from 8/23 through 8/29.

I have also added some new bezel set stones like a terrific looking ocean jasper and a fossilized coral pendant and some new style sterling cuff bracelets. I hope you will stop by and see some of my new items.

Rings and Things Part 3- Putting It All Together

2010-05-24T18:15:00.000-04:00

Rings and Things - Part 3 - Putting it All Together

This is the final installment for rings and things, but certainly not all there is to making rings. I hope with this last blog you will have found a new appreciation for what goes into the whole process of ring making. So much thought and small details make all the difference. For those who are truly interested in making rings, I would recommend purchasing "Creative Stonesetting" by Cogswell who really goes into every minute deatil of ring creation and all the fine finishing that can really make the difference in the beauty of the final product.

Choose metal for your band. Lets keep it simple here and use 18 gauge sheet. Using a ring sizing chart- available at www.contenti.com, pick your ring size and use a straigt edge T square use a sharpie to mark off the length and width you want for the band. Use the appropriate saw blade to saw out this length. Remember, the wider the band, the bigger it needs to be to fit- usually you have to go up about a half size. Use a file to smooth any burs or rough edges and make sure it is perfectly flat and squared up. Now take this band and lay it over your ring mandrel a size or so up from where you want it to finish. This is done because metal is very springy and you need to get the curve started and allow for the metal to be forged slowly into shape. Use a rawhide hammer to start tapping it around the mandrel to shape into a circle. (There are lots of other mandrel shapes, because lets face it, fingers aren't really round, but for lack of a book chapter this will give you the idea). Rawhide should not leave marks and also not spread the metal wider or longer as much as a metal hammer. After the metal is rounded, use fingers or plastic coated pliers to bring the ends past each other back and forth until the two ends meet and touch perfectly flat. If they don't, file and adjust, this will be where you solder the ring together and it must be perfect. Check again for size. Now, use those plastic pliers to flatten the area a bit so your solder will stay put- you can round it on the mandrel again after soldering. I won't go through the soldering process again, but I use hard solder again. After soldering and pickling, clean with a brass brush and file and or sand until there is absolutely no sign of the seam where you soldered inside or out. Leave the area flattered a little where the seam is, this is where you will solder on your bezel. After you attach the bezel you can put the ring on your mandreal and round it out before setting the stone and polishing. Also, if the ring size is a bit off, you can forge with a metal hammer to enlarge and stretch it a bit. Important- you must forge slowly and take the ring off and turn it around in between hammering or one side will get bigger than the other- you want it round on both sides.

Prepare your bezel and band with flux. Everyone does this last part a little different, but I lay my bezel face down on a soldering pad, then place the band on top to see if it will stand by itself. No matter what shape your bezel is, you want to be sure the band is centered font back and also looking down from the top. If this is a large bezel you can use a sharpie to make marks on the bezel back to see where the band goes again after you remove to add solder. Now, remove the band, warm bothe the band and the bezel to dry the flux to a glassy stage. Add easy solder- not too much- you don't want to have to do a lot of sanding and filing excess solder on your nice band and bezel. Place the warmed band back on the bezel. I use my third hand tweezers at this point. I loosen the wing nuts so the tweezers are just a little floppy and lay the tip on the band to hold it still. Remember, solder melts when the metal is hot and you don't want the band to move when the solder flows and have it end up all cockeyed. Since the bezel is much lighter weight than the band and solder flows toward the heat, I start with the torch on the band on either side of the bezel. Keeping the torch moving, get down as close as possible and safe (did I tell you to wear protective eye wear any time you are working with metal or a torch? If not, my bad, never work without glasses or goggles). After the solder flows, take the torch away immediately and allow the ring to cool before quenching and pickling. Clean up is the same as for all the other steps.

Now you are ready to put the stone in the bezel setting!!! Put your ring in a ring clamp and screw it in snug. I brace mt ring clamp in a bench pin sawed out in the shape of the clamp. Now we have new tools to get out. I use tweezers to pick up my stone and center it over the bezel. Remember, this should fit perfectly so it's not going to just drop in there- if it does, the bezel is too big and the stone will make a little noise as it moves around inside after you have set it.

Use your thumb or sometimes I use a pencil eraser to push the stone down into the setting. Many times you will even hear a little click as it sets itself in place. Check all around to make sure the stone is level and seated properly, if not, push gently buy firmly on the uneven area until seated. Next step, get out a bezel pusher, this tool has a square piece of metal with a flat face set in a round wooden handle. The face is smooth and will be used to push the bezel into the sides of the stone to hold it firmly in place. With an oval for example, pretending it's a clock face, start at 12 o'clock and push, then go to 6 o'clock, then 3 and 9. After this keep going around until all the areas have been pushed tight against the stone. Remember, the bezel should fit perfectly so you don't have much of anything to go up over the top of the stone to hide it. If you have any marks from the pusher in your bezel or any small areas that wrinkled, now get out the bezel burnisher. This is a curved highly polished almost knife used to smooth out those wrinkles and at the same time polish the bezel- to see what one loks like click on this link:

http://www.riogrande.com/MemberArea/ProductPage.aspx?assetname=113017&page=GRID&free_text
1271677891290=burnisher

You can us a little soapy water, a thin coating of oil or even saliva to assure it burnisher moves smoothly around the bezel- keep the tip up and away from the ring so you don't gouge the bezel. Go around until everything is smooth on the sides and when looking down at the top of the ring you don't see a single gap anywhere. This may sound very simple, but I have spend lots of time getting this to look perfect. Bezels can have plain, serrated or scalloped tops which all bring their own challenges. If the top of the bezel is plain, I also use a bezel smoother which looks like the pusher except it have a tiny notch in it the you can scoot all around the very top of the bezel to take out any additional marks and make it very shiny.

Last step- polish! This could and is a whole book chapter, but suffice it to say, the less scratches and marks you leave while fabicating, the less work you have now. Any scratches have to be sanded out with decreasing grit paper, I usually start with 320 and work down 400, 600, 800 I have even gone down to 8000 to get a mirror shine. I wrap the sandpaper in a round mandrel to get the inside and have used all sorts of gadgets to go around the top. When all scratches are removed I use 3M radial discs in my Dremel drill to pre polish then finish with ones that contain polishing rouge. Remember this is all done while the ring is in the ring clamp so you have to keep loosening and moving it to get all the little tiny crevices.

You should now have a beautiful ring to put on your finger and display for all to admire.

Now when you look at the gorgeous hand crafted rings for sale you hopefully have an appreciation of what went into creating that little tiny shiny.

