"Sorry About That"

If you find yourself on James Street North in Hamilton this Friday (October 10th), keep an eye open for some of my work in the window of Hamilton Jewellers. "Sorry About that" was design by local artist, Andrew McPhail. I constructed it out of sterling wire and chain this past winter.

Ring Reconstruction

I had planned to share more of my school experiences on here shortly after leaving GBC, but just kept procrastinating. Finally, I’m here. I plan to talk about at least a couple of other projects that stood out for me.

This particular ring was not something I made initially, but something I made better in repair class by reconstructing the bezel and polishing the band.

In the “before” photo you can see how poorly the bezel around the stone was made and how banged up the ring was.

The “After” picture shows what the ring looks like now. The bezel is even and the finish is a high polish. I also opened up the back of the setting so the stone shines much more brightly. I'm quite proud of this ring because of the contrast between the before and after.

Warbler Brooch

It has been way too long since my last (new) addition to my online shop. I finally added this brooch this past Sunday.

I carved the main body of the bird for a class project in Model Making I. I added the branch at a later date and then had it cast in sterling silver. I also set a small stone in it for added interest and sparkle.

First Year Projects

Over the past year, I haven't had much chance to post any of the projects that I made during my full-time studies at GBC. We mainly made and polished practice pieces in copper and brass to get a feel for the jewellery making process with less expensive materials, but nearer to the end of the year we were able to work with sterling silver as well as 10 karat gold (something that most first years don't get to do apparently!). I also had my first experience with stone setting.

The first image to the left is a sterling silver brooch that has leaves slowly emerging from the background. The second is a synthetic amethyst cabochon, set in sterling silver. Unfortunately I used the wrong tool and the area around the stone isn't as neat and smooth as it should be.

My Etsy.com Featured Item!

Only a day after uploading photos of the bird broach to the left on my etsy shop, I sold it! This was probably due to the fact that it was featured on the main page of the site. I'm unaware as to how long it was up there, but during that time quite a few people took notice of the bird and my shop too! It was a very nice and unexpected surprise. I'm very proud of this pin, I just hope the buyer likes it as much as I do.

Sterling and Yellow Resin Ring

I didn't really know what I was doing when I started this ring, but I decided to go with it anyway. It's not perfect and I kind of like it that way, but there are some things that could be better. The inside is pretty unfinished, and I'm not sure if I soldered the ring onto the top part very well. Either way, I like the look of it over all. More Photos: 1, 2

Hollow Silver Star Pendant/ Charm

This is the second and last project that I made in the same course as the previous pendant. It was created through a process called lost wax casting, a process which allows for a lot of fine detail. Unfortunately, not all of the detail of this piece can be seen in the photograph to the left. Taking photos of jewellery has been much harder than I thought it would be, but hopefully with a little practice I’ll get better at it.

Sterling Silver Flower Pendant

I made this in my Jewellery & Silversmithing class. It's my first pendant and my first non-ring project. The techniques I used were saw metal piercing and sweat soldering.