My MOST PRIZED PIECE ! It took an extreamly long time to make. It was made entirley of sterling silver sheet metal. First I decided what shape I wanted the exterior band to be. Then formed the inter cuff, drilled some air holes, and soldered the two together. I then set the exterior form on its side on sterling sheet metal and soldered it down, cut it out and soldered down the other side and cut that one out as well. Sorry, I know I'm doing a terrible job explaining this... Next I soldered on three tube settings and scratched up the entire piece with a file and oxidized it. After that I set two peridot gemstones and one cubic-zirconia stone. Kabam, Done!
This piece won a bracelet competition at NAJA Tool and Supply in Denver in 2007. I won first place out of three different students that entered and received $100.
After that competition my teacher had me enter a national competition, the Saul Bell Design Award Competition in the Emerging Artist category. I ended up placing 3rd and received a $100 gift certificate to Rio Grange for jewelry supplies. It was really crazy, my dad and I flew out to Las Vegas for the award ceremony. We had a four course meal with a different wine/champaign with each and I got to meet many jewelry magazine editors and professional jewelers. Also they had all of us do individual photo shoots for magazine ads for Rio Grande. Here is mine ! It's ridiculous I know.
http://www.saulbellaward.com/SBDAWinners.aspx?year=SBDA2008
One of my favorite pieces that I now wear all the time! It started with cutting a band out of sterling, texturing it with a hammer, forming it, and soldering it together. I did the same with a smaller brass band, but didn't texture it. After they were both soldered together, I placed the brass ring over the sterling band and began flaring both edges of the band with doming tools and a hammer until the brass band couldn't fit off of either end.
This is the first spinning ring that I made. I had to make four rings for this piece and make two fit snuggly on the main band while the other was loose. After I formed and soldered all the bands individually, I soldered one of the snug outside rings on the edge of the band, then slid on the middle (loose fitting band) and continued to solder on the other outside ring. After words I soldered on a tube setting I made previously to the middle ring, cleaned up the entire piece with sandpaper, then polished it up on the buffer, and sealed the peridot cabochon in the setting.
Here is a TREE ! ! ! It was SUCH a PAIN to make. It is made of very thick gauge sterling wire and brass that I cut and formed into leaf shapes and made a brass domed base. I also textured the sterling wire then soldered them all together and oxidized the entire piece.
Here is a vintage looking pendant made of reticulated sterling that I then oxidized and soldered on a setting. Then I secured a peridot cabochon in the setting. Lovely
300 pin for my wonderful friend Frank when he dressed up as King Leonidas! It is made of brass, I cut out the top shape and the bottom and soldered them together, roughed them up a bit with a hammer and some files, then I oxidized it and glued two pins on the back.
The photo below are my friends Sam, Frank and I before we went trick-or-treating way back in the day (Frank wearing his PIN)!!!
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