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Member since 07/2007

The Purpose of this Blog

  • is to serve primarily as a journal of my day-to-day activities as a jewelry designer and artist, business owner, and life-long student of the crafts of goldsmithing and metalsmithing. Occasional non-jewelry-related ramblings are also fair game.

    My journal is meant primarily for me, as it is easiest to keep track of my tasks, thoughts and ideas, and my moods via this medium. However, guests to my blog are very much welcome and are invited to follow along, read, and enjoy.

Intellectual Property Statement

  • It is NOT ok to copy my photos, my writing (unless it is a direct quote from a public source), my designs, or anything else on my blog without my permission.

    If you feel the need to copy any of these things, I suggest that perhaps you see a therapist so you can address the issues that are preventing YOU from being creative?

Precious Metals Prices

Jewelry & Craft Industry Magazines and Periodicals

My Personal Library of Jewelry-Related Books

  • A. Kenneth Snowman: The Master Jewelers
  • Adolfo Matiello: Techniques of Jewelry Illustration and Color Rendering
  • Alan Revere: Professional Goldsmithing
  • Alan Revere: 101 Bench Tips for Jewelers
  • Alan Revere: The Art of Jewelry Making
  • Ana Campos: Lightness: Reviving the Filigree
  • Angela Fisher: Africa Adorned
  • Antoinette Matlins and A.C. Bonanno: Gem Identification Made Easy
  • Arizona Highways : Turquoise Blue Book
  • Arline M. Fisch: Crocheted Wire Jewelry
  • Arline M. Fisch: Textile Techniques in Metal
  • Augustus Rose and Antonio Cirino: Jewelry Making and Design
  • Barbara A. McGuire: Wire in Design: Modern Wire Art and Mixed Medi
  • Bruce G. Knuth: Jeweler's Resource: A Reference of Gems, Metals, Formulas and Terminology for Jewelers
  • Cally Oldershaw: Firefly Guide to Gems
  • Carles Codina: Goldsmithing and Silver Work
  • Carles Codina: The Complete Book of Jewelry Making
  • Carol Andrews: Ancient Egyptian Jewelry
  • Celie Fago: Keum-Boo on Silver
  • Chantal Lise Saunders: Creative Silver Chains
  • Charles Lewton-Brain: Patinas for Small Studios
  • Charles Lewton-Brain: Forming Using Metal Characteristics: Fold Forming
  • Charles Lewton-Brain: The Jewelry Workshop Safety Report
  • Charles Lewton-Brain: Hinges and Hinge-Based Catches
  • Chuck Evans: Jewelry: Contemporary Design and Technique
  • Clare Phillips: Jewelry: From Antiquity to the Present
  • Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr. and Robert C. Kammerling: Gemology-Second Edition
  • Dawn Cusick: Making Bead and Wire Jewelry
  • Dyfri Willams and Jack Ogden: Greek Gold
  • Elizabeth Olver: Jewelry Making Techniques Book
