This is a 12MM champagne Oregon sunstone cab cut with silver schiller. A friend gave me his old bench, and this was my first item to come off it! So fun to be the only one to handle the stone from the mine to the pendant.
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Wow…
Great job.
Is this the first piece you’ve made?
Good for you, love the subtle Sunstone.
Best,
Jim
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I have to say this by bowing to you Jim " Hats off to you" the inspiration
you have been giving to all who have posted their work. Love the spirit
which prompts and also encourages creators to try something new and Proudly
present it .
Sincerely Jim it would be an Honor to meet you in person anytime in the
future if circumstances permit,as I sit too far off in India,but still near
to you when I observe your posts and admire your skills.
Warm regards,
Khushroo Kotwal
Love it. Congrats. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment when you make
something that will be around for generations.
But now we want to see pics of your bench. That’s what the bench
exchange thing is. It’s for us tool nerds to see what you made that pendant
with. And that old bench.
When you get a few things done you can put up a gallery
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Khushroo,
Thank you,
and,
you have earned the praise with your own hands and eye for design…
I’d offer that inspiration comes simply from willingness, the willingness to share.
As you grow, and share, so do I.
I get to see your passion deepen, your willingness to put your work in the public eye (bravery… at least for me).
Time and practice will easily develop skill sets, it takes courage though to step outside your comfort zone and think that anything is possible…(could be dumb too but , since I’ve had my share of that, I’ll go with the former).
One small pendant & one big step…
Congratulations,
Jim
Am I understanding correctly that you dug the stone out of the ground, cut it, made a setting and then set it, all as a first attempt? You definitely have a future ahead of you in the jewelry profession.
I hope you don’t have any professional aspirations in another field, because once this jewelry thing gets under your skin, you’re stuck with it. Looks like you’re in it with super glue.
Very impressive. Well done.
Dave
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ha ha ha…You are right! I miss read the subject matter. I will have to post pics of my lovely old desert blasted bench. It is a beauty!
thanks Jim! I have been making jewelry and selling it for 10 years on etsy. My love has been wire wrap, but I always wanted to learn silver smithing to make my own settings. So, Yes, this it my first soldered piece!
I wish I had my first piece of jewelry. I wanted to give a girlfriend from highschool a bracelet from Dad’s shop. That of course required Dad to give one to me. He said, “No” and then he offered to show me how which he did. His impatience and my fumbling meant he actually made it and I did the polishing. The end result was it walked away on a girl’s wrist, never to be seen again. I called around and went on to a fascination in boatbuilding and marine wood butchery. Still polishing for my Dad and learning the craft in small bits over time. My wife wears the first real piece I made for her the year before we were married 40 years ago.
Jamie this is very nice work at any level of experience. Do more.
Don Meixner
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Lovely first piece, Jamie! Simple and elegant, and a beautiful sunstone.
I still have my first piece. I was taking a jewelry class at the Smithsonian, and we were learning piercing. I made a pierced and layered brass belt buckle with a dragon, and I still wear it. The first time I used a jewelers saw, I had one of those epiphany moments. “Oh baby, where have YOU been all my life?” This was 40 years ago, and I’m still making jewelry. Never looked back.
Janet Kofoed
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Dave,
Yes! I mined the stone at the Dust Devil sunstone mine, Plush Oregon. I have faceted several, but this one needed to be a cab to show off the “silver” schiller…my first cab. I have been selling various jewelry on etsy for almost 10 years. My favorite being wire wrap, and last year I learned wire weave. I have always wanted to learn metal work, but have been afraid of the torches. A friend has helped with that…so now watch out! I am 64 in a few weeks…just goes to show you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!