I hope you will also have gained enough knowledge to be discerning when choosing a ring for purchase. There is nothing worse than buying something and when you receive it, it just doesn't measure up to the price you paid. Look for sellers that take pictures from different angles to show all sides of the ring and include the stone and bezel (including from the top), Do zoom in if it's available, the camera doesn't lie. Many of use who make jewelry take digital macro pix of our items and check them out for flaws not visible even with magnifying glasses before we call the item finished and ready for sale. If there is something you can't see don't hesitate to contact the seller and ask for an extra picture- we all have them, but don't necessarily put them up for viewing if they aren't our best.

I hope you've enjoyed this series of blogs. If you like, please leave comments and let me know what else you may find interesting as a topic in jewelry making. I'm sure not an expert by any means, but sometimes I think the experts forget what it's like to be a beginner and they leave out all those little steps and processes that they now do automatically.

Rings and Things- Part 2 - Fabrication

2010-04-17T23:24:00.000-04:00

Wow- I can't believe I promised a second installment and it took this long to get around to it. Planning to go on vacation for 2 weeks out of the country, granddaughter's third birthday party and the full time job really take up way more time than I ever think they will.

Chrysoprase Ring
http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=1224009

Now- let's talk about making the ring. We got through making the bezel for the stone and soldered it together and cleaned it up a little. Now we have to put in on a backplate so the stone has something to sit on. We are talking basic here, no fancy drilled tube settings, step bezels with the back open or prong settings which are totally separate blogs!
First, check to see if the bezel still fits around the stone. The bezel wil not be a perfect round shape (or whatever shape the stone is) after you've moved the two cut ends all around to get them to stay together to solder. If round, I usually use a small mandrel- like a jump ring mandrel, to round out the bezel a little and then fit it over the stone. If it's too small (and too small is always better than too big) I tap it a little with a hammer to stretch the bezel a little. Remember, every time you touch hammer to metal it moves, tap lightly, check size often. If it gets too big you have to start over from scratch!

Choose a piece of sheet silver that will be sturdy enough to solder on your bezel, but not over heavy and thick unless you have a huge stone. I tend to like 24 gauge. Place the bezel on the sheet and mark off around the bezel leaving enought space in case the bezel moves during the soldering process. Another thought at this step is do you want to eventually cut away all the excess silver after soldering the bezel, or do you want some extra to possibly decorate with a pattern wire or maybe even a stamped design. For this ring- I am going to go with solder it on, and cut away the excess. Use good metal shears to cut out your sheet, then flatten with a rawhide mallet. You can't solder anything unless it is touching perfectly flush. Set the bezel on top of the sheet and use a good file to take off any rough edges or uneven spots so it sits perfectly flat. Next step is to get out the solder pad or mesh on top of a tripod, the torch, flux, and now medium solder. Unless your very good at soldering, work with the solder that melts before the one you used to solder the bezel. Flux everything really well and let it dry a little or use the torch to dry any water in the flux. I usually air dry, and cut my solder into small pieces while it's drying. Using fine tweezers, place the solder chips inside the bezel as close to the inside edge as possible, try to space them evenly remembering as you heat the backplate, solder flows toward the heat and you don't want any gaps or holes when you're done- resoldering to fill a hole is a real pain. Light the torch and gently heat the backplate until the flux turns a bit dry- you may have to use a solder pick to carefully keep your little solder chips from moving away from where you put them. At this stage you are now ready to solder if all the chips are still in place- if not try to get them close to the edge again. At this point, I will usually get out my "third hand" gadget and lay the tweezers on top of the bexel to try to keep it in place when the solder melts. Sometimes, just the flow of solder cause the very ligh weight bezel to flow right along with the solder and off the backplate- no that's a real problem! Also the tweezers act like a heat sink and tend to absorb any heat that might get on the thin bezel wire and cause it to melt! Now, the torch can be turned up a bit, continue heating the backplate and not the bezel, remember, it is fine silver and will melt if it gets too hot. Solder melts because the metal is hot, you don't need to touch it with the torch. Keep the torch moving all around the bezel without touching it. When the flux gets clear and glassy looking the solder is about to flow. As soon as you see the solder start to melt, move the torch around the bezel and you will see it fill in under the bezel and make a nice seam. As soon as it does that- remove the heat. Let this newly fabricated piece cool a little, if you quench it in water too soon you can cause metal to fracture. Not a fracture you'll always see, but may find later as you continue the ring making process. Quench in water, then use your copper tongs and put this in an acid pickle bath to remove any flux and firescale in case a spot got too hot. Remove from pickle with copper tongs, rinse with water and use a brass brush to clean up every bit of residue you see. Any leftover residue can cause the ring to tarnish later.

Next step is to get this top piece ready to be soldered onto a ring band (that will be Part 3). Take your trusty metal shears and cut off the excess silver as close to the solder seam as possible without cutting into it. Now you need really good files. I use Swiss files and an American flat file. I start with the American flat file and get off as much of the excess silver as possible, then switch to a #0 Swiss file going around and around until it looks very smooth. I finish up with a #2 Swiss file to finish- when I look down at the bezel I should not see any rough edges or little excess piece of silver sticking out. By now you should have a very nice piece to put your stone in when it's been soldered to the band.

But first, check again to make sure the stone fits inside the bezel on the backplate. If you have extra solder inside that you missed in cleanup, it may be too tight. If you see any excess solder, sand or file it out. In a tiny space you may have to get creative as to what you use to wrap sandpaper around to get into those little tiny bezels. Asumming it is clean, I use a piece of dental floss over the bezel and put my stone in on top of the floss. You have to be able to get the stone out again since almost no stone can tolerate the heat it will take to solder the bezel to the band. Another consideration after you have determined the fit is still good- do you open up the back of the bezel or leave it solid? If you open it up then when you clean the ring any liquid that gets inside between the stone and bezel can get out the back. If the ring needs repaired, you can get the stone out and work on the ring without damage to the stone. If it's a clear stone, even though 90% of light enters through the top of the stone, opening the back sometimes allows even more light through to show the beauty of the stone. Leaving it solid makes it a bit sturdier if it's a smaller stone, but does allow for accumulation of any dust and dirt or liquids that may cause tarnish- how many of us take rings off every time we wash our hands? I vote to open the back.

