Updated with Round 2! - Ammonite Wins Round 1

Ancient Ammonite Matched Pair

Ammonite fossils from millions of years ago vs. Me - The wrestling match begins!

I absolutely love the organic beauty of these stones!  The colors, the pattern, the symmetry, love it all!  I have the idea to use these stones as the focal for some hair sticks.  The Ammonite at the top as the adornment and the stick part will be the wavy squid-like legs, made in glistening Goldie Bronze. 

The first challenge is how to secure the Ammonites in a setting. They are flat on top, the backs are rounded and curvy and uneven.  I am picturing a solid back that is curved to fit the stone, maybe some squid arms to curve over and hold the stone as prongs.  I spot a "perfect template" in the fridge!

The bottom of the coffee creamer is just the right size in the center, deep and has legs, hello!!!

 



 

After some hand carving on the dried bronze, I add the legs for the hair stick.  So far, so good....



Oh dear, there are several design issues now that I need to re-address:  size, thickness, shrinkage, weight, support during kiln firing, etc. etc.  The piece needs major repair, maybe a complete revamp in design, but I am convinced that I can win! 

The Ammonite won this round, escaping confinement and still has freedom, but I will be back for Round 2......Ding Ding!

 

UPDATE!!!

OK, I call this match at best a TIE!  The Ammonite is secure, but MAN, this is one heavy hairstick!  I ended up using jeweler's epoxy to glue the bugger in.  I repaired the cracks, adding more and more bronze that this piece would actually qualify as a dangerous weapon if thrown!  For now, I'll keep it by the front door in case someone tries to break in!!

 

 

Free Jewelry Giveaway (Expired) - Silver & Gold Maple Leaf Earrings

Fine Silver and Gold Maple Leaf Earrings by York Avenue Studio

Enter now for a chance to win the earrings shown above!  The details on how to enter are below.

Fine silver tiny Maple leaf earrings with 14K gold filled ear wires. I used real Maple leaves as the mold for the fine silver to capture the tiny detail. The silver and gold contrast adds to the organic look of these nature inspired earrings.  These are delicate, lightweight and very comfortable.

Tiny Maple Leaves Silver and Gold by York Avenue Studio

I used Art Clay Silver overlay paste and literally painted the leaves with silver. After firing at 1200 degrees, the leaves are now .999 fine silver. I soldered the 14K gold filled wire with gold solder to the silver leaves. These have been tumbled with steel shot for over an hour and are sturdy, yet light and dangle so sweetly with a very nice shine.

Fine Silver Maple Leaves with 14K Gold Filled Ear Wires

Before I list the ways to enter the drawing for the Silver and Gold earrings, I'd like to introduce you to my favorite item that I offer in my shop:  The Silver Love Wrap Ring with Custom Words Names and Special Meaning.

$15 Little Love Wrap Ring by York Avenue Studio

Above is the smaller version of the Love Wrap Ring without custom words.  I use heavy 12 gauge sterling silver to create these handstamped rings one by one.  Perfect to say I Love You to someone special. 

Below, is the Original Love Wrap Ring:




Silver Love Wrap Ring by York Avenue Studio

 Sterling Love bypass ring, the perfect gift as a Friendship ring, Promise ring, birthday or anniversary. Personalized for your special reminder or meaning.
This ring can be customized with any name, word, initial, date, etc.  Any message can be stamped on the outside and inside of the band. Upper case as well as cute lower case letters. I also have Greek Uppercase. Perfect for Sorority sisters. You can also request symbols like hearts and stars.

This everyday band looks chic, a little rustic and heartfelt. This is a very comfortable ring that will not catch on clothing and won't ever need to be taken off! The band is slightly adjustable, too




Latitude Longitude Coordinates Ring by York Avenue Studio


This ring is also perfect for Latitude and Longitude, perhaps the location of your first kiss, a special location with friends or family or a vacation spot or maybe an engagement proposal.

I find it so amazing how many ways this ring has been personalized. That is why I love making these rings!

Could you think of something special to have written on a ring?  A gift for someone close and special or a treasure to keep for yourself?  I'd love to hear your ideas.  Here is the link to my shop where you can read more and order a ring with your ideas:  Love Wrap Ring


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Here is how to enter the drawing for the Free Jewelry Giveaway:

1.  Follow my blog and comment below that you are a follower.  You will be entered if you leave a comment.  Current blog followers need to leave a comment to be entered, too.
2.  Anyone that mentions the giveaway at checkout when placing an order will be entered again for more chances to win.
3.  Like my Facebook Page and you will be entered if you leave a comment below.  Here is the link:

York Avenue Studio's Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/York-Avenue-Studio-Handcrafted-Gemstone-Jewelry/138653009529987

4.  Post on your Facebook about York Avenue Studio, maybe mention the Giveaway or let others know about the Custom Love Wrap Ring.  Leave a comment below and you will be entered.

