Catching Up

A. P.'s finished brooch!

Unfortunately I still haven't gotten the camera set up correctly, so the red rubies look pink.  It's a nice piece.  Pat made an adaptor so it can also be worn as a pendant.  He's going to have a lot of Fun with this lovely surprise!

We've had lots of good things happening in the last week!  The trip to Arrowcraft in Gatlinburg was great.  The drive was beautiful, we delivered our work and had a nice visit.

Pat was test wearing Shooting Stars.

Laurel asked if she could have it for the store.  The next day K. K., one of our first serious Collectors, came in and fell in love with it!

We met up with Nancy and Norman L.  Nancy was able to articualte what it was that had been bothering me about our second Reflections pendant.  (Which is a Big Help!)  We had a nice lunch, in a restaurant whose name I've forgotten, literally sitting over a creek!  Then we went onto to "Swamp North", their family's cabin on the edge of the National Forest.  We spent a wonderful afternoon talking and relaxing while listening to the creek.

I forgot to photograph them, but, Pat had re-strung two gorgeous turquoise necklaces for Nancy.  We made a new traditional-style clasp for the stunning squash blossom that had been her Mother's.  Nancy put it on while still wearing the beautiful Black Opal Ancient Seas pendant we had made for her Birthday and Anniversary last year.

At the time we hadn't even seen her squash blossom necklace . . .  What is so amazing is that both pieces have essentially the same design!!!  And they really look like they were made to go together!

We missed meeting up with Marina P. and David when they came to town.  I'm hoping we still can so we can engrave her Heart of the Mountain pendant.  (We signed it but forgot to engrave it's name before it went to Bellagio Art to Wear!)

We also made it to Painter's Greenhouse for their first Open House and Sale!  Our big project this Spring will be putting in a rock garden on the hillside beside the steps and the wild lilly/foxglove/columbine/iris bed.  So, of course, we loaded up on sedums!

Something tells me we're going to need a lot more plants . . .

Satisfaction

Earthlink finally got our email straightened out yesterday.  Which is nice.  While Pat was in Waynesville I de-sprueed A.'s Annivversary Brooch.  It went really well and it was very satisfying to spend some good time in the studio after being sick for so long.  Here's how's it's coming along after desprueing and a quick initial buff.

Of course I forgot to photograph the custom ring for Jeannie before Pat delivered it yesterday!

We have lots of work to do ~ we have some large wholesale orders and some very interesting custom work coming up!  So off to work I go!

Sprueing & A Surprise!

This is a custom ring's wax that Pat carved for The Jewelers Workbench

Here's the pattern for A's Anniversary Brooch

Pat pricks the pattern with a pin to transfer the design to the blue carving wax.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how to sprue this piece . . .

There so much time in the carving that I want to ensure it casts perfectly!  I actually began sprueing this wax Wednesday, then decided I wasn't happy with it.  So I stopped and took a break.  These views are after I finished sprueing it Thursday . . .

I

I used three pieces of 6 gauge and one piece of 8 gauge wax sprueing wire.

Definitely better safe than sorry!

Thursday's high was only 52 degress; too cold to invest.  So I invested both flasks late this afternoon so they'd be ready to go in the kiln first thing in the morning!

I had to run to The Home Depot to pick up an extra bottle of oxygen.  Hmmm ~ gorgeous yellow primroses at the checkout for only $1.46.  They're such beautiful plants that I couldn't resist getting us one.  We may just have to go back for more!

Since I was out I swung by Ingles to pick up some ingrediants for dinner tonight (mussels fresh in from Maine with pasta).  For some reason as I strolled past the magazine section one caught my eye . . .  The April issue of Blue Ridge Country is out.  It's a special issue celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I picked it up thinking about recommending it to our writer Friend Tim W..  When I leafed through it I found the Guild's ad on page 15 . . .  And there was our first Ancient Seas pendant!!!

What a Fun Surprise!

More Snow and Work

We had a couple of inches of snow again Tuesday . . .

Last week was busy for both of us.  I surprised Pat by casting the two bronze flasks Monday.  I was actually cleaning the sprues off in the quench bucket when she came home!  I had meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday.  When I got home Tuesday she had finished coating our river pebbles and had formed and soldered the step-bezels for five of them!

(They're on a sheet of white paper!  Color drift because I didn't set my lights up.)

We both took the weekend off.  Which was good, because by Sunday I was coming down with something!  So Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I was pretty lazy ~ following Doctor Pat's orders!  I'm much better today and raring to get everything caught back up!

So here's where we are right now . . .

Both flasks I cast last week turned out.  But the ferns arent going to be usable; I had some porosity in each one . . .  But I do know why and what to do about it!  Which is really exciting to both of us.  (As soon as I compared the castings to the photos I had taken as I was working on them the causes were immediately obvious!)

The lichen flask worked beautifully and Pat is in the studio cleaning them up right now!  The technique I developed for them worked perfectly on my first try.  And yes, maybe I am crowing a little bit.  But hey, I think I've earned it!  The textures and shapes are amazing.  I'm really looking forward to these pendants becoming real.

And yes, I have to cast more ferns as soon as the weather warms up enough for me to do so!  I also have a custom ring's wax waiting to be cast.  (It was being approved when I cast last Monday, and it's been freezing ever since.)

Pat finished the wax for A.'s Anniversary Brooch today!  Here's the original design he choose

Here's the finished wax for A.'s Anniversary Brooch

If the forecast is right we might just get up into the 50s this weekend.  If it does warm up that much I'll have at least two custom pieces to invest and cast.  If tomorrow goes well I just might have some ferns ready for Pat too!

J.T.'s Earrings and Commissions

We had wonderful weather over the weekend!  It actually hit 62 Sunday and we were able to spend a little bit of time outside, once we finished up some work.  Here are the earrings that Pat finished for J.T. . . .

They are oxidized Sterling Silver with Niobium wire wrapped around the dangle as a nice color accent. with four prong mounted Garnets.

As I was photographing them this morning A.P. came by with a deposit for his commission.  It's an interesting one!  (And is an example of how time flys!)  Ten years ago we made their wedding bands.  Five years ago he had us make his Fifth Wedding Anniversary gift for her.  And now we are making his Tenth Wedding Anniversary Gift!

Here are the initial designs Pat skectched after we first spoke with him.  He decided on design number 8, with 10 2.5 mm Rubies in Sterling Silver.  It's going to be a lovely brooch!

Now, I have to get back to minding the kiln!  With this warmer weather I have to use every chance I have to get some castings done!  Right now I have the two flasks in that have been waiting so long.  I'm looking forward to seeing them in metal!  These pieces will be some of the first for our new River Ridgelines series and I'll be casting them in Silicon Bronze.

I have at least one more commission piece to cast and finish before next Monday.  Since the Guild's Board meeting is tomorrow and I'll be at an all day Fair Committee meeting (as the Board's Rep) Wednesday I won't have a chance to even think about casting again until Friday!

Time sure flys when you're having Fun !!!