the force of gravity on bananas

     So I had a fitting with the client on this gold banana ring.  The band fits perfect, but there was some concern that the peel was a little fluffy and flowery.  So I went back and made this peel more subject to gravity, with the peel appear more floppy, and dare I say droopy (in a good way). 

gold banana peel

     So I've started on the gold banana.  When it comes to forming, gold is a lot like brass, including in appearance.  Forming involves annealing, which is when you heat up metal to make it soft (literally you are re-aligning molecules in the metal), and hammering of course, both of which tend to get a little dirty.  The thing about metal is even when its beat up and discolored, it's only skin deep.  When you polish it, the metal will get all shiny and pretty again.  The images are of the gold peel and the silver band.  I am planning on removing the hammer texture from the band, however, I do not want to invest any more time into it until the client tries on the band to make sure the fit is good.  Wide bands tend to hug fingers a little differently, and for me, I will get a larger size if the band is wide so I can wear it comfortably.  Also the band is a little wider than it needs to be.  I plan on trimming it after soldering the banana in place.  You might be wondering where is the banana?  All I see is the peel!  Well, I did not forget.  The peel will probably be adjusted a little more, especially after the client tries on the band.  Once the band is good, then the peel can be perfected, then the banana will be made to fit snug to ensure a good solder joint.

Banana ring Part 2

       So I did a mock up in silver and copper to play with making the banana form.  It turned out pretty well.  Bare in mind that I did not nor will be polishing file or even sand the silver so it is very rough.

     Shown here are several different views of the mock up.  There are some things to be said up front.... The copper part is too thick, and the point of the peel is sloppy.  My goal with this was to make sure the spiculum shape was big enough and long enough to give the peel the right shape.  I'm pretty happy with it and furthermore, the process gave me the information I needed to proceed with the gold.  The gold one will definately take a little longer since it's much harder than silver.  That means a few more hours of hammering versus the silver.

Banana Ring Project

So I met a nice lady at the Lemon Festival in Downtown Upland and am now working on a project for her. She loves bananas, especially if they are partially peeled. She want a banana on a ring, to go with her other banana oriented jewelry. I drew up some design over the past weeks (which is always the easy part) and meet with her to approve the design.

(beginning sketches)

(final sketch)

After racking my brain as to how to make it and going through my options I determined it would be better to raise it from sheet rather than cast it. For those of you who don't know "raising" is smithing terminology describing the process of stretching sheet metal into 3D forms by use of hammer.  The specific form to be made is called a spiculum (not sure of my spelling on that one) refering to the conical shape with a seam running the length.  (As shown below.)

 

So my plan is a squat fatter version of this. I'm going to do a mock-up first in silver to get the proportions right before diving into the gold. Will report back when I'm done.

As the water falls...

So I have some in progress photos of Dr. Sue's fire opal and water pendant.  I did a second round of sketches because the first set wasn't quite on the mark.  I landed a design that had both the tribal hand-made style that appeals to the doc, but toned down to a more every-day wearable piece with feminine elegence.  Then I plunged into making the pendant.

So the sketches show these lines going across a shape.  The lines are a symbolic way to illustrate water and the shape would be the shape of the pendant.  I thought a tear-drop shape would be best not only for the literal symbolism but because it best fits the shape of the stone. The teardrop will be "puffed" in a press so that it has a dome to it.  (there are actually 2 puffed teardrops-a front and a back.  the stone is really thick and have the shapes puffed will allow it to hold and protect more of the stone.) The lines are pieces of silver and/or copper wire that will be soldered to the surface.  I say copper, because I think it goes so well with the opal, and brings out the colors in the stone, and I love the idea of copper and silver combined in general.

So you can see the two puffy pieces holding the stone (one in front and one underneath).  Note that the inside is hollow.  The problem with bigger pieces like this is usually the comfort is lacking because of things like weight.  Opal is actually pretty light so combined with the hollow construction it will look heavy but should be rather enjoyable to wear.  More updates to follow.

Lee's pendant: finished project

So heres the finished piece.  Againg the stones are torquoise (at the top),amethyst (in the middle), and carnelian (at the bottom).  All hand fabricated in sterling silver.

