Dreaming of Spring

We've had lovely weather this week. It felt like the beginning of spring. But, being Colorado, we're expecting "1 to 3 inches" of snow on Sunday. Until then....

Jewelry Genealogy

Almost two years ago, I created my very first "Rainbow Necklace." Since then, it has undergone a few transformations and variations, eventually morphing into its most recent incarnation, the Spectrum necklace. This is one of those pieces that continues to inspire me, even after a couple of years. Is that common for jewelry artists, I wonder, to be inspired by one of their own creations so that just that one piece breeds many variations? I've read about painters having to totally exhaust a theme in their work before they can move on to the next thing. It becomes kind of a compulsion, or ongoing drive, and you can't make yourself be done with it until you're done with it. In my case, the Spectrum necklace is like the mother necklace, and from that has been born all her little babies. And believe me, she's not done breeding yet. Not by a long shot! On the first branch of the Spectrum family tree, we have the "original" Spectrum earrings.

In red/purple/pink:



Blue/green/teal:


Yellow/green/orange:



The next branch on the tree, and Spectrum's most recent progeny, is the linear Spectrum earrings at the top of this post. Of course, the blue/green version is coming soon, as is the red/purple. And I've got plans for more branches, including a variation on the necklace. And perhaps a bracelet. And I'm sure there will be more branches I can't even anticipate yet. What a fertile little necklace that Spectrum is.

Bench

Here she is...my new workbench! I actually bought it almost two weeks ago, but I couldn't get it set up until today due to travel, illness, baby (not necessarily in that order). She's lovely, isn't she? I had to take a before photo, as I'm sure it will never be this clean again. For a hint of what's to come, see the after photo.

Today I played with my new toys: letter stamp sets in two different sizes (practiced first on brass, natch). I'm working on a little somethin' somethin' soon to be featured in my shop. It's a secret 'til then.... ;-) And in case you were wondering, yes, that is the Rio Grande "Tools & Equipment" catalog in the first picture. I'm going to pimp my bench big time! (Side note: does anybody ever paint their benches? Aren't the plain sides just screaming for some color??)

2:00 PM:

2:05 PM:

Ancient

So, about 2 weeks ago I wrote about my new "curly headpins." I promised to post some pictures of jewelry I've made with them, so here goes. All of these pieces are part of my Ancient series, inspired by gods and goddesses of ancient Greece and Rome.

Diana

Crete

Oracle

Venus

Curly Queue

My latest assortment of curled headpins for my unofficial Ancient Greece series. The shape and hammered finish are inspired by thoughts of goddesses: warrior or otherwise. I always get confused about which are the Greek deities, and which are the Roman. But here are just a few.... There are the obvious ones, of course, that everybody knows: Diana, goddess of the moon and the hunt; Venus, goddess of love and beauty; Athena, goddess of wisdom and handicrafts. But here are some others you may not recognize: Demeter, goddess of fertility; Hera, goddess of marriage; Artemis, goddess of the hunt; Pomona, goddess of fruit trees; Minerva, goddess of wisdom and war. In coming days I'll post pictures of some of the jewelry I've made using these pins.