Draw a circle or design inside the bezel with a sharpie allowing a small amount of the backplate as a shelf for the stone to sit on. Using a metal center punch, find a spot just inside the sharipe line and tap a small starter dent in the silver bckplate. Take a small drill bit and attach it to you dremel or flexshaft and drill a tiny hole where that dent is. Now thread a small #4 saw blade throught that hole. One end of the blade should already be attached to the saw frame before you thread it through the hole, then attach the blade to the other end of the saw frame and tighten it down. Then adjust the top for length until you hear a nice ping sound in the blade. Go ahead and saw out the circle you drew being careful to stay inside your line. Always better to saw out too little than too much, you can always use small needle files to get more out later. When you have finished sawing, undo one end of the blade to get the saw blade out of the little piece you have. Get out the needle files and smooth out the circle and rough edges until everything is smooth and even and shiny. Now is also a good time to file away any seam left on the bezel from soldering it together. The seam should never show around the stone, but I don't like to file that too soon since before it is on the backplate I could make the metal too thin or stretch it out and then the bezel could melt, or just not fit. When filing the bezel, be very careful not to push and pull the upright part, the bezel should stay vertical at all times otherwise it could wrinkle when trying to close it over the stone.

Next blog, we make the band, solder the bezel to the band and set the stone. Bet you never knew there was this much to do just so you could wear that great looking ring you found shopping for hand crafted jewelry.

Rings and Things - Part 1- The Design

2010-04-12T07:52:00.000-04:00

I have to get better about tending to my blog. It's really fun, but I just never seem to know what to say when I sit down to write and all the things I wanted to say just seem to have flown out of my head when I do sit down. Today I decided I will definitely post and do better for the rest of this year!

Being an aspiring metalsmith, it took me a while to get to the point I would attempt a ring. They are so darn small! They are so complicated. I wanted to share the process just so ring lovers everywhere would know how much goes into creating these little beauties.

Rings- geesh, every woman I know has at least one, some have a collection that would compete against the crown jewels. Me, I love rings, I like all the varied shapes, designs, colored stones and even just designs in metal. I haven't gotten to the point of wearing them on multiple fingers, but I do wear one or more (stacked of course) on each hand. So, a little blog about something as simple as a ring- more about the process of creating this small but eye catching little piece of jewelry that can have meaning of friendship, marriage or just says we love to have fun. I hope those who love and purchase rings will appreciate just how much goes into the process before you put that little ring on your finger!

First comes the idea- The Design as it were- do you want a simple band or fancy, a stone - large or small, faceted or not, gem or natural cabachon, all metal- gold, silver copper or mixed metals. Do you see where I'm going with this? Creating a ring is no different than any other piece of jewelry- so many choices. Now comes the hard part- is this ring going to be a unique one of a kind piece or is it going to be something you want to offer your customers on an ongoing basis so they can have more than one, different colors or give as a gift to a friend that admired theirs. I love the whole idea of stacking rings, you can change your selections to match your outfits, have plain metals mixed in and wear as many as you want. I have started making a bunch of them and can't wait to offer them to my customers. Stacking rings are just so much fun! How can you not love these?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allwiredupjewelrydesigns/4448341035/

These have to be customized to anyone who orders them, you can't just make one size, so that involves having a lot of stock on hand- silver, gemstones bezel cups or bezel wire and silver sheet and all those grand mealsmith materials like torch, solder, hammers, bezel pusher, burnish- oh, the list goes on and on.

Now, back to the making of the ring. Assuming you only want to do one- or you have only one terrific stone nd you want to show it off- what next? First, you have to measure the stone or know it's calibrated size if it's a standard shape. For a non- standard shape, measuring the outside and then the height is of the utmost importance. Next you find the bezel wire you want- plain, serrated, scalloped, gallery wire- and it has to be just the right height to hold the ring in place without covering it up too much. Now the fun part, you measure around the ring again with the bezel wire and cut- the old adage measure twice, cut once- is really important here, otherwise you have a lot of wasted silver bezel wire laying about. Now you carefully solder that together and clean it up so no seam is visible, check that it still fits around your stone. Not fitting is another blog entry!

Now, find a piece of silver sheet for the back of the ring. You have to solder the finished bezel to that. Cutting a piece larger than your shaped bezel is important because the little devil bezel might move when you solder the bezel to the silver sheet. Another question- are you going to make the back larger than the stone and add embellishments or are you going to cut and file it off so it's a perfect fit with no material showing? Are you going to leave the back solid or will you saw out a piece of the back to let a little light shine through the stone- see this is harder than you thought! Remeber, you have to use a different solder than you did on the bezel when you attach it, otherwise the first solder join will melt apart. Solder comes in hard, medium and easy and each melts at a different temperature. Hardtakes the most heat, easy the least. I always start with hard and work my way down to easy if I am only doing a basic ring. Again, another blog post if your doing something complicated where you need to protect a second stones set next to a bigger one or adding a wire design or other embellishments.

I will stop here so you can just think about the design process. Keep in mind, we haven't even made the band yet or checked to see if the stone will still fit into the bezel soldered on to the backplate. Heck- I haven't even gone through soldering on the backplate yet! If it doesn't fit, you have to usually start all over.
Next time you are browsing through the rings category- just look at the top- the part everyone sees and know that lots of work went into just that part that you want everyone to admire when you wear the ring.
I promise to blog again tomorrow with Part 2 - Making the band and sizing. Part 3 will be all about setting the stone and finishing to make it pretty and shiny!

I hope you've enjoyed this first entry and come back to read more.
Have a wonderful day everyone.

Posted in General by ppennee on April 12, 2010 at 3:47am
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Spring is Sprung - Aspiring Metalsmith's Team Challenge

2010-03-21T08:28:00.000-04:00

I just had to write a little piece on the aspiring metalsmiths spring challenge before the final voting is done tonight. Our groups first challenge was rings. I had never made a ring before, but stepped up to the plate and turned one out. Needless to say, I barely got an honorable mention with my quite amateuish entry, but I learned a lot. Winner of the challenge got to pick the next challenge. She throws out the age old ditty-" Spring is sprung, the grass is riz" and says to us, we will vote based on best interpretation AND thinking out of the "boxness". You gotta love anyone who can make up a word like that and keep a straight face. You can check out the entries here at http://aspiringmetalsmiths.blogspot.com/. You will notice if you look at all the entries, one in particular- the current leader and most likely winner- is totally out of the box. An egg, in the fashion of the great Fabrege with a totally cool scene inside complete with sky inside the top, grass in the bottom and a bow on top. This baby is outrageous! I must say, I now realize I don't think out of the box at all when it comes to metalsmithing- at least not yet. But Asa, from asap designs, http://www.etsy.com/shop/asapdesigns, certainly got out of the box and showed us all what's possible.

I guess I should show my entry, which I originally thought was a little out of the box. I really had never seen a stack of bracelets with flowers and birds so I was quite pleased with my efforts. I even got a few votes.