Lee's pendant final run

Shown here is the basic bezels soldered on flat sheet.  I have done a rudimentary cut around the outside to give the pendant it's shape and you can see the beginning of the bail happening at the top.  From here on out its just a matter of refining the silhouette, sanding, polishing, and setting the stones.  (Right now the stones are resting on top of their respective settings for the visual effect)  Oh- and the ring around the bottom setting will be hammered to add nice little texture detail around that stone, to give the piece a more hand-crafted look.  (Albeit, it's entirely hand crafted all ready.)  Lee, if you're reading this, know that the pendant will be well under budget.  Stay tuned for the finished piece (tonight or tomorrow).

pendant ideas for fire opal rough

Ok, so this client is particularly tall which means she can handle wearing larger pieces, and they do quite well for her. She like things that have a ethnic feel to is, especially native american, or mexican deisgns. She is also a doctor, and by default a scientist and wants to show case the stone as more of a pretty rock than a gemstone (which I totally agree, considering the piece we are designing around). Here are my first 2 sketches:

so the one on the left is basically a metal box for the stone. The stone has an almost-straight edge on one side, and this naturally jagged edge on the other sides. The negative space between the jagged edge of the stone and the straight line across from it will emphasize the silhouette of the stone. The box will also be a secure setting that will form a protective wall around it, so if it gets dropped, it should survive pretty well. There are 2 bails at the top to string onto a leather cord or chain, or strand of beads (I could supply any of these, doc).

The second design is a psuedo native american style pendant. this would basically be a teardrop frame that would go around the stone, holding it in place with metal tabs/prongs.

Have no fear, these are not the only ideas up my sleeve! Soon to follow... more sketches.

completed peridot pendant

Hello Everyone,

So here is the finished pendant. Again it has Argentium Silver (tarnish resistant alloy), 18kt yellow gold, and peridot. This was taken with my cellphone, it's a little dark in pic...

Finished earrings

Hello everyone. I have finished the earrings I was working on (in progress pics below). Please forgive the quality of the picture, but my apartment lighting is pretty dim without the aid of sunlight. Again these earrings are made with Argentum Sterling, 18kt yellow gold, and natural pink tourmalines. These were made custom for a very special client:)

Update for tourmaline and peridot projects

So here is what I have so far. The gold is a little pale, but once polished it will pop in color. The stones are not set yet, but just resting in the settings. The pink pendant I'm thinking will have another ring of the rope silver then another of gold, and then another ring of rope silver around the very edge of the piece, so there will be the flat plain of silver in the middle. I thought this would solve several problems: 1) Making the pendant bigger to fit the size of the chain (which is 4mm). 2) Matching the earrings in style. 3) That final ring of silver will give the piece a much more finished look and protect the flat silver from getting scratches.

I have been really up in the air about the final touches on this piece. I think the thing I will do is add more gold wire to the pendants edge but only at the corners. I can then hammer the wire out a little so it will get a little thicker at each of the four points. I don't know. We'll see.

Pink tourmaline & Peridot Crusade

So I got some pics for you all to see the match I landed on these 2 custom projects. I found a perfect match to the pink tourmaline earrings for one client (stone shown here), which will serve as the pendant. It is about the same size. I have tried to find bigger while following criteria of color, clarity, and cut; but no luck. Second pic shows all three together with my fingers in there to give you idea of scale. (Those teardrops on the left are another earring project I'm working on)

The third image here is showing all the peridot being used for the second client. I'm making a full set of earrings, ring, and necklace. The stone to the top right is a true cushion cut with those checkerboard facets on the top and bottom. The top left is almost a mine cut on top and cusion elsewhere. Mine cut meaning the stone has a lot of facets on the top supporting a very high table (flat part). The cut actually makes the stone a little more sparkly in my opinion and also more noticable if damaged. Therefore will be putting that one in the pendant, and leaving the cushion cut in the ring.

Stone sitting (temporarily) in bezel a top raised silver which will soon become her pendant. My fingers again are here for scale. Nothing is soldered yet, but wanted to illustrate how it will look. Note on all the stones: they tend to appear darker in the bezels right now because they are not set. They are just sitting in the bezels and haven't been sanded down all the way either, so they cast a bit of a shadow.

Custom Jewelry

The sketches here are for ideas to satisfy to discerning young ladies who are currently traveling in Chicago. They have asked me to create some pendants that can fit over their current favorite chain. Along with that, earrings and such to match. For al projects shown I will be using Argentum, which is a new sterling silver alloy that is tarnish resistant.

