Meltin' Metal

I talk about being green and recycling metal, but I don't show you the process. So I thought I would document the fun part... meltin' metal.

Honestly, I love melting metal. It is fun. Yes, if you don't know what you're doing, you really shouldn't be playing with large flames and molten metal... but I know what I'm doing (and take all of the proper precaution.)

We're starting with three 14K Yellow gold wedding bands...


The rings have been cleaned and stones removed and cut into small pieces...


We clean the metal to make sure no contaminates get mixed into the metal when melted. Also, any visible solder is cut out because it melts at a lower temperature and contains different alloys than plain 14k, which can both cause pitting in the final piece.



To begin the melting process we clean the ceramic kiln. To do this, we heat up the kiln and add a VERY small amount of powered borax. When the borax is heated, it creates a fine glass layer over the ceramic to keep the metal from being trapped in the porous ceramic. Any extra borax is heated and poured out of the kiln.


To melt the metal, you start with the largest pieces first. This is because they will take the longest to heat up. If you start will small pieces and add a large piece, it will freeze the metal and the overall process will take much longer.


And the above photo is just cool. Seriously, I love melting metal!


Okay, so you can see a small piece of told in the tweezers in my right hand. Each piece is added one by one. The metal in the kiln balls up when heated to a molten point and when that ball is seen with the surface 'dancing' it is the time to add more metal.


If you look carefully at the above photo, you see a 'ball' of metal glowing at the bottom of the kiln. That is the metal! This is the point when you stir the gold with a carbon (or quartz) rod to remove any contaminants from the ball. The contaminants will float to the surface and stick to the rod.


And finally this is me making new 'grain' from the molten metal. The metal is poured into water to form small pieces. Look carefully, you can see the glowing metal! The reason for this process is to mix all the golds together. Each jewelry manufacturer uses a different alloy (recipe) for their gold... this blends them all together.

Most of the time I will not be making grain, I usually make new stock (sheet, wire, etc.) But this gold will be mixed with new gold and used to cast a ring.

And finally... this is what the rings turned into...


There you go! Meltin' metal!

Final Flying Buttress Ring...

I know, I know... this is not a real 'flying buttress' but it works with similar principals... just somewhat reversed! So, I'm taking artistic license with this... this is my descriptive term and I'm sticking with it!

But whatever you want to call it... it's beautiful! If you don't remember the Flying Buttress Engagement Ring, here is a photo of it...


And here is the matching wedding band...




And the engagement ring and the wedding band together...



And finally, the bride and grooms weddings bands together. They both have a 1.5mm Ruby flush set inside the band with an engraved N and K in script on either side of the stone.

Organic Engagement Ring

I'm starting a new engagement ring.

A client came to me with a 3 stone ring that belonged to his grandmother. While he already proposed with that ring, they decided to create something that reflected themselves... and in comes Tracey to help!

We sat down and chatted and I got to know them a bit. While we talked, I wrote down words like:

-Feeling of movement
-Expressive
-Color (warm / orange)
-playful / whimsical
-organic

I came up with something that I felt reflected them well. We decided to use only the center diamond, and save the other two side diamonds to make gifts for siblings. The overall ring will be about as organic as they come... the diamond will be 'growing' out of the center of the band.

The ring will be made out of Palladium white gold, because while it is white gold it still has a warm color that will allow us to use orange sapphires traveling down the leaves on the band.

Sorry this isn't the best sketch... but it will give you an idea. But more photos to come soon!

mexican wiener dogs...

When we were in Mexico I kept seeing these little sombreros EVERYWHERE! And every time I saw these tiny sombreros, I would threaten Sal with buying them for the dogs. The reason I say threaten is because Sal is a minimalist and disdains clutter... so if we bought them it would be something else to collect dust. But every time we passed another tourist shop that had them, I would pick them up and give him the sad puppy eyes... you know, just to torture him.

Well, crazy enough, one of the other couples decided that it would be the most fun to buy them for me because it would drive Sal nuts! Yay! So I am now the proud owner of a pair of wiener dog sized sombreros! And what do you do with wiener dog sized sombreros... you put them on your wiener dogs!

So, without further delay, I give you...

Perros de salchicha Mejicanos con sombreros!