  • Elizabeth Olver: Jewelry Design: The Artisan's Reference
  • Friedrich Becker: Jewelry.Kinetic.Objects
  • Gerald L. Wykoff, G. G.: The Techniques of Master Stonesetting
  • Glen F. Waszek: Making Silver Chains
  • Gregg Todd and Greg Gilman: At the Bench
  • Harold O'Connor: The Flexible Shaft Machine: Jewelry Techniques
  • Heikki Seppa: Form Emphasis for Metalsmiths
  • Helen Clegg and Mary Larom: Making Wire Jewelry: 60 Easy Projects in Silver, Copper and Brass
  • Hugh Tait: Jewelry: 7000 Years
  • Ian Ferguson: Mokume Gane
  • Irene From Peterson: Great Wire Jewelry
  • Janine Roberts: Glitter and Greed: The Secret World of the Diamond Cartel
  • Jean Reist Stark and Josephine Reist Stark: Classical Loop-in-Loop Chains and Their Derivatives
  • Jeanne Rhodes-Moen: Silver Threads: Making Wire Filigree Jewelry
  • Jinks McGrath: The Jeweler's Directory of Decorative Finishes
  • Jinks McGrath: The Rings Book
  • Joanna Gollberg: Making Metal Jewelry
  • Juanita Patience Moss: Anthracite Coal Art by Charles Edgar Patience
  • Judy Hoch: Tumble Finishing for Handmade Jewelry
  • Karen Christians: Making the Most of Your Flex-shaft
  • Knuth: Gems in Myth, Legend and Lore
  • Lawrence Kallenberg: Modeling in Wax for Jewelry and Sculpture, 2nd Edition
  • Long Beach Museum of Art: The Modernist Jewelry of Claire Falkenstein
  • Marthe Le Van: The Penland Book of Jewelry: Master Classes in Jewelry Techniques
  • Mary Hettmansperger: Fabulous Woven Jewelry
  • Maurice Galli et. al. : Creative Variations in Jewelry Design
  • Michael R. Carlson: The Beauty of Banded Agates
  • Murray Bovin: Jewelry Making for Schools, Tradesmen and Craftsmen, Revised Edition
  • Nancy Howland: Doming Silver Beads
  • National Audubon Society: Field Guide to Rocks and Minerals
  • Oppi Untracht: Jewelry: Concepts and Technology
  • Oppi Untracht: Metal Techniques for Craftsmen
  • Prof. Dr. Erhard Brepohl: The Theory and Practice of Goldsmithing
  • Renee Newman: Gemstone Buying Guide
  • Renee Newman: Pearl Buying Guide
  • Richard W. Wise: Secrets of the Gem Trade: The Connoisseur's Guide to Precious Gemstones
  • Robert von Neumann: The Design and Creation of Jewelry
  • Rupert Finegold and William Seitz: Silversmithing
  • Steve Midgett: Mokume Gane: A Comprehensive Study
  • Terry Taylor and Dylon Whyte: Chain Mail Jewelry
  • The Art of Jewelry Design: Elizabeth Olver
  • Tim McCreight: Metals Technic: A Collection of Techniques for Metalsmiths
  • Tim McCreight: The Metalsmith's Book of Boxes and Lockets
  • Tim McCreight: Jewelry: Fundamentals of Metalsmithing
  • Tim McCreight: The Complete Metalsmith
  • Tim McCreight: Jewelry Making: Techniques for Metal
  • Timothy Garrard: The Gold of Africa: Jewellery and Ornaments from Ghana, Coted'Ivoire, Mali and Senegal

