[Orchid Blogs] New topics on the Orchid Blogs network

Jewelry Discussion
601

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Stepping Up to the Plate…
by patpruitt

Working with family…yeah, some of you know what I’m talking about.
Fortunately for me, my younger brother, Chris Pruitt, is coming into
his own as an artist. While we do have our brotherly spats from time
to time, when it comes to working together, things tend to get done.
I will admit, I am not an organic materials sort of person. Working
with wood on past non-jewelry related projects has taught me a new
found respect for all the woodworkers…

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in love with my city
by k.o’brien jewelry

I took a nice stroll downcity a few weekends ago. Good friends of
ours had us over for dinner and we needed to bring a nice
housewarming present. Craftland was just the place to get that very
present. After picking a present I hit the city with my lady and
iPhone.I love this city of mine.xo, kimPlease leave a comment, I
would love to see what is on your mind…

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Ganoksin Project Digitizes 40 + Historic Metalsmithing Books
by Robyn Hawk

The Jeweler’s History Project Ganoksin to digitize more than 40 rare
historical metalsmithingbooks to be available for download from its
website for $1.35 per book!

Ganoksin proudly announces a project to digitize more than 40
complete rare antique metalsmithing books. They will be available as
searchable eBook pdfs for a minimal fee which will go to support the
Ganoksin Project. This project is about revealing their ancient
wisdom to the modern metalsmithing community. This is a partnership
project between The Ganoksin Project and Charles…

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Jewelry Arts Institute’s Student of the Week-Patricia Smiley
by jeanettecaines

Congratulations to our latest Student of the Week- Patricia Smiley.
I have been teaching this project to students for years but
Patricia’s version turned out so beautifully it inspired me to turn
it into an official school project. Let’s go over some of the
techniques Patricia used to make it so beautiful. It’s best with a
piece like this to start with a longish piece of sterling half
round. Six inches…

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Dirty Hands Once Again
by Laurie Jane Kern

Back in December, I picked up a large “rustic” ball stake off of
ebay for about 40 bucks before shipping costs. It is almost 3" in
diameter and brand new something like this would cost almost $200.
It looks like an old and possibly home made stake because the tang
is long and round plus only the bottom of the tang is square to fit
into the hardy hole of an anvil. The stake is/was black and had
quite a bit…

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602

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spring snow
by k.obrien jewelry

A few days ago when the wind picked up we had some spring snow.
Callie and I came upon a corner covered with pink petals. It was
quite magical. At least the rain and wind gave us a pretty pink
corner in our neighborhood. happy end of week! xo, kimps: my
birthday weekend is nearing! Please leave a comment, I would love to
see what is on your mind…

View full article…
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/pi

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Kim K announces Engagement!
by Robyn Hawk

The gorgeous Kim Kardashian announced her Engagement through a People
Magazine exclusive!I just had to give you a shot of the RING!!!Kim’s
Fiancee, Kris Humphries turned to long time friend and designer for
Kim, Lorraine Schwartz who talked to InStyle:"The $2 million Lorraine
Schwartz ring features a 16.5 carat emerald cut center stone flanked
by two 2-carat trapezoids. “We make the metal so fine that the light
shines through. Some people don’t believe it’s real,” Lorraine
Schwartz told InStyle of her ethereal pieces. "…

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Introduction to CAD
by leonidsurpin

Why did I decide to write this introduction? CAD stands for Computer
Aided Design. Recently it really became a mainstay of goldsmiths,
jewelers, and others involved into Jewellery Industry. However,
growing popularity of CAD have not translated into better
understanding of it. What makes matter worse is that some
individuals, who are completely ignorant of the subject, are putting
themselves forward as “experts”. As a rule such “experts” invariably
have a cadre of stooges, who under the guise of participants…

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Mini-Bolt Cutters.
by patpruitt

Leverage, says you. I think I feel a change in the wind, says I. -
Mr. Gibbs, Pirates of the Caribbean Gotta say, these are some of the
best cutters on the planet. Coming from an background where cutting
4 gauge stainless steel wire was an everyday occurrence. I just
happened to run across these many, many years ago. Fortunately they
are still in production, unfortunately you cannot pick them up at
your local hardware store. For those of you…