No more custom...

Sorry for the lack of updates. I was out of the country for a bit... and then came home with an inner ear infection with included vertigo. I couldn't handle looking at my computer, let alone working. So I am now playing catch up with EVERYTHING! Including my blog.

But tonight will be a quick talk about the use of the word 'custom.' Custom has to be one of the most over used terms in the jewelry industry. What I do is custom, meaning that I make it specifically for an individual client, with that clients input, by hand. Most larger jewelry companies that offer 'custom' but is actually 'pick your diamond, pick your setting.' That is not custom. That is not even semi-custom! But everybody offers 'custom' jewelry!

The reason I bring this up is because I'm working on my new business cards and I have been debating the term 'custom.' My cards have always said 'custom jewelry and fabrication' but do I want to continue using that word? So, for MONTHS I have been researching a replacement term.

I decided upon 'bespoke.' What is bespoke, you may ask. Well, bespoke is a term traditionally used when talking about custom made/tailored suits (mainly in the UK.) Today, the term is also used with jewelry.

Now, the problem with using bespoke is that most Americans do not know what that means. But I decided that is a good thing! Teach somebody something new! And when I hand off a card, the least it will do is start a conversation. So bespoke it is!

Now as a side note, a couture clothing designer I know shared this article with me. It was from a year ago in WWD about FAUX COUTURE. Take a peek... it feels my pain about FAUX CUSTOM.

little birdie...

I'm working on a little birdie pendant... a Swallow to be exact. It will be in sterling silver with a sapphire briolette hanging from it's beak.



I'm not sure if it's going to be cut out of sheet (with the details in negative space) or carved out of wax (slightly more 3D.) We will figure it out.

On a side note, it reminds me of the Vince Guaraldi Trio song Little Birdie written for A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. That song makes me smile just thinking about it. Click here to listen!

props!

Hey my shiny bloggers! Good news to share... I got a little free press! Yay! skirt! boston included a Green Spot pendant under this section 'skirt! loves' for their February issue.

The featured my little 18K Ladybug Pendant with Black Diamonds.


If you aren't familiar with skirt!, it is a progressive woman's magazine. And may I add in, very cool and free! Pick one up, you can find them all over Boston!

Now, on a side note... I have to thank all of my shiny friends! I appreciate all of the support I received from my last post. I wasn't fishing for compliments... but I am so grateful for all of the emails that I received. You make me want to keep fabricating crazy pieces!

how do you respond?

Okay, here it comes! It's a Tracey Diatribe! Maybe it's because I have been snowed in or because I'm in the 'paperwork' stage of most of my business, but I feel like sharing!

Recently I was speaking with an acquaintance and I showed them the baby spoon I was working on. When they asked the price and when I responded they proclaimed 'that sounds like a rip off to me.' How do you come back from something like that? I was just stunned, babbled something and changed the subject. But really, I need to figure out how to respond in situations like this.

I decided to do a little math. Was this baby spoon a rip off? The cost of the sterling silver and the hand engraving (which I have done by a master engraver) comes to over half of what I was charging for the piece. BUT then I spend around 6-8 hours making the spoon (sawing, filing, dapping the bowl, sanding, tumbling, polishing and delivering it to the engraver), one full work day. By doing this math, I realized I make under 10 dollars an hour fabricating this piece. I'm sorry, I don't work in a 3rd world sweat shop. And just like everybody else, my time is worth money.

So, what does this make me realize... well, first off, I'm not charging enough for baby spoons. And second, I need to figure out how to defend my pricing.

I thought I should do what Sal would do, start off with research. A basic Google Shopping search for 'Sterling Baby Spoon' gives a few options of mass manufactured, plain, thin, machine engraved spoons ranging in price from $30 - $100. Okay, that is less than I charge, but mine is made by me specifically for the client... not by a machine. Then I added in the the word 'handmade' to see what that would result in, and there were only antique pieces for sale with the price closer to $225. So, where does that leave me? Upping my price.

Let's think about this. I not only spend the time fabricating the piece, but I spend my time with the client designing it (in person/answering emails/on the phone), writing up contracts, ordering materials and laying out the pattern ALL BEFORE I START MAKING THE PIECE! And none of that time gets figured into the final price.

