Metro~Metal

More rings...

2011-06-10T12:04:00.000-07:00

I made these rings in class. This one I carved out of a ring that I molded, cast it in bronze and then lined the inside with some silver foil, that i soldered in place, the process was pretty easy, and I will try a few different styles soon.

This is the first version of this rin, I love how it looks, but I need to re-do the base. Inside there are bands which I thought I needed for fit, but I'm afraid they will tarnish and be auncleanable, by the average person. So i will try it again... It is also VERY large, as you can see below on my finger, I may just use the smaller cage for the rings. I'm also going to carve a large dome ring, hopefully with a springy band inside that will make the ring fit on any finger, within a few sizes... we'll see.

Wedding Bands

2011-06-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

These have been finished and in the possession of Laura and Danny, soon to be married, for a few months, but I'm just getting around to updating things... So here they are! They ended up being half rose gold, half white gold, which I do not recommend attempting. Because of the different properties of the two metals, when I tried to solder them together the first time, the rose gold literally crumbled, re-casting this piece cost me $150.00, I had already cleaned up a lot of the metal, so it was lost into the ether, and shipping... lesson learned, do not solder 2 different metals together this way. Luckily, I am a master solderer, so the second time around, it went as smooth a butter. I then set cognac diamonds on the white side, and white diamonds on the rose side, I love the way they came out, just enough sparkle but not too much. I used 9 diamonds total, odd #'s are always the best, ranging from 1.3mm's to 2mm's. The side bands are 18 gauge rose and white gold twisted together, I took 2 rose and 1 white for Laura's, and 2 white and 1 rose for Danny's. Twisted them all together, and soldered them. I also love how these look, though they're not an intricate design, they feel a little Celtic to me... So there it is!

Daggars!!!

2011-06-09T10:27:00.000-07:00

I love these earrings! Like I said before, I need to make an opposite, but I still like them this way!

2011-06-07T21:21:00.000-07:00

Studs! I thought I would give them a try again... I attatched them and then hammered them with a rounded hammer it makes them seem more like bubbles to me. Little metal bubbles.

I attemped a more 3 dimentional design, I intended it to be a part of a pair of earrings, but one was great (this one) and the other not so much. This one feels very african to me, I really like it on.

More little metal bubbles...

Bubbles on earrings. the bottom ones are gorgeous on, super long. Not sure if I like the 2 on one and 1 on the other, I like it, but not sure it will happen again. What do y'all think?

2011-06-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some more images, these are made from the vintage buttons I posted some time ago. I press them into wax and then cast them into bronze, and silver. I'm looking into plating, because though I love the look of bronze, it gets so dirty so fast, and plating will add value, plus, I think I can plate them when they are slightly oxidized to they may keep the antiqued look... we'll see

Ooooh shark teeth, I've been wanting to make these forever, I molded them directly from the actual teeth using a heat resistant glue, they came out sooooo good! I make a pendant out of one of them it's so cute, yet so fierce!

Daggars! I've been using these for a while, I bought these little brass daggars, used them for earrings, sewing on to leather, and other various things, so I made them a little thicker, molded them and now they are all mine!!! mua a a a. I do, however, plan on carving my own pair, because I don't have a mirrored version to make earrings. Now, they are identical, and I don't love that, also, I want them to be textured on both sides, and now they are only one sided...

Long time no see

2011-06-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

It has certainly been too long, but here I am. I've been very busy, working on waxes, casting, and a little forming. My goal this last semester was to create a cohesive line, including a pendant, a necklace, a ring and 2 earrings, posts, and hoops.

So I have a really good start, I love the pieces I created, but not sure if how I put things together is how they should be.

This is one of my dilema's, I can't decide if I like the chain connected like this, or the chain going through the top holes... I personally like the movement of having the pendant slide on the chain, but I don't like how the chain spins around to the front. Hmmmm...

I feel like leaving the top open is a little cleaner, and more refined

than stringing the chain through, any thoughts??

These are the hoop earrings, they are a really nice weight! I love wearing them. I've made them in silver and in bronze, which is what these are, with sterling ear wires. I actually soldered the catches in the back of the earring on to the model before making a mold, and now I don't need to do any soldering after the pieces are cast. That is something I learned at SGM, always minimize the things you have to to multiple times if you can in the model stage.

These are the 'halves' that I carved out of wax, I have 4 sizes, the smallest one is the post earring. The original Idea was to create a 3D hollow bead, which I did, (I'll post pics later) but I really like the way they look in half. This turquoise leather is pretty great too, and I like the combo, but it definately makes the pieces feel less special and valuable...

So, now I'll post a few things on Etsy, and I'll post some more pics another day!

Thanks for your comments!!!

Rainy Day Re-Designs

2010-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:00

Rain, rain and more rain.
I was trying to get some new things done today, but these pieces were just staring at me, begging me for some attention.

I like this shape, it's different, and I think I like the stitching down the middle... but the chain is too big for the scale of the earrings. So I'm removing the chain to add a different one.