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Martians
by Sam Patania

I made a bracelet several months ago with a piece of Royston
turquoise set on top of an overlay cuff the design of which was
circles in a frame. That piece sold right away and unfortunately
coming across another piece of turquoise I could do that with is
getting more difficult, large pieces of natural American turquoise
are hard to come by. I also had the thought that such a piece
bridged a strange gap in my artistic sensibilities. It…

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Stumped
by Suzanne

I began writing this blog to record the impact my laundry project
was having on my family. However, since then things have taken a
wider turn and I am observing a knock on effect in the local
community. It’s just fantastic and reinforces our decision to live
in a small town…

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Lapis Lazuli Ring
by rasmussengems

I started this project with a slab of Lapis Lazuli sent to me from
Kandahar, Afghanistan. From this rough slab, I cut an 18 x 13 mm
oval cabochon. This is one of the “calibrated” sizes for gemstones.
Thus I purchased from casting company the other two components the
head and shank to make a ring. These three items were combined to
make the ring. The cabochon was cut in the lapidary in a low dome
style. This process actually…

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Sharing
by Jan-Peter

As so often happens with good intentions is that determination alone
is not enough to get a blog going. But running a shop and making
products always get priority and so the blog suffers as an abandoned
child. Never the less I will try to become more frequent to get some
stuff up. Here in Japan we are still recovering from the after
effects of the big quake, tsunami and heavily damaged power plants.
It reflects especially on the economy…

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http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ou

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Best Show of the Season: West Coast Gem & Mineral Show
by Robyn Hawk

Just got home from the West Coast Gem & Mineral Show - WOW!!! It is
so good to see this show in SoCal again - thriving!This show has
always been one of the most popular shows in SoCal. The last couple
years have seen it change locations, cancel dates…but judging from
the turn out at today’s show, the West Coast Gem & Mineral Show has
found a new home!!!One of the crowded ballroomsHoused in two floors
of the Lobby Wing of…

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603

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spring snow
by k.obrien jewelry

A few days ago when the wind picked up we had some spring snow.
Callie and I came upon a corner covered with pink petals. It was
quite magical. At least the rain and wind gave us a pretty pink
corner in our neighborhood. happy end of week! xo, kimps: my birthday
weekend is nearing! Please leave a comment, I would love to see what
is on your mind…

View full article…
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/qb

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DEADLINE June 6th!..for the 6th Annual Halstead Grant
by Robyn Hawk

Just got a great Reminder note from Hilary Scott at Halstead: "Just
a reminder that the submission deadline for The Halstead Grant is
June 6th! This long weekend is the perfect time for new jewelry
designers to wrap up their submission packets. The winning entrant
will receive a $5,000 small business cash grant, $1,000 in supplies
and industry recognition. Good luck to all this year’s
candidates"Competition Deadline: June 6, 2011Halstead Bead Inc is
inviting jewelry designers to…

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My latest creations!
by guldem

[gallery]…

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604

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If you have been considering your own Blog, but haven’t yet, the

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spring snow
by k.obrien jewelry

A few days ago when the wind picked up we had some spring snow.
Callie and I came upon a corner covered with pink petals. It was
quite magical. At least the rain and wind gave us a pretty pink
corner in our neighborhood. happy end of week! xo, kimps: my
birthday weekend is nearing!Please leave a comment, I would love to
see what is on your mind…

View full article…
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/rc

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JUNE: Jewelry, Gem & Mineral Shows…
by Robyn Hawk

Make sure not to miss the show near you…

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http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/rd

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Purple Passion
by rasmussengems

Purple Passion involves Fluorite and Amethyst cabochons which were
cut this week. I started Monday morning cutting three amethyst, one
fluorite and one ruby cabochons. I have finished cutting the
cabochons, and have completed two as necklace pendants. First to be
examined will be the Fluorite. This gemstone is quite soft (Moh’s
hardness = 4) and must be set in a protective setting. So I designed
a bezel setting for the freeform stone. The fine silver bezel wire
had a…

