Weaving and Jewelry Part 1

So I've been wanting to post my latest art forms I have been dabbling into. Weaving and making jewelry out of silver. I've been doing the jewelry for the past few months with a very dear man in my little town. He has been a silversmith for over 20 years and I feel very fortunate that he is sharing his gifted talent with me. He has the cutest little shop tucked away in the woods. Every Tuesday we get together at his shop to solder new creations. Today I finished a necklace I've been working on for a few weeks. I'm really excited about it and the best part is that it was my own design. His wife is also an artist, and she just taught me the first steps in knitting. I love Tuesdays so much because we sit and drink tea, talk about art and then out to the shop we go to make creations.

 

the scrap metal bowl

Hammers and mallets

My favorite tool. This is called a dapping block and this beauty is from France!

I love this technique using mud to protect the jewelry from getting too hot and breaking off. 

This is the ring after the stone has been put into place. Isn't this a beautiful piece of turquoise!

 

In this photo, I'm grinding the inside of my bezel to remove some excess solder

Here is my necklace, almost finished. I got this stone in Tuscon last year at the Gem Show. It reminds me of the United States for some reason. I put a heart on the top to symbolize love.

  The finished product! YAY!!

to be continued.....