5.  If someone mentions you in their comment below, you both will be entered again!

Details of the Giveaway:
This drawing will be done by random.org and is for US residents over the age of 18.  Unlimited times a person may enter.  I will hold the drawing on July 23rd which means the last entries must be in before midnight on 7/22/2012.  One winner will be randomly selected and I will contact the winner and announce them on my blog. Please be sure that your email contact info is available, either in your comment or privately emailed to me.  I must be able to reach the winner by email and confirm that the delivery address is US.  The earrings in the photos are the exact pair that will be sent.  The retail value of the earrings is $50.00.

Tiny Maple Silver and Gold Earrings by York Avenue Studio

Good Luck!  I look forward to reading the comments and selecting the winner!
Regards,
Kathy

Opal Neptune Ring - Trident and Waves

Opal Neptune Ring by York Avenue Studio

Completely hand sculpted in Fine Silver using Silver Art Clay, this Genuine White Opal ring features a gorgeous oval Opal with accent gems of Yellow Sapphire and Deep Red Garnet.  The nautical design flows with waves that continue around the entire ring band.  The three prong mighty Trident curves up from the side and directs the eye to the beautiful Opal.

This post is a follow up post that I showed some of the steps while making this ring design.  Click here for Part 1: Metal Clay Ring Fired Flat

Opal Neptune Ring by York Avenue Studio

The White Opal is 7x5mm oval set into a bezel to protect and secure the precious gemstone.

Opal Neptune Ring by York Avenue Studio

The Yellow Sapphire and Garnet gems were set using Syringe silver metal clay and Silver Overlay Paste, then fired in place.

Along the way, I made molds of the formed piece which will allow me to reproduce this ring and use variations with different gemstones.

I'd love to hear what you think of this new design.
Kathy

Art Clay Copper Cats with Blue Green Patina

Blue Copper Cat Earrings by York Avenue Studio

When I order material to restock my supplies, I always browse for something new to add to my cart.  More times than I can count, I’ve added Art Clay Copper only to delete it from my cart before checkout.  I really like the price compared to silver, but I am not a copper jewelry type person, I love silver.  I would always justify deleting it by telling myself that I would get some copper metal clay as soon as I had project ideas ready to make.





Well, I finally took the plunge and ordered some Art Clay Copper.  I chose that brand because it can be torch fired.  My plan:  make tiny pieces to torch.

When I opened the package, the bright orange color was startling.  I imagined smeary orange mess all over my workspace and tools, clean up being a nightmare, but I jumped in and decided to go with it.  I wore gloves to protect my skin because I am sensitive to copper, it makes me itchy like mad.  I kneaded the clay without worries that I had to be conservative and only use a tiny bit, as I do with the silver. 

Before I started, my design was planned out.  I used scratch foam board and drew a cat stretched out like he was flying.  I pressed the clay into the foam, cut around the edges and carved some detail.  The copper clay is very smooth and doesn’t dry as fast as silver, it was fun not having to rush.

I have heard horror stories about the copper clay firing.  Melted pieces, pieces that snap, pieces that crack or warp, black fire scale that won’t come off, etc.  These stories of woe come from very experienced metal clay artists and I was feeling bold that I would be successful with just a torch.  I fired the clay with my torch for about 5 minutes, keeping the color bright orange and consistant, not moving the flame around much, mostly centered on the spot where the whole piece was glowing nice.  I have balled copper wire and I am familiar with the color of copper as it balls, so I knew to keep the heat just lower than that color.  As soon as I turned off the torch, the pieces became black.  I quenched them directly in water and the black flaked off.  Then I placed the pieces in my pickle pot.

I tumbled the pieces for not quite an hour and they came out super shiny and cute!  My steel shot, however, was a disaster!  The water was a foamy orange and my shot looks like dull bronze, yuck.  I will keep this shot for copper now and have new shot for my silver.

As much as I love the shiny copper kittys, I wanted to add a blue patina.  I filled a glass jar with paper towel that had been dampened with ammonia.  I snuggled the cats in the paper and tightly shut the jar lid and left it overnight.  In the morning, the kittys had a gorgeous blue patina!  I burnished them with an Agate stone burnisher and the blue became shiny along with the copper highlights.  I had already soldered the sterling jump rings to the cats and made sterling ear wires.  I gave the earrings a solid coating of Ren Wax to seal the patina and reduce the copper sensitivity.

Blue Copper Cat Earrings by York Avenue Studio

The copper sintered perfectly, no warping or cracking, and I’ve dropped them several times, no breaking!  My next copper clay attempt will include some more refined, smoother pieces.  This first attempt was more focused on the sintering and the patina.  It was really enjoyable, can’t wait to make more. 

As always, my supplies wish list grows:  enamels, cutters, molds, textures, coordinating beads, etc.

One last photo, I picked these shell pieces up at the beach this week.  The colors are so amazing!  These are shells that have tiny sea creature holes and look like coral.  More jewelry ideas!