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Night Opals
by michaeljohnson

In my garden, the moon is spider-webbed with cosmic rivers and
tributaries, the wood glows with an incandescent shimmer, and the
snake basks in its celestial glow. That is, if you walk through the
garden at night. In the moonlight, the plants seem to defy gravity
by just hanging in space, reaching up. The color of the trees, or
shadows of the trees seem to glow, and shimmer as you move, reds,
greens, and purples, yellows. Like an adamooka opal…

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Who can call himself a jewelry appraiser?
by james l. sweaney cga fga. gg

This headline caught my eye in a recent email-- the answer to this
trick question is anyone! A newsletter by an insurance industry
organization highlighted the fact that there are no federal or other
governmental bodies setting qualifications for who may be a jeweler
or a jewelry appraiser. A study by a related group also found that
most jewelry retailers are not Graduate Gemologists. Their study of
appraisals received by insurance companies revealed that only 21% of
them were prepared…

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New Life for an Old Hammer
by shelbyvision

I have wanted a new raising hammer for quite a while. My old one,
which I got as a student about 40 years ago, is not quite as heavy
as I would like, and it is made of cast iron. The surface gets
pitted (see first picture) after a little use, so I’m constantly
having to resurface it. The new raising hammers I’ve seen for sale
are very expensive, and I have no idea how well they would hold
up…

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Starry Night
by sako

If Van Gogh was told to paint and create a gem stone, he would have
created the opal. I should just end my blog on that note if you can
make the connection right there. But for those who can’t, I’m here
to give you the ‘macro’ look at the opal. Who wants to hear the
boring stuff about the opal anyway? Just Google the boring stuff I
left out and we can call it even. But I’m sure I’m…

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providence birthday adventures {part three}
by k.obrien jewelry

On my actual birthday this family of three went to eat some
breakfast by the river. Callie loves when we take our breakfast
outdoors. She gets to roll on her back and demands we pet her belly.
Husband and Callie waited patiently for me to take some pictures.
Isn’t this a lucky catch’there have been lots of beach roses here in
the city. They sure brighten up the landscape.I love the pink and
white mixed together. They look equally pretty with buildings in the
background,as…

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That’s it then.
by laurie jane kern

My three boxes which I shipped ahead, have arrived at Haystack.My
suitcase was packed last weekend. I am so ready to go home for the
day. I want to put the last few things into my bags and wait by the
door of car until I leave for the airport (which will be 4 am since
my flight leaves at 6:30 am).I will arrive in Bangor at about 5:30
pm. I am planning to go out and have a nice…

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Have You Heard? JCK Rock Stars…
by Robyn Hawk

OK just had to share this with you!!! I think this is one of the
most innovative contests in awhile, for several reasons… First -
it forces Designers of Fine Jewelry to think of ways of incorporating
Swarovski Gems in their pieces and in fact the 5 featured Designers
are building a piece based entirely on Swarovski! Second - it draws
attention to 5 very talented young designers in the Jewelry Industry
and who would love to be crowned JCK Rock…

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606

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Whatever!
by Suzanne

At midday yesterday I had an epiphany that it would be special to
make my daughter a ring for her 13th Birthday. She has been eyeing
off the Moonah rings, perfect. Tempted just to give her one, I told
myself that 13 is a significant year and it’d be worth the effort.
Her Birthday, by the way, is today. Have I mentioned I work well
under pressure! I planished the band and soldered it no problem. I
was even feeling…

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Jewelry Arts Institute’s Student of the Week- Kate Sheehan
by jeanettecaines

Congratulations to our latest Student of the Week- Kate Sheehan. We
have been so caught up in our big move (to 22 East 49th Street
Fourth Floor NY NY 10017) that I haven’t written a new Student of
the Week in a couple of weeks. Now that we are settling in, I’m
ready to get back in the groove. These earrings are so beautifully
done with every step except for the posts fused. I thought we could
talk a bit about what makes fusing work and how Kate pulled these
earrings off…

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http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/t9

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Opal Horizon Introduces New Opal Grading System
by Robyn Hawk

