An entire month's worth...

Egads! Has it been a month since my last post? Why, that's 4 new brooches! 

A month ago I had a small window of opportunity wedged between house guests going and coming. It was clearly the moment to cut up the old cookie tin I had stashed away for just such an emergency...

Don't let the heart fool you, those "ruffles" could put an eye out... Brooch #31

Pretty rudimentary, but quick!

These next three brooches took a bit more time...

Fordite set in sterling silver with 14kt gold balls dancing around the edges. Brooch #32. I have some other interesting fordite jewelry in the shop as well... For some reason I always think of The Jetson's when I see fordite...

Brooch #33 is a variation on brooch #10. Here I've added a pink tourmaline and a few more gold balls to dress it up.

Finally, brooch #34, a nice piece of fossil coral from Indonesia, and an extra lustrous coin pearl.

I'm thinking about this week's brooch and am not ashamed to admit that I have no clue yet...

some daughter time and 2 new brooches

Both girls were here together last week for a visit. That happens so rarely anymore since they've both flown the nest, and in the last couple of years, the state... but I still managed to get my weekly brooch done for the past couple of weeks. Brooch #29 was a quick one. I used a scrap of fine silver I had cooked up in a precious metal clay class a few years back, and added some sterling petals along the edge for a simple little sunflower.

For brooch #30, I used the Montana agate from the previous post, pairing it with a .22ct rose cut diamond, and a cool little stick pearl. Mostly sterling, with an 18kt gold bezel surrounding the diamond, and 14kt gold rivets through the pearl. I'm really pleased with it, and the backside of the agate brings into crisp relief what appears on the front as the fuzzy insides of the stone.

Does anyone else see a cartoon character here...?

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oops, I did it again... and brooch #28

well.... I bought more stones today. I walked in to my friends stone cutting workshop ( ie: candy store) to pick up a couple of stones she had recut for me and I walked out with this...

...oh, and I got to look through her rough and ordered cufflink pairs, in petrified woods, fossil coral. So PLEASE BUY MY CUFFLINKS this Fall, I should have a slew of them!  ; )

Meanwhile, I'm eyeing that Montana agate in the center, that'll make a beautiful pendant, or maybe brooch #29 or 30... stay tuned for that.

Meanwhile, I created brooch #28 after looking through some old sketches for another project, and making a few changes. Mainly adding the little gold balled rivets scattered about.

the brooch measures 3" across

etsymetal brooch-a-week challenge

brooch #27

Brooch #27 is actually a commission piece for a friend who picked up this neat little Japanese netsuke or ornament of some kind. It's either carved ivory or faux ivory set in a bamboo "bezel". The rabbit depicted, has a red eye and I added a deep red garnet in an 18kt gold bezel to the sterling bezel surrounding the piece. The placement of the garnet, and the addition of several 14kt gold balls makes for a pleasing a-symmetry.

Measuring aprox 1 3/4", it'll make a nice conversation piece when worn!

etsymetal 2013 brooch-a-week challenge

three new hires and the half way brooch...

I recently hired on 3 new staff to help take up some of the work load...

budgie in particular is feeling the need for a short vacation.

Here he is promoting the halfway point in etsymetal's brooch-a-month challenge

brooch #26

The lime green stone is called Atlantisite, it's made up of serpentine with purple bits of of stichtite. It's found in Tasmania. I liked this particular stone for it's shape, and the few little spots of stichtite. I knew I would pair it with amethyst somehow. In this case, I've used an amethyst bullet, 4mm in diameter to pick up the purple in the Atlantisite. Lots of texture and oxidation help to pop the stone.

You can see the amethyst bullet pokes up and out of the frame. The pin mechanism allows the brooch to be worn at various angles.

off to work then...

more brooch talk...

Brooches #24 and 25 are similar in the way they convert into pendants. The nice round stones look good upside down as well as right side up, so the brooch goes one way and and the pendant the other...

Brooch #24 is an ocean jasper set in sterling silver. And there's that hardworking sheep again...

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Brooch #25 is a piece of fossil coral set in sterling silver with 14kt gold ball rivets, modeled by a delightful little fellow...

The next brooch, #26, will mark the halfway point of the etsymetal brooch-a-week challenge.

26 down, 26 to go...

two new brooches and my Evelyn rose

Hard to believe it's been 23 weeks since the onset of the 2013 etsymetal brooch-a-week challenge began. Seems like we've lost a few people along the way. I have to admit, it's been a challenge to get a brooch out every week with everything else that needs to be dealt with in the studio. But so far I've managed to squeak one out, sometimes with just hours to spare...

 For brooch #22, this pretty piece of ocean jasper took me to a whimsical place and out popped this little bird on a stick pearl branch.

She found her home that same day...

Brooch #23 is a sterling silver fibula, forged and oxidized, with a hand carved rhodonite melon bead.

Something to dress up a heavy coat, or hold a shawl together. I think I'd like to more of this type of thing...

And here is one of the early blooms from my old fashioned rose "Evelyn". I wish you could smell it!

This is a great time of year to be in Oregon...