Unique Handmade Fine Silver Jewelry for Great Holiday Gifts!

I've been busy using some of my newly acquired (and a few I haven't played with in awhile!) vintage bronze jewelry dies from Afghanistan to create new unique wearable pieces in pure silver metal clay..... still handmade by me in my little Ojai studio and fired in my mini kiln. And I decided to play a bit more with braiding Irish linen for cords in different colors.  It was a little tricky securing the braided cord ends in an attractive way.  I tried several different ways which failed my aesthetically critical eye and was about to give up (for the day, that is) when VOILA!, the Universe came to my rescue and a solution finally came through my thick skull.  I'm excited about the results... and I especially LOVE the braided red linen!

 All items available, or soon to be, in my Etsy online shop.

Tribal Heart Necklace

Floral Blossom Necklace

Floral Mandala Necklace

 

Arabesque Heart Necklace

"A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist."

~ Louis Nizer

Playing with Aura 22 Gold

The price of gold is at an all time high ... $1,855. today!  But, with the invention of Aura 22, I can still play with gold and not have heart palpitations if I make a little mistake!  My cousin commissioned me to create a necklace for her thirteen year old daughter, who saw the crystal druzy and fell in love but wanted my PK touch with it.  I finally found a moment to get my act together and finish it.  I made a few pieces, along with the custom order, so I could practice my guilding.  I made the extra tear drops in case the custom one didn't come out right... luckily they all came through with flying colors. 

The process is fairly easy. You make your fine silver metal clay piece, fire it like normal, then without touching it or polishing it, you paint several thin layers (I did four layers) of the liquid 22k gold clay paste.  The liquid gold has a small percentage of silver clay mixed in so it will fuse with the metal clay piece.  So, after applying the gold, it goes back in the kiln at only 850 degrees for 15 minutes (or you can fire it with a torch).  The first time I used it, I had a difficult time as the clay didn't want to stick to the silver after firing....  it flaked off while I burnished/polished it.  I read that it sticks better if you take it out of the kiln while still warm (but NOT hot) so I tried that approach. Seems to have worked!  Though from the first try, I learned not to polish with a polishing pad with any grit or it will rub the gold off. Best to use a burnisher.  I haven't tried the tumbler yet.

The first photo show the teardrop metal clay pendant without any oxidation. The whiter area is the silver without the gold overlay. The following photo shows the same teardrops as earring WITH oxidation.... a completely different look.  The last photo is a fine silver metal clay pendant with Aura 22 gold painted only on the granulation and floral detail, then oxidized.

GOLD 

 This symbolizes the purity of the spiritual aspect of "All That Is". It is symbolic of spiritual development in the realm of complete understanding, allowing one to both attain and maintain communion with the source of all being. It emits an energy to prompt one to allow beauty to come forth from the inner being as one travels through the world of experiences. It assists one to activate, to mobilize and to actualize the intrinsic potential of the self. The energy of gold can assist one in the elimination of ego conflicts and feelings of futility. It balances the heart chakra and amplifies thought forms. Gold has been used to open the third-eye and is an excellent mineral for purification of the physical body. 

"PURE GOLD DOES NOT FEAR FURNACE."

~ Chinese Proverb ~

Zen Earth and Zen Skies

1.  Zen Earth

2. Zen Skies

3. Zen Sole Luna

These three necklaces are the first in my Zen series.  Zen Earth is a handmade fine silver metal clay pendant with a round turquoise bead.  Zen skies is a rectangular blue kyanite pendant bead with handmade fine silver accent beads. The Zen Sole Luna is a large piranha agate stone disk accented with a handmade fine silver metal clay bead. They are simple and natural, contemporary yet rustic.

"The Japanese word Zen is derived from the Chinese word Chán, which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit worddhyāna, which means "meditation" or "meditative state." "

Birds of Different Feathers

My sister loves birds and has two beautiful parrots.  I love birds too but have no desire to have one as a companion.  Maybe this is because her last bird attacked me and bit my neck, an experience that was terrifying!  Her new feathered friends have no interest in befriending me...  I suppose it's because I now put out a fear vibe.  But, they are very sweet with her and incredibly intelligent.  Instead of working out my bird issues, I am choosing to continue my relationship with the avian culture by honoring them though the creation of jewelry, feather collecting and watching them feed in our yard.  I do think I have a connection with bird spirits as I always find a fabulous feather on my hikes, when I "ask".

My Falcon Totem Necklace on Etsy...

Hawk feathers I've found which I keep on my dresser....

The turkey feather in our front entry... a gift from my in-laws.

My four year olds feather collection...

"A wise falcon hides his talons."

~ old Danish proverb

Pom Pom Blossoms

I just listed my little pom pom earrings today on Etsy.  They are made from from an antique Afghani bronze jewelry die and then I embellished them with tiny little dots and lines.  I didn't realize what they were until after several weeks after I made them.  They reminded me of something. Then, I went into our mini orchard and saw my pomegranate trees chock a block full of blossoms and BONK! It hit me...my little earrings are pomegranate babies!  Since the earrings looks like blossoms and Afghanistan is famous for pomegranates (pregnant women drink it for healthy babies ...great source of anti-oxidants) and the dies are from there, the little motifs must be one and the same.  