At the prestigious GIA Symposium held last month at the headquarters
of the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, CA, Brisbane
based Opal Horizon, Ltd announced a new globally quantifiable
grading Opal Grading System…

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Musings
by judyfreyerthompson

I have admired the beautiful work of Ed and Linda Simpson for a
while now. So, what better way to share their fabulous work than
asking them “What’s On Your Bench?” Take a look at these wonderful
pieces! Ed and Linda Simpson are a husband and wife jewelry design
team doing business as “Arts on the Vine.” Their jewelry designs
start with colorful lampwork glass beads that Ed creates in his
backyard studio. He primarily uses Moretti and Bullseye soft…

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vibrant city photos + flowers
by k.obrien jewelry

this particular day was filled with vibrant color in ordinary city
objects. i sort of have a problem, i love maple seeds. these seem to
glow somehow. the poppies finally shed their fuzzy skin to bloom.
they inspired me to re-work my design and try some new color
combinations. one day i will make the sketches come to life in
silver and enamel.how are the irises in the city so much more exotic
than those i saw in the country? this firewheel is amazing! i…

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http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/te

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Learning From the Masters: Students Weave Beauty and Success Into
Their Work
by Metalwerx

The surprised look on her customers’ faces is what pushes Kiki
Kinney to try new methods in her jewelry-making. Barbara Gross
discovered it’s a great way to continue metal working while snow
skiing in Maine. And both artists are finding success by
incorporating weaving to their designs, be it soumak, knitting
without needles, or twining…

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http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/tf

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My Bench
by Pauline Lawson

Here is my bench, it’s in it’s usual state of disarray. I organize it
at the start of each day, but somehow end up with files and tools all
over. My favorite tools have to be my files and gravers. And my flex
shaft. Ok, I admit it, I’m a tool junkie…every month I eagerly
await my shipment of new toys. It’s a bit like having my birthday
every month :). I think I do pretty well to limit myself…

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MJSA Announces Custom Jeweler Level Membership
by Robyn Hawk

MJSA’s Custom Jeweler Membership Debuts (Report from the MJSA
Up-To-Date Newsletter) Custom jewelers spend their days creating
unique jewelry for their clients–and now there’s an MJSA membership
tailored just for them…

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Let the Gold Rush Begin-- $45 per gram for 14k gold
by james l. sweaney cga fga. gg

Last week, a young man, just graduated from dental school, came to
the shop to sell us a small batch of casting gold leftover from his
casting classes. We tested his gold as 14K, then weighed and valued
it for him. He left the store to get his identification so we could
make the transaction, but when he came back, he told us that he had
called a pawn shop in Orange county and they had offered him $40
per…

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Sharing
by Jan-Peter

As so often happens with good intentions is that determination alone
is not enough to get a blog going. But running a shop and making
products always get priority and so the blog suffers as an abandoned
child. Never the less I will try to become more frequent to get some
stuff up. Here in Japan we are still recovering from the after
effects of the big quake, tsunami and heavily damaged power plants.
It reflects especially on the economy…

View full article…
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ou

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Rose Gold with a touch of Onyx
by sako

So what is this? 3 blogs in a week? I have 20 images and a video to
show off a ‘step by step’ process of a ring I made. It’s a weird
design a customer drew for me on a napkin which I perfected, tweaked
to his liking, and eventually came up with this design below. But
what the hell is onyx? It’s a Chalcedony Quartz gemstone that is
mined right here in my home state of California, India, Brazil,…

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The Smile
by Suzanne

The look on her face when she opened the box and saw I’d made
something new was well worth all the dramas I had making the ring.
Her smile was priceless and that’s all the fanfare I needed. I’m
really pleased I made the effort!..