What Ails Us...and Making it Better

Pantone Color Reports

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  • Your source for eclectic, one of a kind, handcrafted jewelry.

« Late Night Bright Ideas... | Main | Photo Share #1 »

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Suck It Up!

Mood Ring: Blue-Green

Studio Noise: Prince: Diamonds and Pearls (I swear, that did not happen on purpose--I was cleaning a new acquisition and that song crossed my mind--I'll post photos of "the acquisition" later)

Messy bench Trying to pull together stuff to send to a gallery in a week's time (max) is--fun! Of course, I'm being sarcastic here. Needless to say, my bench is a pure-T-mess. But, like Hubby told me in the gym this morning as he was cracking the whip during my suicides (a running exercise), "Suck It Up and get a move on!"

WAAAAAANNNNNH! (Carrie, that's my quick & fast response to your email...hehe (response still coming--you too, Marissa))

In any case, I'm workin' it, and I plan to have this stuff out of here by Thursday morning to get there in a couple of days since their grand-opening is the 1st. They originally wanted everything by the end of the 2nd week of July, but I just got the invitation so that wasn't happening. --I cleared it with the co-owner to make sure my delay is ok--it is--within reason, of course.

WAAAAAANNNNNH!

See, the thing is, though--I'm wanting to add a few new pieces along the same lines as the "late night bright Flower earrings closeup idea" (photo right) I had. I came up with some other "bright ideas" based on those earrings. All the fabrication is progressing fine--I still have to get the paperwork part of this all done.

And thank you guys for all of the wonderful off-line advice I've received on doing gallery/consignment selling. Seriously--THANK YOU!

Alas, lunch break is over, and Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's Back to Work I Go... Now I won't be able to get that silly song out of my head. And Whistling While I Work is not an option--my neural synapses and my lips just don't seem to synchronize to be able to do that successfully.

Alright, I'll stop.

Seriously, back to work.

If you've emailed me over the past few days, please forgive the delays--I'll get to them as soon as this stuff is outta here.

Posted at 02:46 PM |

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Comments

Gee, thanks. Now I can't get that out of my head. LOL! ;-) I'm hearing both the tuba and the guitar quite vividly.

Seriously though--that song does help get you in the right frame of mind...

Posted by: Tamra | Thursday, July 24, 2008 at 09:09 PM

I am humming the Rocky theme for you....

Posted by: carrie | Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 08:17 PM

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Birthstones

  • CHINESE ZODIAC
    Year of the Ox
    Lapis Lazuli
  • JUNE'S BIRTHSTONES
    Modern: Pearl, Moonstone

    Traditional: Alexandrite

    Western Astrological:

    Gemini (May 21/22 to June 21): Zodiac--Agate/Planet--Emerald, Tigers Eye

    Cancer (June 22 to July 22): Zodiac--Emerald/Planet--Moonstone

Trunkt: T. Gentry Design Studio

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Useful in the Studio

  • Lip Balm
    Sure, you can use any lip balm, but I love Burt's Bees Replenishing Lip Balm with Pomegranate Oil. For me, if my lips are dry while I'm working, I find that I tend to lose focus a bit. I can't stand dry lips. And, for some reason, dry lips tend to bring on the munchies, which is not good. So, balm up! This is good stuff.
  • Old Rags and Towels
    I'm almost at a point where I no longer use paper towels at all in my studio (in an attempt to "go green"). I hijacked all of our old towels (kitchen and bath) in a variety of sizes, and all I have to do is throw them in the laundry and re-use. No paper waste! And, they're much more absorbent and better for cleaning messes and spills.
  • Shea Butter for Hands
    As jewelers, our hands take a lot of abuse. I've searched and searched for THE product that helps with my eczematic hands, and the cracks I get from frequent washing. If you have dry, cracked hands--or just hard-working hands in general, this stuff works wonders! And this is from someone who has tried EVERYTHING.
  • Covered Coffee/Tea Mug
    A must-have for anyone who fabricates and generates any type of metal or other studio dust. I drink a LOT of coffee and tea while I'm working, and this mug keeps all the bad stuff out. And, it's only ten bucks (plus shipping...)!
  • Canned Air Duster
    I've found this stuff invaluable both at the bench and at the computer. I can't stand a crappy keyboard, so it's good for that; but, it's also good for blowing dust and/or filings off of a piece while you're working on it. Go for the environmentally-friendly cans...
  • Glass Jars
    I haven't met a glass jar I don't like yet. You can do ANYTHING with all those jars! Store chemicals, mix chemicals, store brushes and dowels. Not to mention, you can look at it as actively recycling too!
  • Shoe/Handbag Storage Bags
    You know--the drawstring cloth storage bags that come along with some purses and pairs of shoes? I always keep the shoe boxes for the shoes anyway, so I use the bags for things like wrapping tools, putting over my camera when not in use (nice satin Betsey Johnson bag for this...), storing jewelry when working at the bench instead of leaving it out to get tarnished, etc.
  • Toilet Paper
    This is VERY useful for dabbing away too much flux when prepping to solder. You can just rip off ONE sheet, tear it at an angle, and then dab! Also good for blowing one's nose when out of studio kleenex...

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