I have been enthralled with some other metalsmiths gorgeous flowers, so I sawed out my own, put a little created ruby in one, made little silver and copper balls I soldered to the inside of others and then made a tiny little birdie. These were soldered to my twig bangles. As an extra, I added a separate twig bangle with balled ends to simulate budding branches. I had a great time doing this set and even surprised myself a little in the process. I am learning so many new things!

So, the winner of this challenge gets to pick the next one. I think everyone wants a little more time to finish the next project since many of our members just couldn't get one done in time for an entry. I am looking forward to seeing with Asa comes up with, since she is definitely our most "out of the boxness" member!

I also want to mention AWE shop, found at http://www.etsy.com/shop/AWEshop, who came up with the coolest copper tree and bird lariat I could ever imagine- she did this on short notice since she hadn't planned on entering because of other commitments! Said she was working on a project, this came to her, she stopped what she was doing and made this great necklace! Check it out on the metalsmiths blog, I want to have this kind of inspiration come to me while doing anything!

Depending on the deadline, I may or may not be able to participate. I am off to Spain for a much needed 2 week vacation. Spain had been on my to do list forever- DH was not supportive of this trip, he wanted to go to Scotland. My response was, we went on 2 other trips he wanted to do, this one was my choice. See, I really do know how to stand my ground. Of course, if he wouldn't go to Spain, I would have caved in and gone to Scotland. My reasoning with him was simple, they don't grow grapes in Scotland so I can't drink wine! I would have to drink Scotch all the time and would be asleep half the trip because that stuff kicks my butt!

The Step Bezel Nightmare

2010-03-11T22:09:00.000-05:00

I realize this isn't a picture that says much to the average person who likes jewelry, it's just a blue stone in a silver casing with a ring on top so you can put a chain through it and hang it around your neck. To someone who has journeyed along the path of an aspiring metalsmiths, they can see all the pain I went through to get just this far and will know I am still struggling because it fought me every step of the way. They say it's always the journey that's most important. So here's a little story about my journey to get to this point.

First, the blue stone was a gorgeous London blue topaz briolette that I had wire wrapped as a pendant. While trying to repair a small mistake in the wire wrapping I broke the tip of the stone where the wire goes through and holds it together. That was a really expensive slip of the pliers! So, I call on my trusty group of friends on the aspiring metalsmiths thread and get some advice. Make a step bezel says Clarity, you can do it, here's how. So I follow directions and find that, even following directions, metal has a mind of it's own. The little square wire I soldered onto the bottom of the bezel wire, made it almost impossible to move it into shape around my lovely stone. I had to do this in order to solder it together so the stone would stay in there and not fall out the back. The little square wire is the "step" it sits on. After much pushing, pulling, yelling and throwing a few obscenities, I did get it soldered closed and guess what- the stone fit. But, yes, there is always a but in metalsmithing , the bottom of the stone was fatter than the top, so it was laying belly up, tip down. The extra wire at the top is supposed to lay smoothly along the stone folded over with no" ruffles" to just hold it from falling out the front. Well that's all very nice in theory, but no one told me that after all that pushing and pulling that my little tool called a "bezel pusher" was going to need the strength of a sumo wrestler behind it to push what is now called "work hardened" metal over that stone. Along comes more advice from my friend Clarity (you must see her work at http://www.scrollworkdesigns.etsy.com/ ) she really does know what she's talking about, but she has a horseshoe somewhere to get all the work cranked out every week that she does! Clarity tells me, put the stone in something that's hard but with a dip in it so the stone will sit down in it while tapping with your hammer to get out all those nasty ruffles. You can see those in the picture above. Well, that little piece at the top of the page is small- smaller than a breadbox for sure, and smaller than every bottlecap and twist top I could find in my house. So, I finally found a teeny tiny cap and hammered away. I also have a little tool that I call a bezel smoother- it has a notch in the bottom that you scoot around the bezel- again trying to remove ruffles. (I actually used to like ruffles- on clothes anyhow).

I must digress a bit, because another step I took- without asking first- was to solder on the top of this project- the bail used to hang the pendant. This soldering not only got in the way of the hammering I was trying to do, but also hardened up the metal around the stone even more! Enter the second sumo wrestler to assist the first one! My thought was, I couldn't solder anything to the top after the stone was in there, the torch would fry my lovely blue topaz. As you can see from the second picture, the twist I put in the top made the part I soldered way to close to the front- no way to get a tiny hammer in that space.

Well, Clarity and I chatted again and she says, you can do this, try again, smooth it out, hammer it some more and file the back of that thing so it looks like you really tried. I won't bore you with the details of the third session, but the picture at the top is the final result I obtained without shattering the stone or melting the whole thing down and starting over. I learned a ton of information, hopefully I can retain it, and make a lot fewer mistakes the next time.

I see a lot of beautiful, professional looking work on Etsy and Artfire and many other sites. I wish the customers that shopped at these sites had even a tiny idea of what it takes to get to a place where you feel you have something really worth taking a picture of, writing a description for and offering up to the world to see and buy, handmade by you, with love and an awful lot of melted metal and crumbled stones before you have finally arrived at the point of offering your work for sale.

March Madness Sale

2010-03-03T08:03:00.000-05:00

Getting around to having a sale is a lot tougher than it sounds- department stores have them all the time! Stores have tons of items that they put on sale every week to attract buyers, lost leaders, they call them. They get you in there with the promise of something really inexpensive, it's not exactly what you want, but the price is sooo good you buy it anyhow or, if you don't they figure you'll buy something else while you're in there.
Doing this in an on line handmade shop is a lot different. As an artisan, I have a lot fewer items to sell. I have already tried to price my items fairly and competitively with other artisans. But since everyone loves getting a bargin or just can't afford your regular price, I have decided to have a sale!
Rather than offer a small percentage off all my items, I have decided to offer a few items each week in March at a really good discount 15-20% off. Now to me, that's a sale.
My first item for sale the first week of March Madness is my 24k gold vermeil diamond moon pendant and labradorite marquire briolette necklace. This necklace is all hand wire wrapped in 14k gold fill with a great gold fill chain and lobster claw clasp and it does have a 1 point diamond! .http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30391235. There are also matching earrings I will be putting on sale later this week.
I would also like to introduce some of my new heart charm bangles, these seem to be very popular, my cut out heart bangle is one of my best sellers. Stamped jewelry is also very poplular this year, allowing people to express themselves a bit. So I have added a poetry heart bangle http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=41659929 and two puffed heart bangles, one hammered and one smooth to my collection.

On a personal note, my daughter's wedding plans are moving right along. We have "the dress". A fun experience with her trying on everything her bridesmaids and I picked out, modeling and getting pix- the best were her with her knee high socks peeking out from under some gorgeous gowns! Now for the caterer and flowers! Wish me luck.