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TIJT Spring Semester Design Contest Winners!
by parisjc

The winners of the Spring 2011 TIJT Design Contest were announced on
May 12th at the TIJT Graduation and Recognition Ceremony: Celtic
mens gold ring by Dean Johnson Over All Winner!! Service Bell by
Martin DeRemus Catagory Winner Midevil necklace by Stephanie Dotson
Catagory 8 cut spinel by Mary Wood Catagory winner “Endellion”
rendering of head dress by Shanna Morphew Category Winner White gold
chili pepper pave’d with garnets by Dean Johnson (Catagory winner)
Mothers Ring by Paige Duncan Catagory…

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Star of David pendant
by rasmussengems

My main computer bit the dust last weekend, so I sent it off to HP
for repair. That meant that I had to use the slower backup computer,
so I have not been doing too much online. I also evacuated my online
shop and am reshooting all jewelry for better pictures and will be
reopening on July 1st. Basically starting over, mainly
intellectually. In the past few days, Debbie looking through my
portfolio found the Star of David pendant I…

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Photos of Student Work-Argentium Silver Workshop
by ceid

Earlier this month, I taught a 3-day workshop at the Spruill Center
in Atlanta. Demonstrations included fusing, granulation, soldering,
annealing, hardening, and Kum Boo. We had a great time! Here are
some samples of the participants’ work…

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“Tea Wrex” hammer-formed copper teapot
by shelbyvision

Made from 10 gauge copper sheet. 120 hours of labor over six months.
I will be posting about the process in a week or two, but like a
proud father, I just had to show off with some pictures right
away…

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http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/uj

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Best Show of the Season: West Coast Gem & Mineral Show
by Robyn Hawk

Just got home from the West Coast Gem & Mineral Show - WOW!!! It is
so good to see this show in SoCal again - thriving!..

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http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ul

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Making Tea Wrex, Part One
by shelbyvision

Because this was such a big project, and there are so many pictures,
I’ve decided to do it it three parts, so without further ado, I will
begin with Part One. This started a couple years ago when someone at
a gallery asked me if I make teapots. I never had made a teapot, so
I thought it might be a good idea. I started looking at pictures of
teapots on the internet, and soon discovered that the teapot has…

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spring flowers + other things green
by k.obrien jewelry

Callie and I have a new route in the neighborhood. I am loving the
new-to-me gardens. Callie is loving that we met someone who works
for a dog food distributor. She came home with free treats and a toy
the other day. That girl is just so darn cute. It may have been a
dreary May but the flowers are helping me along. happy monday!xo,
kimPlease leave a comment, I would love to see what is on your
mind…

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Remembering Tucson: Bathrobe Couple, or…Only in Tucson!
by Robyn Hawk

Anyone who has been reading this blog knows that the Tucson Gem Show
is held annually across the entire city of Tucson. Most shows are
held in various hotels and vendors show in their rooms.So imagine
this…I have just finished viewing a room of stunning minerals at
the Fine Mineral Show at the Westward Look Resort, probably the
highest of high end Mineral Shows. I was waiting for friends and a
lovely couple walks up asking if it is OK…

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Conquered…Sort Of
by Suzanne

I’ve had it in my head for years that I want to master a tap and die
connection. Why? Well, when I was a student I had a go and I
completely screwed it up. Pardon the pun! I made a brooch for a
lovely lady Deborah Drearley, who’s having a hard time fighting
battles to save some beautiful coastal Moonahs. She loves the brooch
but was wondering if I could cap it somehow so it wouldn’t catch on
cloth…

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On the Razor’s Edge: is really a fleeting moment
by michaeljohnson

People who are interested in making jewelry come into the shop and
see me playing with fire, hammering, or using a jeweler’s saw. Or
else, they just don’t see me at the bench. So, they get the idea
that making jewelry is all playing with fire or cool tools. But
really, it takes a lot of work to get to the point where I light the
torch, and when you don’t see me at the bench, I’m really doing
the…

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Making Tea Wrex, Part Two
by shelbyvision

Part Two of Three. See Part One. The next step is the belly portion
of Tea Wrex, which is the actual vessel of the teapot. The tongue,
which is the spout, is part of it. I wanted the part that would be
used for holding liquid and pouring to be one piece with no seams.
This was a fairly ordinary raising task, and it took many stage of
raising and annealing to get it to the right height and shape…