These are photos of my sketch book, showing some ideas. The first is to create a large silver shape (here rectangle and circle) set the stone in the middle and cut a decoritive motif out of the silver around the stone that emphasizes it as well as makes the pendant larger to go better with the chain without dwarfing the stone. (the cutting out technique is called piercing) On this I'm thinking a cushion cut pink tourmaline. Notice that the bail (the part the chain will go through) also has decoritive piercing to match. The request is also for two-tone, so I will be using 18kt yellow gold wire to draw a line around the bezel and a rim around the outside. This picture here shows a setting for a cushion cut peridot, matching earrings and a ring, along with another design for a buff top london blue topaz (bottom left). The peridot would be bezel set in silver with 18kt yellow gold wire lining the bezel. and then edged with a decorative rope design in silver. The pendant is shown square, however I could turn it on it's point to have a diamond shaped pendant. The rope wire will also edge the bail for continuity. The earrings here are drawn with a post but I think I will convert to a french hook to encourage movment from the earring when worn (it will sparkle that much more). Same idea in two-tone as the pendant, but with a diamond shape riveted (loosely) on the back so that it swings even more. This will make the earring a little longer (easier to show off) as well as do away with any rigidity from a longer piece. The ring will be simple and lightweight with a minimal bezel that is accented with 2 gold triangle shapes. (I think I still might sit on this design a bit). The london blue topaz is designed to have oversized prongs big enought to have cz's set in them for extra sparkle. This is in proportion to the size of the stone (it's a little on the bigger side) without making the overall piece huge.This last page shows some designs that are an attempt to be more contemporary, but I'm not completely happy with the concept. Can't win them all.

Commision for Advanced Chirpractic Concepts

OK, this has been a long time promised, but I finally located some of the pictures I drew for Dr. Tommy Johnson. He is fascinated by the concept of Leonardo DaVinci's that man is the greatest machine. He uses that as a source of inspiration, and a decorative theme in his practice's office. He commissioned me to make 4 drawings that are done in that old world/red-chalk style. The one shown here is the Pelvis bone (female) cut a I also did drawings of the atlas & axis (bones at the top of the spine which the skull sits on), L1-L5 (lombar spine), and different views of individual vertebrae. I was nervous about it because if it was in the least bit inaccurate the doc would notice before I would. So the drawings had to be perfect. But the pressure's off and he loves them. They are hanging throughout his practice. You can find out more about Dr. Tommy and his practice by visiting his website:

http://www.advancedchiroconcepts.com/CanChiropracticHelpMe.aspx

Graphic Design-H&H Gardening

I did this flyer for my neighbor, Harvey. The economy is definitely hitting hard, and his regular work (construction) is being cut back. But he is taking advantage of the housing market to start a side business, focusing on lawn maintenance for REO properties. However, if you are in the Inland Empire (CA) area, Harvey can also do your yard work, landscaping, and even building custom fences and BBQ's. If you could use his services, please give him a call.

Graphic Design- BEI

This is a sample of what I'm working on now, for client BEI which stands for Better Energy Ideas. We are working on creating a Promo Pack, which will be a handy little booklet for her salesmen to use to inform their client of the company and it's products. I started with this page, because it's relatively simple but serves as a good example of the entire promo pack (all the pages will relatively look like this. It is also a way to insert into the conversation what the content should be and in what order.

Diamond Logo

So I have been talking to someone who is interested in opening a retail clothing store. She wants to sell the brand as well as the merchandise. Of course, the best way to do that is to have a cool logo and sell t-shirts and inexpesive goods with the logo printed really big on it. It goes over especially well if you put sparkles or glitter on it too. So these are my initial sketches for the logo.

She wants it to have a diamond in it, and then some frilly detail that will offer up plenty of opportunity to cover it with sparklies. The first one here is me playing around, and is probably to detailed to be the best choice for a functional graphic.

To be honest, I don't think that any of these will make the cut, but they could be used as secondary design for shirts, etc. I don't think of these as a waste, the process of making these is what I really get out of it. It's a way to see "OK, this line works here, and this curve works there." And besides the possibility of being used later for something else, it is yet another something to show people that want to see my style, as well as can serve as a springboard for future visual concepts.

Tattoo Girl

A friend is thinking about doing a line of T-Shirts for Tattoo lovers. For the logo and main design she wanter a pin-up style girl nude with tattoos all over. The sketches here show what I came up with for the visual. I read somewhere that guys and gals approach tattoos differently: women tend to get tattoos that flaunt, accentuate, or compliment their bodies, where as men get them for the purpose of comradorie, because they look cool (or so the wearer will look cool), in a place where they can easily be shown off. My aesthetic would be the first one, personally. But the friend who initiate this project wanted a little bit of both. I must say, it was difficult for me, I was gritting my teeth at some points.

Whenever working for someone else, you have to imagine your hand as an extention of their mind. You aren't creating for you, you are creating for them. A lot of artists do not like the thought of creating something you don't like, and admittedly it takes a lot of patience and restraint. But once you get it right and that person sees the finished product it makes all the labor worth it. Besides work like this is always a challenge and puts your skills to the test. Clients do not understand that you only do this kind or that kind of art. They think you are good at everything because you are an artist. And you can't explain that. So you are in the position of trying to make the client happy by doing things you are the best at and don't always do. Which is good for you.