March Madness Starting Early

2010-02-25T21:24:00.000-05:00

I have been having so much fun learning new metalsmithing skills this month, I decided to start early for a March Madness incentive in my Etsy shop. Starting today I put one item on sale http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30391235. I thought it would be fun to put a different item on sale each day of the month that will remain on sale for the entire month. Sale prices will be anywhere from 5-20% off regular prices. I will also be adding some new items every week- since it is March- look for some beautiful aquamarine gemstone jewelry for those March born and also some of my newest bracelets, earrings and rings created with my newly learned skills. As always, my facebook fans and blog followers get 10% off any item in my shop.

My daughter's fall wedding plans are the other all consuming thing in my life lately. Yesterday the 2 flower girl dresses and th ring bearer's suit arrived. Too cute for words. But, why is she buying all this stuff when she's having an officiant do the service at the reception site? Boggles my mind. The photographer has been chosen, boy am I in the wrong business, for 6 hours pay that guy could help with the national debt! The DJ is still up in the air- they each have so much to offer (who knew?). I am in charge of finding the caterer and arranging for flower arrangements- that sounds strange. I get to do food and flowers because they are two things I do really well at home AND my daughter could care less about those things, she is really looking forward to a big party. If I sound a bit jaded it is not because I am not happy for her or unenthusiastic about the upcoming nuptuals. I come from a different era where buying a home and having money in the bank for emergencies (or lack of work) were the top things my parents taught me to always think about. Pay yourself first, they would say- it's important to have momey in the bank, you never know what's going to happen! I'm not tottally a follower of this way of life, but I am a little shocked that there are people that take out a second mortgage on their homes to give their children a "proper wedding". I know I will get through this and have a wonderful time once the big things are done and we can think about what day to have a shower and all the pre-wedding fun stuff. It's just the planning part that's amking me nuts. And it takes time away from what I like to do best- make jewelry!

My First Ever Bezel Set Ring

2010-02-14T10:59:00.000-05:00

Joining up the the Aspiring Metalsmiths Team on Etsy was probably one of the best things I ever did for myself! Not that I don't love wire wrapping beautiful gemstones to create great necklaces, earrings and bracelets, but there is so much more to jewelry than that. Once you learn how to saw, solder, use a torch and forge metal, the world of creativity really opens up.
The best thing about this new team of men and women is they are willing to share not only success but failure and answer any and every question about techniques and tricks learned from other teachers and mentors. The next best thing is they have made me challenge myself. I don't think I would have ever attempted a ring for years to come, just wasn't on my radar screen. But here it is, not perfect, and no great design revelation, but it is complete and doing it gave me grear ideas for many more projects to come. Lord, I can't wait to see what they come up with for their next challenge.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/4354588083_99351faeb3.jpg

Blizzard Jewelry From a Frustrated Metalsmith

2010-02-10T16:52:00.000-05:00

It's just snowing like crazy and blowing even harder here at home. So what do I do, I make jewelry- or at least I attemp to. I am a frustrated metalsmith. I really want to be a metalsmith, but there are limited classes I have access to with a full time job (now there's a conundrum- I have to work to even do this hobby). So I go on line, I buy a tutorial to make something and off I go. Well, I actually had some level of success today. I made a spin ring, for those who like to fidget with their jewelry, this ring has an extra ring in the center that spins around. I also pierced with my trusty saw, 2 lovely trees on copper to make earrings. The trees didn't turn out exactly alike so I just said, hey, no two trees are alike, and I finished them anyhow. Next I bought another tutorial to saw out flowers to make earrings, I decided to make them look like dogwoods even though dogwoods don't come in copper color. So, all in all, I had a productive day.
Check out the ring on flickr and you can see some of my other blizzard projects!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/allwiredupjewelrydesigns/4346371821/

I have to saw I am not looking forward to shoveling out tomorrow- which I must- with the help of my daughter and hopefully her fiance. But I am looking forward to eating my great smelling veal goulash that's been simmering on the stove all day. My friend from Austria even sent me a link from youtube on how to make spaetzle to go with the stew. Can't wait to eat something warm while watching snow blow.

Back From A Facebook Virus

2010-01-27T15:08:00.000-05:00

Back from a Facebook Virus

I really is sad when a social network is targeted with a virus for all of us trusting souls to "catch". I was one of the unfortunates, who seeing the "your friend X shared a link with you from facebook, opened it (no virus warnings here) and got a virus that sent my computer into a black hole. Be warned fellow FB friends, this virus won't be stopped with standard windows virus protection, you need the big guns- unfortunately those are the ones you have to buy and install. Well, now I have a new computer- loaded with virus protection and am ready to blog gain.

My big news is, I got to take a metal clay art class from Dina Alexander who won the 2008 Saul Bell Design Award in metal clay (see the picture of her winning jewelry in the new Rio 2010 tools catalogue)- at my local community college no less! Come to find out, she is a local Marylander. We had an absolute blast for 2 days, learning to roll, texture, bezel, make slip, fire and polish. I must say I was impressed with what came out of what was advertised in the couse catalogue as a "begginer" class. WOW- some of the work was just gorgeous and Dina was one of those rare souls who found something beautiful in everyone's work and let them know it. She was a real joy to have as an instructor. What an eye opener to see how versitle and flexible metal clay is and to just think about the endless possibilities of what can be done and incorporated into every type of jewelry design. I learned from making lots of mistakes, do-overs were the norm rather than the exception, but I came away feeling really good about what I had learned and how much I want to learn more about this exciting medium.

I have attached a picture of one of the larger links I made to make a necklace in the future, just to give anyone reading this blog an idea of what you can finish in just one class. I made about 12 items with my precious one ounze of clay and can't wait to buy more and take the "advanced" class in the spring.

I haven't added many new items since my computer went down, but I have been creating and will be adding next week after taking photos. I have extended free shipping in the US through Valentine's Day. Also, unadvertised, anyone who purchases from me in January through Valentine's Day gets a 15% discount on any one item in my shop over the next 6 months.

Look for more new items soon!!