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More Models
by Sam Patania

Working with a professional photographer and his models is an
amazing opportunity. I love all the strategy in setting up a shoot
and even though I was on the periphery I enjoyed learning about how
this all comes together. Adam Fleishman of Cometmoth (
www.cometmoth.com) approached my father and I about using some of
our jewelry in his photo shoots when he was working with a model to
build both of their portfolios. Adam’s interest was to have jewelry
as an accent…

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Making Tea Wrex, Part Three
by shelbyvision

This is the final installment, continued from Part One and Part Two.
The final parts to make are the two little arms. Originally, when I
hadn’t gotten any further than the clay model, I thought I would use
repousse’ techniques to make the arms simply embossed on the
surface. I soon came to realize that would not be desirable or even
possible. I didn’t really know how I was going to make the arms
until it was time to make…

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industrial yellow + black
by k.obrien jewelry

i am completely fascinated with the bold colors and patterns found
on a front end loader. sounds silly right’there is also something
amazing about tires which are nearly as tall as i am.the repetition
of shape is pretty amazing. and the fact that there are only two
colors allows you to pay attention to the shapes. see… a front end
loader is fascinating.happy summer! xo, kimPlease leave a comment, I
would love to see what is on your mind…

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Musings
by judyfreyerthompson

I have been able to stay awake long enough the past few nights to
finally get my vision to a sketch, my sketch to a drawing and my
drawing on to a piece of Faux Bone. Well, this is my vision of a
neckpiece which is not quite complete yet…

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Owl for a friend
by Pauline Lawson

I’ve been working on developing some of my less used jewelry skills
lately, so decided to make a copper repoussage owl for my friend. She
loves owls, and I thought an owl would be a good project to warm up
before I attempt to finish my big sun pendant…

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studio sundays
by k.obrien jewelry

Here are some studio shots of what I have been working on lately.
I’ve had these cast flowers for over a year and just now I am getting
to making jewelry with them.Since I had a specific place I wanted the
daisy to rest I made a bail for the hoops so they wouldn’t spin on
the ear wire.Of course I wanted them to be textured too. I used my
trusty hammer #21 of the 100 hammers project. {I’m falling in…

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Peridot Ring
by rasmussengems

Have been working for a couple weeks on a ring using a large 10 mm
round brilliant cut eye clean Peridot stone. I saw a ring with a
stone set between two shanks, so I tried to produce a ring with a
similar shape. First I fashioned a bezel setting for the stone, with
a 22 gauge square wire as the shelf to set the stone on. Then
fashioned the shank with a 10 mm wide opening to set the…

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Jewelry Arts Institute’s Student of the Week-Barbara Clayton
by jeanettecaines

Congratulations to our latest Student of the Week- Barbara Clayton.
I thought we might continue our discussion on jumprings with these
striking earrings. Barbara did a fabulous job with these earrings,
letting the stones be the star. To allow the stones to keep center
stage, the jumprings have to do their job as well as be in
proportion to avoid the HELLO I AM A JUMPRING effect I’m sure you
have all seen before. Here are a few tips on how Barbara did it…

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monday’s muse: random photos
by k.obrien jewelry

As I am running out of space on my computer, I’ve been cleaning up my
photo collection. These two photos were taken on January 17th of
2010. They were taken with my point and shoot so the location
wasn’t saved with the photo. For the life of me I can’t
recall where I took these photos. I’m happy to have re-discovered
them. The colors and designs are quite striking. The colors are
vastly different but these photos are united in the…

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Argentium Silver: Microfolding, Fusing, and–mithril?
by Metalwerx

Argentium Silver has been commercially available in the U.S. since
2005, but not all jewelers have scrapped their traditional Sterling
in favor of this wonder metal. The industrial market has been even
slower to adopt this patented silver alloy, in which germanium has
been added to the sterling/copper mix. To its faithful in the craft
world, the arrival of Argentium has been nothing short of
miraculous…

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welcome summer!
by k.obrien jewelry

summer has sprung in our yard!purple cone flowers, lace capped
hydrangeas, herbs and bumble bees are plentiful. I always enjoyed
hopscotch in the summer. We used rocks to scratch the squares into
the pavement. I remember being taught how to play the game on my
grandmother’s street…

