Jewelry Commission Part I - Design

Untitled Pendant Design

Coordinating Earrings

About a month ago, I was approached by a woman in town looking for a unique gift. "Make it big and bold," she said. "Can you do that?" Are you kidding? I LOVE making big and bold. My opinion is that if you're going to bother wearing jewelry, then WEAR it! FLAUNT it! Don't be shy and put on something that no one is ever going to notice. The whole point of wearing jewelry, of collecting jewelry, of making jewelry, is for people to notice it; otherwise, why bother?

But I digress.

The first part of a creative project is to find inspiration. This time, inspiration came during my son's haircut. I had just told the stylist to take a #2 up the back and sides and scissor the top so he could still spike it. Then I noticed her earrings. Big. Bold. (And nothing like the design, above.) All of a sudden, I saw this design in my head. This is it! All those partial, foggy ideas which had been popping in and out of my head suddenly coalesced into this design. It was one of those weird, creative epiphanies you read about but seldom experience.

Next, I drew the piece to size. The pendant measures about 2.25 inches (5.5 cm) in diameter, and the earrings are as big as a US quarter dollar. It's sterling silver, formed to give it some depth, and hammered at the ends to give it some texture. Then it will be set with 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm onyx cabachons (since black is 'her color'), and 4mm CZs (since real diamonds are not even an option).

I plan to put an inscription on the back, too, but I can't tell you what it is, yet, as the recipient might guess, and that would be bad.

The earrings are pretty much the same, except the piece with the post will be a 12mm cabachon onyx. I'm thinking I may start with 12 guage wire rather than cutting out sterling sheet, too.

The shape is meant to symbolize protection, nurturing, and caring. The arms could be human arms protecting children, the walls of a pod protecting its seeds, or the petals of a flower protecting the stamens.

I'm excited to start contructing this piece, and I plan to keep posting photos as I progress, so stay tuned!

Pastel (and Jewelry) Guy

www.studio206.etsy.com

New Earring Design

Chocolate Chip Cookies from the Windows Collection

Every now and again, a new design comes out of my studio that I really like. And this is one of them. It's not new; I actually came up with it last year, as an earring version of my cuff bracelets. So there are some black ones, some green ones, and some yellow ones out there somewhere. I would like to think they are making someone feel fabulous today, but in reality, they are probably at the bottom of someone's jewelry box, or maybe their purse. Who knows what really happens to the Christmas gifts you send out to the family members you don't know very well?

These actually take a bunch of time. First the rectangular 'window' is measured off, bent, and then soldered shut. Then the soldered corner is rounded off to match the other three corners. Once the shape is symmetrical, I then solder on the ring at the top. I used to do all the soldering at once, but more often than not, the ring ended up off center once the soldered corner was rounded off.

The next step is to weave beads inside the frame. The mix has to be just right in order to fit inside the borders, so there is a lot of trial and error. I also try to use a mix of beads that will look attractive both when the light is coming through them (clear beads), or when the light is on them from the front (semiprecious stones and crystals). The trick to making random motifs work is to use a variety of shapes and textures, hence the metal, the squares of tiger's eye, and the heishe glass.

If you'd like a pair, just email me, or keep an eye on Etsy, as they'll be listed soon ($30).

Pastel Guy

http://www.matthewweld.com/ - pastel paintings

http://www.studio206.etsy.com/ - handmade jewelry for sale

Chocolate to Wear

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me to make jewelry for her daughter's wedding. She initially asked me to make earrings for herself to match her mother-of-the-bride dress. After bringing the dress to work (where we clandestinely snuck out to the parking lot to see it - it was like we were making some sort of, you know, transaction), I made several pairs for her to take home and see how they worked. Her daughter joined in, and decided that I should make the jewelry for her bride's maids, too. Three brides maids later (they all had different/similar earrings - how cool is that?!), it turns out that my friend needs a bracelet to match her earrings. The photo here to the left is my first attempt to make one that she'll like to go with her dress. I decided to make some matching earrings, too.

I really like the design of the earrings; I think I'll make them again in different colors. Brown is a great neutral color, and has been selling well for several years. These are made of faceted smoky quartz, brown seed pearls, and Swarovski crystals with sterling toggle and wires.

Making custom pieces to match an extisting outfit is so much easier for me than just making something and hoping that someone will like it well enough to buy it. I've noticed that women tend to buy what they have bought before, or something for which they already have an outfit. Occaisionally, however, I run across women (like my wife or mother-in-law) who buy jewelry they like and then go buy clothes to match.

I guess it's your philosophy on accessories: Are the clothes there as a backdrop to the jewelry (my wife's opinion!), or does one wear jewelry because it's expected, and therefore shouldn't really detract (read not noticed) from the overall appearance?

In my opinion - remember I'm male, so take it for what it's worth - if no one has commented on your jewelry in the last couple of days, there's something wrong. Personally, I don't notice what brand of jeans you're wearing, but I do notice if you have k.a. jewelry! My mother-in-law can afford designer labels. Yet she shops the sales at WalMart and then dresses them up with artistic jewelry which has flair. Today we went pumpkin picking and she had on a jacket that was on clearance, jeans, but her earrings were from an art show several years ago - at least $100.

