- New for November -
With December just around the corner, I decided to focus on turquoise, a December birthstone, this month. Turquoise is a personal favorite of mine, so I had a lot of fun with this collection. With the exception of a few pieces, November’s collection is made up of mostly one-of-a-kind designs. Included in the new items are 7 pairs of earrings, 7 necklaces, 4 rings, and 2 bracelets. Rounding out the turquoise are a few labradorite stones, chrysocolla, and some tiny rainbow moonstones. I also got a few new metal stamps, so you’ll see some different textures this month.
If you would like to learn more about how these pieces were made, keep reading below.
One-of-a-kind, limited edition, and made-to-order pieces will be available in the shop starting November 1st.
Behind the Scenes
Here are a few photos which show some of the latest pieces while they were in progress.
In this photo I am working on texturing the borders of a few bezels. I do the stamping before I solder on any other parts like pendant bails or ring bands.
Here I am sawing the outline of a multi-stone pendant. For a multi-stone piece like this, I like to solder the bezels in place on a larger piece of silver first and then saw the final shape. The extra silver I am sawing away will get melted down and recycled.
I am soldering different circles together to create this pair of earrings. This design was made in stages. Each circle was soldered and textured individually before being soldered together into a finished piece.
Here I have just oxidized a few of the new pieces. Now that they are deeply darkened, I will polish any raised areas. If you would like to learn more about the oxidation process, I explain it in more detail here.
It’s time to set some stones! The fabrication of all of these pieces is done, so now it is time to set the cabochons. I’ll form the bezels over the stones and smooth the edges. The last step will be to give everything a final polish.
Shop Updates
The full collection will be available starting November 1st. If you’re interested in ordering, visit the shop here.