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Reena Ahluwalia Does It Again! "Shining Stars for Royal Asscher
by Robyn Hawk

Royal Asscher’s latest “'Shining Stars” affordable floating-diamonds
collection made its debut at the Luxury at JCK and JCK Las Vegas
Show. This latest collection designed by Reena Ahluwalia for Royal
Asscher is inspired by the day and night of the African Savannah and
its animal magnetism. This new collection consists of beautiful
pendants and stunning rings. The styles continue to feature
free-floating diamonds encased in a fluid-filled sapphire dome,
giving them the effect of shimmering stars.Affordable and on trend
are two descriptions that you…

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studio shots
by k.obrien jewelry

There is so much about my studio that amazes me. I wonder about how
it functioned before it was repurposed as artist spaces. The saw
tooth roof I can see from my space had an obvious purpose, the roof
was constructed to let natural light in for the workers to inspect
fabric. But my boiler room building space is still a mystery to me.
Offices, manufacturing space, storage…I can’t be certain.My
favorite part may be this scale that I still…

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Fusing for Granulation
by Lillian Jones

Granulation, as anyone reading blogs on Ganoksin already knows, is
about fusing. Fusing is a solderless way of joining, in my case,
silver. If I was an Etruscan, it might be gold or gold and silver
alloys. It works great, within a limited range, and is a really fast
way to assemble things. No fiddling around with solder chips, no
pickling, just heat and go. Almost. You can fuse pure silver without
any ‘fusing aid’, in the case of Jean…

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the lost art of pricing
by k.obrien jewelry

Back in the day we were given an assignment on production work. We
were set loose with the project of designing and fabricating work
that could be made quickly, further reproduced into matching sets
and sold cheaply. Most of us were working with silver, not a cheap
material, and this was the first time we were making these pieces so
our fabrication time was, well, timely. With a mere two years under
our belts there were many things to master…

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A Custom WWII Ring for a Navy Dad
by james l. sweaney cga fga. gg

The Mardon team created this very special ring just in time to
celebrate the 86th birthday of Harold Swanson, my father-in-law.
Like many of his generation, he left high school as soon as he was
of age and enlisted in the military to fight WWII. As a Navy sailor,
he trained for submarine service, but a broken nose kept him above
the water-- he couldn’t tolerate the pressure of underwater duty. He
was assigned to the USS Wilkes (DD441), a navy destroyer that came
to be known as the Lucky Ship because while it was in numerous
fierce battles in both the North Atlantic and the South Pacific, not
a single sailor lost their life while on the Wilkes…

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Homemade Immersion Heater for Large Pickle Tank
by shelbyvision

I have always preferred to have my pickle solution hot, or at least
warm; it works so much faster, especially for dissolving flux. Since
many of the pieces I make are rather large, I have sometimes had to
settle for cold pickle, since the crock-pot was too small. Recently
my crock-pot developed a leak, so that was all the motivation I
needed to finally do something about the situation. I had been
researching heaters for a couple years, and everything…

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My Own Worst Enemy
by Suzanne

So like any new blogger intending to post work online I have
dutifully watched and learned from many how to photograph product
videos. My background as a director is of no help when it comes to
camera work. I always worked with technical teams who knew their
stuff. All I had to do was be clear about what I wanted. My ideas of
what level presentation should be at haven’t changed, but it’s now
me holding the camera. Talk about a steep learning curve! To…

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Secondary Events
by laurie jane kern

While at Haystack, two interesting things happened… The First - I
found myself talking (a lot) to several of the blacksmithing
students. Eventually we got around to our background, day jobs, and
why we were at Haystack. It was all very interesting to meet people
from such different backgrounds. It was during two different
conversations, I mentioned learning to make Chasing & Repousse tools
and how I like to modify hammers since many of the older styles are
no longer…

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in my yard
by k.obrien jewelry