Work in Progress on Sawing and Piercing

2010-01-09T13:50:00.000-05:00

My first attemp at piercing-lots more filing to do!
I have spent the week attempting to learn how to saw through metal then actually make something with my new-found skill. I use that term loosly since I now know that sawing through metal has it's own set of challenges I never imagined. I have new respect for carpenters everywhere. The rule of measure twice, cut once is now Platinum in my book. The link to my first piercing above will take you to a picture of a pair of earrings done with a slice of moon and two star cut outs in a pair of 1 inch disk earrings. I also added a little wave to them so they look more like potato chips than big round disks. I'm glad I took this picture, it shows all my mistakes! I was so excited to finish that I just took the pictures and then, low and behold, I saw all the filing I had not done, all the angles that weren't quite right. I have since fixed these, but haven't had the nerve to re-take a picture for fear of seeing even more mistakes I didn't see the first time.
I also made a copper cuff bracelet and thanks to lots of advice from Sonja at Silver River Jewelry (Artfire artisan), I at least managed to get a passable and wearable bracelet. Pix of that next time. So I am now in the process of cutting hearts out of a silver disk to solder on top of a hammered brass disk to make a pendant. Wish me luck since I am quickly running out of silver disks from all the mistakes and just haven't had the nerve to actually order silver sheet yet.

New Year New Skills

2010-01-05T17:11:00.000-05:00

I hope everone had a great holiday and a fabulous New Years. I plugged through the holidays eating, drinking and being merry, but mostly- I had a whole week off from my full time job and started working on some new skills for my metalsmithing work. This is one of my newest! Silver Swirls Cuff Bracelet that I did with very heavy wire. I love it- it just gleams when you wear it!
I also am learning to saw metal so that I can start piercing designs into my silver. Thank God for Art Jewelry magazine videos and youtube- they have some really great people who tell you what not to do so you don't get into too much trouble before you even start. When most people think about sawing, they think about carpenters and wood- oh no- these are teeny, tiny saw blades that like to snap in half when you do the least little thing wron. Talk about trying your patience! So, I have cut lines, squiggles and hearts and starts. Now I am going to actually try this on a piece of copper sheet and make a bracelet that I may actually wear. I'll keep you posted.
Next skill to learn will be bezel setting so I can put some of my lovely gems into a pretty setting to make a ring or pendant. I am very excited about that.
Just in case you haven't visited my shops lately- Free Shipping is still available in the US through the end of January. Sorry to say, after that I have to go back to charging a nominal fee for first class to cover postage and mailers. Visit soon, I have added quite a few new things over the holidays and you really have to do something with that Christmas money from your loving auntie! Visit me at http://www.ppennee.etsy.com/

Thinking About the New Year

2009-12-29T14:47:00.000-05:00

WOW- I can't believe I haven't posted since before Christmas. I'm sure I'm not the only one who got a little busy before and right after the holidays. It feels good to be back to making new designs and thinking about what I'll add to my shop in 2010.

I have been diligently working away in my studio practicing my sawing and piercing so I can add some new and interesting pendants in the new year. I also have a class in January in PMC, very excited about the possiblities there. Mostly I have been trying out new bangle designs. Hoping you'll like my newest which is wire wrapped to make it totally adjustable and give a custom fit to each individual wearer. Check it out by using the link below to the listing in my Etsy shop!

To anyone who didn't get what they wanted for Christmas in the jewelry category- take advantage of the FREE Shipping in the US through January- Worldwide customers, this offer ends December 31.

Stay tuned for new items each week- I have off a whole week from my full time job and am spending as much time as I can making new designs to add to the shop. After all- Valentine's Day isn't far off!

Happy New Year to Everyone

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=37501554

Is the Christmas Rush Over?

2009-12-19T08:39:00.000-05:00

New Patterned Sterling Bangle We are having a huge snow storm here in Maryland today with blizzard warnings, so I finally have time to update my blog and think about what I will do next to keep my shop fun and interesting. I have to say I had a lot of fun and met a lot of really great people on the forums this year. I got lots of great advice on promoting my new shop and how tos for great customer service. All this helped my a lot to prepare for the big "holiday rush" which was supposed to start Black Friday weekend. I must say I was extremely disappointed that all my special offers and incentives seemed to go unnoticed on Arfire, but did seem to make an impact on sales at my Etsy shop http://www.ppennee.etsy.com/

I truly hope Artfire spends some of it's promotional efforts getting it's name out to the people on the morning TV shows and gets some mention in the handcrafted community news. There are some terrific artisans on Artfire. Artfire seems to be trying to do all the right things to make it easy for us to run an "on line" shop, but if no one knows you're there, all those perks don't make for sales. I have to say, Etsy was a very good venue for me this year and I learned an awful lot there too. Keeping both shops may seem silly, but as I am new to the on line market, I guess I was just looking for the right spot. Giving it a few more months to see what shakes out.

A bit of shop news. I have started making some new pattern design bangles with some really nice pattern wire I ordered. I love fusing fine silver, but thought adding patterns to the mix for stacking those bangles would be fun. So far I have been pleased with the effort. Soldering still isn't as much fun as fusing, but practicing all the techniques is a must to keep you sharp and keep customers interested in your newest projects- at least I sure hope so! Check out my newest patterned bangle and feel free to leave a comment- should I add more? Different patterns? There seem to be endless choices of patterns for sale.

Look for some new items with moonstone and mystic topaz and some gorgeous pearls- I hit the gem show yesterday and found some beautiful lovlies to add to my collection.

I do believe that any type of Christmas rush is over now since the post office told me December 21 was about the last day I could expect a package to arrive before Christmas. I'm hearing from the forums that now is the time everyone starts hitting the "big box" stores and malls for those last minute gifts they need in lieu of hoping they'll get them on time for wrapping and gift giving. So, what to do now? I think it's time to work on my office and get organized for next year. Work on a business plan, get a real budget set up for advertising and purchases of supplies. Best of all, I have a whole week between Christmas and New Years to work on putting designs in my head onto paper, then try them out on copper or craft wire before taking the plunge into precious metals.

Wishing everyone safe and happy holidays. Hope to see you back to browse in my shop if you didn't get everything on your Christmas list or just have a wild urge to buy yourself something to stave off the winter doldrums.

Last Shopping Days Before Christmas Are Upon Us

2009-12-15T15:18:00.000-05:00

Here we are just 10 more shopping days until Christmas descends upon us- ready or not! Are you panicked yet? Not me, I'm one of those who gets a real rush being out there the day before- I don't even mind the crowds.
Just for fun, I had to show off my granddaughter's Christmas picture. She is going to grow up one day and wear all her Mimi's jewelry (that's me). Lord knows, it will look much better on her than on me! Oh, and by the way, I have completed all my shopping for my daughter and granddaughter. DH still hasn't given me a list!

I will keep it short and sweet today. Anyone who reads my blog or keeps up with my Facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-Wired-Up-jewelry-Designs/143956567263) knows I love making little charms necklaces, some with words, some with birds or flowers, but almost always with gemstones. I just think these necklaces are a fun way to express youself, your feelings or just something you like.