Twenty years ago, I fell in love with pomegranates after painting many of them in a college art class.  I still hang one of my favorites in our kitchen.  But I never truly enjoyed the incredible flavor (besides sucking on a few seeds as a kid) until I tried fresh squeezed ice-cold pomegranate juice at the Khan Club restaurant in Peshawar.  There is nothing like fresh squeezed Heaven.  When we purchased our home in Ojai with two mature pomegranate trees, I went straight out and purchased a special juicer.  Ahhhh.... a little slice of heaven once more!   


Pom Pom Earrings on Etsy....

Oil on canvas...circa 1990

Our very own pom babies...photographed this morning.

Sucking... painting... juicing... molding... polishing... wearing.  The funny little pom pom fruits just keep coming back into my life. I think it's a good sign especially since they are a symbol of prosperity and abundance, fertility and marriage, rebirth and eternal life!

“Let us get up early to the vineyards; 

let us see if the vine flourish, 

whether the tender grape appear, 

and the pomegranates bud forth: 

there will I give thee my loves.”

~ Song of Solomon 7:12

 King James Bible ~

Happy Vernal Equinox

About two months ago, we were told that our gorgeous giant live oak on our side yard was very sick and must be taken out.  We were heartbroken but better the tree gone than our heads (the tree could have fallen into our master bedroom).  Once the deed was done and the rains came, we were left with a huge gaping muddy hole and very unattractive side yard.  So, I got to work sketching out a landscape plan with all my favorite drought tolerant plants and realized I better consult an expert for final approval.  In comes Cathleen Lynch of The Essential Garden in Ojai to the rescue.  


Cathleen has an enthusiasm for plants that is contagious.  She guided me towards a few more suitable and interesting plants that I had never heard of, massaged my plan a bit and drew up a beautiful revision. She even purchased the plants and helped me place them. Thank you Cathleen!  


After some additional grading, new drainage pipes,  fence, gravel (thank you Abel at Mar Gardening) and butterfly chairs along with the olive trees, new plantings and uplights (thank you Chris the electrician!) we finished just in time for the first day of Spring!

Before 

After

It will take a few years to fill in properly but it's all about the process, right?  When I went to pay Cathleen, she said she wanted to see my jewelry first.  And low and behold, she wanted to do a trade for her design time.... I am so flattered!  Here is the necklace she picked.....

metal clay pendant 

from antique Afghan bronze die 

with amazonite (?) drop strung with

faceted peridot and Thai silver beads 

Fine Silver Springtime Dream

I just finished this new metal clay Gandhara Collection necklace last night and  I posted on Etsy this morning.  I call it Springtime Dream... a little corny I know.   I usually get excited to list something new to sell but I'm having a difficult time because I do not want to part with it!  It's so spring-y and I'm in such a spring-y mood.... 


I found the beads on EBay. They look like colored glass but they're real stone.  I have never used  rainbow fluorite but now I think it may be added to my favorite stone list.  This stone reminds me a bit of tourmaline as it can go from pale pink to green but rainbow fluorite also has purples, aquas and lime-y greens and pale blues.... just amazing.  The colors are even reminiscent of beach glass.... and Easter!


According to Krystal Love,  rainbow fluorite "brings order to chaos, and elevates intuition and mental achievement. It also provides for the purification, cleansing and elimination of disorder, both physical and mental. Various colours have particular effects: blue- orderly thoughts, calm, clear communication; green- cleanses chakras, eliminates negativity from a room; purple- rationality, psychic and spiritual growth. Fluorite aids in dissipating colds, flu, staph infections, herpes and ulcers, and to protect against contagion. Blue- eye, ear and throat infections; green- stomach and intestinal disorders; purple- bone and bone-marrow disorders."


Check out the following groovy rainbow fluorite items...

carved rainblow fluorite bowl from gem-dragon

egg from ebay

Incredible Discovery

While surfing the net the over the weekend for any historical information I could find on Afghan bronze jewelry dies, I came across a groovy website that sells ethnic jewelry called beadparadise.com.  I wasn't looking for a shop but I decided to browse anyway.  Suddenly I saw an incredible Afghan necklace that reminded me of an antique one that I bought in Islamabad. As I looked closer, I noticed that the centerpiece of the necklace looked almost identical to one of my vintage Afghan bronze jewelry dies.  I pulled up a photo of a pendant I made from that die and my jaw dropped.......it was EXACTLY the same design!  Could it be that the die that I own was used to make this necklace?? 


I emailed Ruth, the owner, and told her of my discovery.  She believes the necklace to be 75 to 100 years old but wasn't sure where in Afghanistan the necklace was made.  She said that these dies are not that uncommon to find but I would LOVE to know if these dies were duplicated or one of a kind.... and, I want to learn how these brass dies are made. Were they designed by men or women? AND, are they still made today?  Does anyone out there know?

 

necklace from Bead Paradise

 Afghan bronze jewelry die

my metal clay creation made from the die above