While I was planting some zinnia seeds for indoors I snuck a few
into the ground along the driveway. No one seems to mind.They always
have the prettiest of colors accented by their yellow centers.I
tried out a new lens for my hipstamatic. I can’t decide if it is
right for capturing flowers.Everything is so subdued. But maybe it
is perfect for those hazy days of summer.I think these are weeds but
I love them just the same.Doesn’t this look more like…

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Congratulations to the MJSA!!!
by Robyn Hawk

From a field of over 3,300 entries, MJSA, the Industry organization
dedicated to furthering professional excellence in jewelry making &
design, was recognized in three categories…for the prestigious
2011 Apex Awards!First for the MJSA Journal, the association’s
flagship monthly magazine, which provides technical and business
on jewelry making and design to its membership…in my
opinion the MJSA Journal makes the cost of membership worth every
penny! MJSA Custom Jeweler, its quarterly publication which offers
insights into how to capitalize on…

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Granulation using Plating
by Lillian Jones

When fusing things together, I have realized that there are several
approaches, that have their place. There is straight-up fusing,
using just the torch. This is the best when you are trying to flow
the metal across a gap. It requires a lot of heat control, because
you are working mainly at melting temperature, and counting on the
surface tension of molten metal to keep the object intact. I use
this with wire, mostly. Next is using a fusing aid,…

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Lights…Camera…Photo
by Suzanne

My laundry has 2 work lights set up at the bench so I’m trying to
utilize them without buying in extra equipment. Daylight from the
windows is good but I tend to take most product photos at the end of
a working day when daylight isn’t an option. I did buy one of those
diffuser tents and played around with tiles as I like the idea of
reflection. The problem is all I can see are corners of the tent and
other distractions. I…

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The Jeweler’s History Project on Ganoksin
by Robyn Hawk

Over the last three decades we have acquired over 40 rare historical
Metalsmithing books that we will make available to jewelers,
goldsmiths and the metalsmithing community.These books cover special
techniques in depth like chasing, repousse, engraving, niello making,
Japanese chiseling, soldering, construction, patination and metal
coloring, silversmithing and more. There are many recipes for alloys
and metal surface treatments. The manuscripts will be gradually
published in a digital format over the coming months…

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2011 Spectrum Awards
by Robyn Hawk

The buzz is building and people are talking Tucson already…Can you
feel the shift in the mood…the Industry is feeling hopeful! What a
wonderful feeling! I am getting excited for Tucson myself! The
American Gem Trade Assoc. (AGTA) has released videos from Editors’s
Day 2011 - where editors from the best in the Fashion Industry mix
with Judges and view the Spectrum and Cutting Edge Award
entries…

Part 1
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/zo

Part 2
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/zn

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New York City photos
by k.obrien jewelry

Husband and I went to New York City to visit the New York Gift Show.
Thanks to me we spent most of the time in our hotel room. Sometimes
I think I am finally all better and some days not so much. On this
eve, not so much. We were told that we had views of the Hudson
River. I found those views threw a slit in the window. {I’m talking
about the frosted bathroom window.}It opened about a mere inch. I
didn’t need…

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September 2011: Clubs and Commercial Shows
by Robyn Hawk

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September 2011: Clubs and Commercial Shows - Gem Shows

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Better Know Your Hammer…Wendy Edsall-Kerwin
by Robyn Hawk

If you have been involved in the Metals scene, you have undoubtedly
seen or heard of Wendy Edsall-Kerwin and her Hammermarks blog."Wendy
Edsall-Kerwin’s journey to become a full-time jewelry and metals
artist. Here you can find my inspirations, motivations,
frustrations, and business advice that I have found through hard
work and lot’s of great contacts"On her Website you may choose to
purchase her work or learn to work in metal yourself - Wendy is one
of the most generous artists I…

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Benefits
by Suzanne

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Augean Stables anyone?
by Alberic

Time for an update on that Oak watchmaker’s bench I found back in
February. I now understand why I don’t refinish furniture. By the
time I get this thing done, I’m going to have 60-80 hours in it,
just in sanding! On the other hand, under the dark brown stain, it’s
absolutely beautiful wood. Some of the details (such as the treadle
powered lathe) tell me it was originally built…

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