So here's the ta da- for anyone following me on either spot, 20% off any charm necklace from now until December 21. Just mention you saw my blog post or read it on FB and I'll credit you back the difference. Unfortunately I have to cut it off the 21st since my post office told me I'd already be pushing it after the 18th for first class mail. If you'd like to use the savings and put it toward expedited shipping we can do that too- then I, and you, can push the envelope a little.
Happy Shopping!

Fine Silver is My Passion!

2009-12-12T20:06:00.000-05:00

I am just so excited about all the great things you can do with fine silver wire. I guess one of the things I love most is no PICKLE. I know, the pickle is a German Christmas tradition. Well, I am half German, so I have nothing against pickles. I just always forget to turn on the little bitty crockpot with the pickle solution in it until I have already soldered something. Then I worry if it's going to work if I wait to long after. With fine silver all I do is quench, forge, texture, then tumble. Even better, if I want to change the shape a little, like my new organic links bracelet, I can get out my trusty silicone coated round nose pliers and go to work reshaping and changing the look totally. Fine silver is very soft until you work harden it by forging and tumblng. Another great thing- it's almost pure silver (.999). Unlike sterling (.925) there is no copper which is the major culprit in tarnishing. Not that I am not good about keeping my silver in platic bags to slow the tarnishing process, but let's face it, when a girl gets a shiny new bracelet- she wants it to STAY shiny for quite a while before she has to polish it up.
I know lots of metalsmiths who are not quite so smitten with fine silver. It's too soft they say. If you visit my shop at http://www.ppennee.artfire.com you will see lots of fine silver bangles, earrings and bracelets. I haven't listed too many necklaces yet since they usually go on a sterling chain. Trust me, I test drive all my jewelry before I offer it for sale. I work a full time job in sales. I am in and out of my car all day long, in and out of my trunk picking through boxes and papers, carrying things in and out of offices. I wear my bangles and bracelets daily-no problems. The only recommendation I make is to please let me make a bangle that fits! A bangle is supposed to slip on without a lot of resistance going over your hand. You shouldn't have to twist and push to get it on or off. This type of on and off abuse will eventually ruin the shape of even the thickest sterling bangle. Can you tell I really believe in my fine silver items?
If anyone is ever interested in finding out more about fine silver and all the wonderful things you can do with it, please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail and ask away!
Come visit my shop and check out just a few of the really nice pieces made with fine silver. Today I am highlighting my new listing, an organic link bracelet- quite a lovely piece if I do say so. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=36640455
Have a fabulous weekend and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2009-12-05T04:53:00.000-05:00

I have finally started decorating my houe- a week after Thanksgiving! I still have no Christmas list done, but have been perusing Artfire and Etsy like a crazy woman looking for ideas. I have become the gift guide queen. Made some new friends via an Artfire blog, twitter, FB post in the forums and now have lots of people to follow, check out items in their shops and hopefully get some great gifts for my family and friends. Thanks to PhiLoSoDesigns for starting that great thread on Artfire.
I keep adding new items to both my etsy and artfire shops. Still waiting for that Christmas shopping rush I keep hearing about. Added some great new holiday earrings and a bracelet I love. Does anyone else have shops with items they almost hope don't sell? I may be crazy, but there are a few items I really feel like I should keep, but know it's just not good business!
Just started reading the new Patricia Cornwall book, The Scarpetta Factor, think I may actually finish it this weekend- always a fun read! I am buying books this year from WalMart on line, they have had some amazing deals.
Weather man is calling for our first snow today so I created a pair of earrings that reminded me of snow and ice. With the holidays coming I am really looking forward to snow- ice- yuk- not so much! Check out these earrings, leave a comment, I'd love to hear what winter items you love.Snow and Ice Earrings

Cyber Monday- Last Day for Discount and Coupons

2009-11-30T08:28:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoyed great times with their family and friends. Abundance is sort of the main theme for Thanksgiving, so we probably all overate and will be dieting for the next 2 weeks getting ready to enjoy those same relatives Christmas goodies. Weight Watchers here I come!

I guess I am glad Cyber Monday is finally here. Managing disounts, coupons and all that was fun for my first ever sale in my two shops, but today is back to my day job. I have added so many new things, including great pearl earring in silver and gold fill, charm and gemstone necklaces, a terrific pearl and gemstone bracelet. I love hearing back from customers when their purchase arrives and they are so pleased.
Fine silver bangles have been really popluar, especially when they're discounted. Come visit my shops and check out some of my newest creations. Think about all the women you buy for and have fun shopping.
Visit me at http://www.ppennee.etsy.com/ or http://www.ppennee.artfire.com/ and check out one of my newest listings http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35528602

Looking for that special gift???

2009-11-22T18:39:00.000-05:00

Are there any brave men out there looking for that special gift for their best girl? Heck, are their any women out there looking to treat themselves to a spectacular necklace they can be proud of? Here it is folks. An absolutely gorgeous AAA Swiss blue topaz surrounded by white topaz, blue topaz, green garnets, apatite, iolite, rose quartz, Swiss blue topaz faceted rounds and Swarovski crstal AB rondelle. I fused, forged hammered and textured the fine silver teardrop link and jump ring then wire wrapped each individual gemstone and attached it to the jump ring. This gemstone cluster reminds me so much of the ocean with all the beautiful shades of blue and green and the white froth on the waves, it has such a restful quality but still makes a real statement.
This is just one of the many items I am designing for the upcoming holidays for gifts and just because you love to have something beautiful.
I spent the day sketching, wireing, hammering and generally being the elf for Santa. Tommorrow, it's back to reality and the day job. But I had so much fun, I decided to offer great discounts to everyone who comes to my Etsy or Artfire shops for Black Friday weekend. On Artfire, I will have two coupons, 10% off any purchase up to $50, another coupon is for 15% off any purchase $50 and over. Free shipping worldwide for the entire weekend. All jewelry will be packaged in a lovely organza pouch and boxed in a holiday gift box suitable for wrapping. I am also offering to ship directly to your intended gift ricipient- just send me the address in note to sellers and I will ship on the date you request. Remember to leave enough time for your gift to arrive for the holidays. Please visit me now to browse and come back to shop for all your holiday jewelry gifts. At Etsy http://www.ppennee.etsy.com/ and at Artfire www.ppennee.artfire.com.
In between cleaning for holiday guest and getting pies baked and appetizers ready, I'll post some more specials later this week.