This new chain is the same shape and similar color, but much smaller, which I think works better (takes longer), but I'm still not sure how I like the piece, I also put the ear wire I think on the wrong end, I like the stitching facing the other direction. I'm not sure this one will make it to the final cut.

This necklace is very cool! But it wasn't laying right on one side, so it had to come apart! I had planned on re-doing it better, by attaching fabric to the back to make the leather more sturdy, but when I took the chain of it hung in a really cool shape, so I just added chain dangles to it.

This is just a cool photo! I did not leave the chain this long, because it is hard to keep from tangling, and just unwearable, unless you're just doing a photo shoot, and not planning on really moving.

This is the end result! It's very swanky on...

This piece definitely stands on it's own, so I tried to leave the chain very simple. But then I decided to make a little change.

I added 3 more chains on one side, and because of the asymmetry I had to add 4 on the other. I think the transition from the piece to the leather is so much better.

Back in the swing!

2010-12-19T00:21:00.000-08:00

Hello!
It's been a while. I have finally started an Etsy page, http://www.etsy.com/shop/MetroMetal. Please check it out! Also I've been selling some pieces at Wonderland SF http://www.wonderlandsf.com/ It's this great little shop/gallery, that showcases local designers and artists! It is jam packed with awesome stuff, clothing, jewelry, paintings, accessories, t-shirts, any of you locals definitely should take a peek! Here are some of the things I have there now...

These are brass findings that I drill holes in were I want the chain to hang from, and adhere the leather to one side. I find them at General bead, they have loads and loads of funky brass stuff there. I love it!

I sew all of the chain on to the leather by hand, and any stitching is gold thread, done with my machine.

These are brass hoops that I cut out and texture like, well a feather, and a leaf, couldn't decide what I wanted and I think it's a pretty good mix between both. They have Sterling silver ear wires.

Chillin' December 4th

2010-11-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

Come see me and do your holiday shopping with style, December 4th 8pm! I have been trying to get into this show for years, it's full of amazing designers and artist from the bay area, Awesome DJ's and coctails! Cant beat that ;)

2010-06-20T14:09:00.000-07:00

Even in Morocco, I manage to post something new. This is my friend Kelly, who has been so supportive of me. I hosted her happy hour mixer a few moths back and met some great people there. She is wearing a necklace that she commissioned from me to wear with her very cute (luckily) bridesmaid dress.

I've been busy part 1

2010-06-02T21:19:00.000-07:00

So this is how it all started! My lovely friend Kelly threw a party, She offered me a chance to sponsor the event... As you can see on the flier, I am the one and only sponsor, which was interesting, because some people expected a full on jewelry sale. I was not prepared, but I got a great response from the people I showed some of my work to.
This is where I met Katie Quin AKA: Q the stylist! She set me up with this group the SFFAMA
a fashion oriented group who sponsor events in San Francisco to help local designers learn how to promote and sell their product.
Through this organization, I signed up to sell my pieces at this event on May 29th, it was my very first attempt at selling in this format. I did OK... Mom joined me and busted out some darling hand bags, she was not so successful, but now, like me has a great stock of things ready to go for the next opportunity. Plus it was just great to hang with her for the whole day!!

So, I did a little Pierced work, with a pressed texture from some lace. the middle pair of earrings was made from the center cut outs of the 2 outer earrings. I don't like to waste!! plus these are the little 'happy accidents' I love to come across while in the studio.

These are some stackers!! They are so cute all together! I sold a couple at the fair, they are sterling and brass, some are polished and some are sand blasted for a matte finish. I simply cut out discs with a disc cutter, and domed them using ball peens and a steel block with the corresponding sizes. Then I soldered them to some square wire that I drew myself. These are a very simple design, and I didn't think I would like them as much as I do, they just look so great in groups of 2 or 3.

This was my first sale!! They are brass leaf hoops with sterling ear wires. I should have just made ton's of these, people love them. I cut them out in the leaf form, very long and skinny. then textured the leaf veins on them and then bent them into the hoop shape, then added the sterling ear wire, looped it through the brass, curled the end and soldered it together.

I have so many more photo's including some of my darling friend Kelly at a wedding where she was a blushing brides made wearing a necklace she commissioned from me!! So cute!!
Stay tuned!

Finalment!

2010-04-09T01:14:00.000-07:00

I apologize for the delay of my posts, alas, I have been a little unmotivated! But I've picked up momentum again! I tried sewing on leather with gold thread! I really like it! I had intended to stitch all vertical lines, and as I was going something made me do the swirls on the end, I kind of wish I would have stuck to my original plan. I dig the swirls too, but I think it may feel more modern the way I had intended. And I hand stitched the chain on the outside, I think it looks almost crocheted! If only it were quick and easy...

I stitched the chain on this as well, and fastened a roughly faceted rutilated quartz bead on to the leather, it's a nice playful pendant

I did make it to the studio, yay! I cut out this peacock feather shape out of brass, and drilled 2 holes to sting the wire through that is holding the labradorite stone. It is really hard to see in this picture, but the stone like glows blue-y green. The tips of the feather are also bent back and forth to give it a little volume. I have minor adjustments to make to this, but it's almost there, what do you think about the leather?