Tasteful, artistic, well-made jewelry never goes out of style, and you get years of wear. But those $100 jeans you bought last week? They'll be yesterday's news tomorrow.

For what it's worth,
Pastel Guy
www.matthewweld.com (pastels website)

Like what you see? For $65 (includes shipping), I can make a set for you, too!

options

set $65.00earrings $25.00bracelet $40.00

Chain of Thoughts

You know how an idea can just hover around? You're driving and you think a little bit about it. You're doing dishes, and whoops! there it is.

This pair of pretties exemplifies just that. One small thought is linked to a larger thought that is then developed into something faceted and beautiful. They may not be totally related, but there they are, making a whole that has its own beauty.

A couple of days ago, in my language arts class, I had the students do a free-write for twenty minutes. By this time in the year, they have 'used up' all their ideas. "Mr. Weld, this is too hard!" one of them whines. "I can't think of anything to write about," chimes in a second. I respond with, "Well, write about how you don't have anything to write about. Don't stop. Eventually, one thing will lead to another, and before you know it, you'll be on the verge of prophecy." *dumb looks from the nickel seats*

Being the good teacher that I am *raspberry followed by raucous laughter*, I was modeling positive writing behavior by writing in my journal book while they were doing the same. Actually, I was mulling over this same topic, and so I later blogged about how I have made an effort to read others' blogs, and how that has led me to a new appreciation for modern writing, and how it has reaffirmed my belief that anyone can write. I know that most of the people who write blogs are not formally trained in writing. Yet they can be riveting works of literary art *fist pounds open hand in emphasis*! I'd like to get my students to start blogging for real. Give them a real audience to write for besides their teacher. Hmmm. First I need laptops with Internet access for each student.... WAKE UP! But there's gotta be a way. See?! One thought leads to another, and eventually, this one will take shape, mature, and become the latest in teaching pedagogy (big word of the day!).

Ach! It's late and I'm feeling that weird mix of fatigue/punchy/philosophical. Enough!

The earrings above (Sorry! I'll post something besides earrings next time!) are smoky quartz, pearl, glass, and sterling. I thought the faceted, clear beads mixed well with the smooth, opaque pearls. And I am really into the whole longer drop thing. It's airy, elegant, and well-balanced.

$20 and still available, if any one's interested.

Until next time, when I'll show you something besides earrings,

PastelGuy

Spring, Hope, Eternal Bliss

One of my mom's favorite quotes was (IS, I suppose), "Hope Springs Eternal". Over the years, I have pondered exactly what that means. When I was little and literal, I pictured all this hope (not quite sure what hope looks like - I think it was just the word 'hope' in all different fonts and colors) geysering out of this hole in the ground forever and ever. Now in my older years (yep, birthday next week!), I suppose it means that humanity is basically a positive experience. We tend to forget bad things with time (another fave quote: "Time heals all wounds."), and focus on the good. Even the times in my life when I have been hurt to the core pale in comparison to all the many more fantastic memories that I still savor. Considering that the amount of pain during the bad times was so much stronger than the amount of pleasure during the good ones this seems a little backward.

Not that I'm complaining at all. Good is good. Good is great! Emotion is such a powerful component to learning and remembering. I was listening (stop laughing!) to a keynote speaker one time who said that any time a lesson is truly learned, there was pain involved. Think about that. For all you parents out there, remember that. You're not doing your kids any favors by making their lives any easier! And that's the teacher in me speaking.... don't get me started *rueful smirk*!

So even though it's fall, I've posted some cheery, spring-y, pastel-y earrings made of Swarovski crystals and faceted glass beads on sterling silver wires. $25.

It's amazing what a little pair of earrings can inspire!

Be inspirational!
PastelGuy

A Little Bit of Autumn

Since this is the first full day of autumn, here's a pair of earrings just for this season. Brass, Swarovski crystal, and pressed glass on sterling wire mimic the falling leaves. $20. I really like working with longer/bigger earrings. I'm always trying to get women to wear them a little bigger. Take the plunge! Make a statement! By putting each segment on its own wire, these earrings move well. If you put too many beads on a single wire, they get all stiff, and when the woman swings her head, watch out! The whole kit and kaboodle makes like a weed eater off the old earlobe.

I think I'm finally getting the hang of the photography thing. I tried and tried to get them against a white background, but it always ended up a dirty white..yuck. So I intentionally gave them a grey background, and viola! The neutral background with a slight graduation of color really makes the colors pop. Add a tiny black border around each one, and it looks like a winner - at least for now. I also like how the macro lens really shows good resolution of the image.

Yesterday, I blogged about rearranging my garage so that I could have a permanent setup for my camera and photography accessories (OK, for my TOYS!). So far, so good! I also think my wife appreciates having the dining room chairs back...

Until the next new thing,

PastelGuy