Gearing Up for Black Friday Sales

2009-11-22T18:37:00.000-05:00

I have to say that I am finally getting excited about Black Friday shopping day sales. Mostly because I am having one and I think I have covered all my bases for variety, values, special one of a kind items and best of all no shipping fees.
I guess I am a little torn because Black Friday means Thanksgiving is over, all my out of town family will leave to drive home and, OMG Christmas will be here before I know it. I admit, I am a bad store shopper. I have to have the absolute perfect gift for everyone on my list, I wander around forever and don't find it. So, I am one of the Cyber Monday superstars. I can surf to my hearts content and find just the perfect size, color or new gadget for everyone. I hope someone out there thinks like I do and comes to visit one of my shops and finds one of those perfect gifts. Nothing would make me happier than knowing I helped someone cross a name off their list with the perfect gift. Just so you have an idea, I am posting a link for one of my new charm necklaces. Check out my shop announcement for all the sale details and specials. Hope to see you there. P.S. If you see something I have marked as one of a kind, please let me know- Black Friday starts at 12 midnight and there will be people up and shopping then- don't miss out on something you really love.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34754260

Some Special Deals for Black Friday Weekend

2009-11-16T19:12:00.000-05:00

I have finalized my Black friday weekend specials, at least in my head and on my shop announcement. Now all that has to happen is for me to let everyone know where to find the great deals I am offering. So off to blog, twitter, facebook and all the great places people chat about anything and everything. So, here, goes: First- Free Shipping Worldwide- anyone, anywhere gets their stuff mailed free. Think about how much you can save just buying only from sellers that ship free. No gas money to go to the store, no fighting crowds, just click and pick.
Now for the Ta Da- drum roll please: Anyone who spends under $50 gets 10% off, $50 and over 15% off. So, if you buy 2 items that total $50, you get 15% off, if you buy one item for $25 you still get 10% off. No matter what you buy you can save money. I know 10% doesn't sound like much today, but think about how much you save in hassel and frustration just not waiting in lines and fighting sale crazy shoppers at discount department stores!
I want my customers to have fun shopping and save some money. Look for gifts for special people, including yourself, check out all my affordable "stocking stuffer" and holiday earrings. Gifts for all ages from pre-teens to that special grandmother or aunt who "only wears pearls". One of my favorites for wearing with just about anything is the charm and gemstone neclace. Check it out, maybe it will make your wish list, or maybe it's just the right thing for that awesome BFF. Check it out at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=31289744

Gearing Up for Black Friday

2009-11-13T07:43:00.000-05:00

ppennee

Designer Jewelry

I'll bet there's a lot of people who get up early and go out for all the deals at the discount department stores on Black Friday. I'm not one of them. I think it's a little scary. I just read the front page of aol for all the uncovered deals at all these stores, but what struck me was the Walmart story about increaseed precautions because an employee got trampled last year. I know in this economy it's important to look for deals and shop around, but what's the actual cost if someone is injured in your persuit. I hope everyone that goes out early to shop will be mindful that not everyone in those crowds is young and nimble, and, if you miss that deal, there will be another one sometime before Christmas actually gets here.
Now, if you want deals, check out my artfire and etsy shops over the long weekend. I am offering free shipping worldwide, special "holideals" for each day starting Friday, and, if you happen to be one of my blog readers, you will receive something extra. Not telling yet, but it will definitely be a savings you will love.

Bogger Button from Artfire

2009-11-11T19:58:00.000-05:00

ppennee

Handmade Jewelry

Love the gorgeous artwork on the blogger buttons. I hope someone uses mine to come visit and see my new silver earrings listed yesterday!

My daughter got engaged today. Now I have to start considering dates, venues, catering. The lsit goes on and on. She is engaged to a man currently in the marines, he had 2 tours in Iraq, now on his way out of the marines. Lucky me, I sure wouldn't want her moving all over the country. I would miss her and my granddaughter.

Thanksgiving and Black friday are looming. I have lots of family coming from out of town and love all the hussel and bussel, but with my jewelry making "non studio" I have to clean up my creative mess and get ready for relatives to take over my creative space. Guess I'd better get in gear and create now for happy shoppers on Black Friday

More Holiday Shopping and Preparation

2009-11-09T18:50:00.000-05:00

I received 2 great items from Canadian Rockies Art studio from my trade week. A gorgeous handcrafted sterling heart "amore" pendant and a pair of hand forged silver fringe earrings. The earrings are on as I write! Also received some great Bali beads and some silver heart clasp from Texas destash. What a haul today.

As I wait for the holiday rush to start, hopefully before Black Friday, I am adding some lucious gift items to my shop and also some affordablly priced stocking stuffers. Todays shop highlight is one of my charm gemstone cluster necklaces with a very lovely vermeil lotus bud and some crystal clear gemstones clustered around. Check it out http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33937534. Pink amethyst, purple amethyst, white topaz and green amethyst , all nice pastels to wear with sweaters and tops this fall and winter. All stones are wire wrapped in 14k gold filled wire and hung on a unique mirror link gold filled chain. Great gift for that special lady (put it on your wish list and slide it under his drink at dinner) or even a special treat for yourself for a holiday party.

Check out some of the holiday sparkler earrings - most all under US $25.00 some under US $20.00. You can never have too many pairs of earrings to mix and match with holiday outfits.

Did some of my own holiday shopping today for the granddaughter, she get most of the attention until after Thanksgiving when i have to start thinking about adults. Sorry, big people just aren't as much fun to buy for as little ones. I got monkey jammies, and a cute bathrobe and funny books today. I had to stay out of the toy section, no more room in the house.
Trying to plan already for Thanksgiving and out of town guests. I sometimes wish my family didn't think I was such a good cook and would volunteer to bake pies, make the mashed potatoes or broccoli casserole. It will be fun, but now I'm off to start cleaning so I don't have everything to do the week of Thanksgiving. Oh, yes, I will clean again, and again- but the big stuff has to get done first.2009-11-09

Getting ready for the holidays

2009-11-08T06:21:00.000-05:00

I thought I would never find the time to start a blog. Then I decided that blogging gave me a way to think on paper. Getting ready for the holidays is both fun and exhausting. Since I work full time, I have to squeeze in "creative time". This weekend I had all to myself so I created away. Made some great stocking stuffer earrings which I listed on Etsy and Artfire. Scetched out a few bangle bracelets I want to start on today. I made lots of fine silver charm bangles, but decided I needed a bangle that someone could add or take off charms depending on their modd, occassions or just for fun.
I participated in Artfire's first trade and stay. What a hoot! I got sop many gorgeous things I was just amazed at the quality and variety of products produced by fellow artisans on Artfire. Trading was fast and furious- like negotiating at a market in Italy or Mexico, so much fun.

Check out my newest listings at http://www.ppennee.etsy.com/ or http://www.ppennee.artfire.com/ lots of great earring stocking stuffers, new charm necklaces and very shiny silver bangles. All just in time for the holidays.