This is a bigger rutilated quartz bead that I want to cut out a frame for, like the peacock and the labradorite, and maybe dangle chain or little metal cut outs. Not totally sure about what to drip off the bottom... And I'll need to come up with a way to keep the bead from spinning, probably I'll add some prongs in various places.

This is a work in progress also. It is silver rolled with lace, soldered into the bottom is a yg bezel that I set a ruby in. I am going to solder the 2 brass hooks on the the top, usually I like to rivet that kind of addition, but I think I want it to be just a bit more simple.

I promise not to leave you all (lily) hanging and post things more often, though not this Sunday. I am 'sponsoring' an event that my good fried Kelly Adelekin is putting on. I'll post the info tomorrow! *yAy*

updates and stone setting...

2010-03-21T23:11:00.000-07:00

Updates...

I was going to add chain and dripping jewels but it just got out of control, this seems balanced, it's nice and weighty. I picked up these green faceted stones (I need to be better about writing the name down) at Beyond Beads, I was looking for a dark navy that I had gotten before, but these work.

I added a couple of little 2mm amethysts to this ring and changed the texture a bit. I wanted to set ruby's but they were a bit too big for the bezels that I had. I think the red would have been more striking.

Stone setting...

I have some small moonstones that I am practicing on, if I had my way these would be Large, soon... So I am trying to come up with different ways to set stones without soldering or using bezels, just cutting shapes out of flat metal to become 3d, I like the loop on top the shape reminds me of a pocket watch.

I am usually not drawn to these raw and crystally type stones, but this one is so beautiful, and I could envision it in this setting. I am still working on it obviously, I will fold over the metal on the bottom and the sides to keep the stone in place, the back is the same as this side so it can be worn either way. This silver strip actully used to be a spoon, well the handle. BTW If anyone has random sterling spoons that don't belong to a set, send them my way. I promise not to make spoon rings!

Here is one more imprinted piece that I cut out, to look like a peacock feather roughly... I really don't love silver, which is why I typically do things in brass, but it's brass, maybe it's time to invest in some 14k gold... At least the center piece could be gold, it would add so much more richness, some stones wouldn't hurt...

Vintage Show

On Saturday, I went to this awesome vintage exhibit at the design center. it was very inspiring, and I could have been there all day!! But I found these buttons which are from the 40's I think, they have scenes on them, one has Neptune, and one has Phaeton on a charriot with his horses. I plan on pressing them into wax and hopefully casting them, I have yet to give it another attempt.

slow week

2010-03-15T00:25:00.000-07:00

So, I have had a hard time getting to the studio this week... I did produce one piece, that required no soldering, cutting, hammering of metal. I love the 'bib' look, I used manufactured stars with spikes on the back, to secure them to the leather. Ideally, I would make these myself, not necessarily stars, though I like the look, I'd make them more organic and individual. Maybe more jewels dripping off the bottom of the pieces would be nice, maybe dripping chain too?

I almost forgot about these little silver rings, A while ago I cut out little splatter pieces, that I made into post earrings, they just didn't look right, they were too flat, I don't know, they didn't work! The other night after looking at these things every time I pull out my silver box, I thought rings would be nice. So here they are, not done yet of course, the texture is not exactly how I want it but I do think I like the hammered look of the one on the right. Also, I am going to nestle 2 stones on each in the outer crevices, with yellow gold bezels.

week 1

2010-03-07T22:46:00.000-08:00

I've made some progress this week, One set back, a casting that did not cast!! It happens!
So, I had this great Idea! To use leather and brass such a way that the brass is visible but not the main focus, being that it is brass and not something more precious. I also love leather but it is not quite enough and the brass gives the leather weight. I'm not sure if this is the final product, but it's a start. Also, leather cord vs chain... or both?

These are things that I was going to cover also, but they are kind of cool as is, although adding a frame of silver might be nice, and I think multiples work well. I get these textures by rolling metal and little remnants of thread (provided to me by my lovely friend Kristen courtesy of Diana Slavin's work shop), as well as lace though a rolling mill.

This pierced work is something that I have been doing for a while, mostly leaves. I really like how these turn out, I think I should maybe put a little more time into coming up with something SUPER fabulous.

This flower is the first thing that I ever cut out, it was a ton of work, but I love this and wear it all of the time. It is hard to see from this pic, but it's on a chain that is half chain and half leather, I really like the combo.

The Count Down

2010-02-28T18:02:00.000-08:00

I am counting down to the first purchase, not a purchase of mine, but a purchase of my product.
The Product: TBD (some form of personal adornment)
The Purchase Date: April 1st 2010
This is my dilemma... I love working with metal, all metals, but affordable metals have undesirable qualities. I am trying to conquer these with my cunning and wit.

This is an example of something I have done recently, it is too much work, but I love the look.