Sal gets really upset with me because I am constantly working (even while we're watching movies or television, I'm on the computer), but not charging anything for that time. It's not that he feels I'm a bad business person, he just wishes I could be more like a lawyer, charging down to the 15 minute intervals. Wouldn't that be nice? I do have 4 years of college, 2 years of jewelry training (student loans up the wazoo), and then apprenticeships with a few different people (nearly unpaid.) That equals about 7-8 years to training total... so why can't I charge more for my craft?

I guess I don't have a final answer with this note. I just need to figure out how charge properly to survive and keep my clients. It's all about a happy balance.

But, as a side note, every once in a while I receive a little something extra from my clients. A hug, a note, a special thank you. And no matter how much I make, the unsolicited thank you is the most delightful part. But don't get me wrong, I still like getting paid so I can pay my bills, too.

Elephant Baby Spoon

Just thought I would share a sweet little sterling baby spoon that I finished. It's for Sal's older brother's baby (Milan.)

Sal got to choose the pattern... so he decided on dragonflies and an elephant because he had bought them a piece of artwork with a similar image. And to finish it off, the initials 'mDs' were hand engraved in script.

Super sweet.

Nouveau inspired engagement ring

I finished the Nouveau inspired Calla Lily Engagement ring. It came out beautifully. Unfortunately, the photographs didn't.

I know I have mentioned it before, but sometimes different pieces of jewelry do not photograph well. I have taken over 500 photos of this ring... and while they have gotten moderately better, they still do not show the beauty of this ring.

Basically, because of the multiple contoured surfaces of this ring, along with the extremely high polish, the camera is having problems reading the light and dark areas.

But I got a few decent photos... I just wish I could share when it truly looks like!





It is a 1.25 ct blue sapphire bezel set in a hand carved calla lily patterned platinum band.

little snag...

I was so excited to finish the Nouveau engagement ring... 'was' is the key word in this sentence.

Let's back up a bit. Right after the New Year I carved the calla lily pattern into the wax ring, but left a space for the oval tapered bezel. I decided that it would be best to get a wax bezel from the company where I would be having it cast.

Now, after the holidays all jewelers close for a bit... some a few days, some a month. The casting company I wanted to use was closed till the 12th, so I sat on it for a few days. Well, I wish I could have those few days back.

I dropped it off on last Monday and was supposed to be able to pick up by Friday at the latest. Unfortunately, when I called, it wasn't done. So I picked it up yesterday... and it was wrong. My simple task of dropping a wax bezel in it was unfortunately not noted properly on the job envelope. The bezel was supposed to be set horizontally in the ring (to run parallel with the shank) but was set in perpendicular.

I first hoped that I could cut it out and solder it back in, but then I realized a couple of things...

1. To cut out the bezel without disturbing the thickness of the metal, and then cut out a curve to fit the contour of the bezel back into the shank the proper way, I would loose the top of calla lily pattern.

2. And if I did manage to set it in there w/o loosing the pattern, I would then have to size the ring down (because it would be adding a couple of mm to the size.) And I refuse to size a piece that I am making from scratch.

Call me stubborn, call me a perfectionist... but if somebody is paying for their 'dream' ring, I need it to be perfect. So, it's back at the caster! I should have it back this Friday.

But if you want a quick peek at some fuzzy photos of what it looked like straight from the caster, spru still attached, and bezel in the wrong direction... well, here ya go!





I must say, it will be beautiful when it's finished! Now if I could just finish it ;)

Working, working, working...

Okay, here's a quick photo of the wax I'm carving for the Art Nouveau engagement ring.


It is going to be cast in platinum with an oval bezel to hold a beautiful pale blue/purple sapphire.

I'm going to work on some designs for wedding bands tonight... and meeting with a client about some custom earrings later this week. The new year is starting off strong with exciting custom orders!

But, after doing my inventory, I realized that I just need to sit down and start making some pieces. I have sapphires galore! Oranges and pinks and reds and purples and such. Then I have this 6+ carat star ruby which is nutty. And I bought a matched pair of canary yellow round sapphires that would make an amazing pair of earrings. Ugh, too much to mention! Maybe I'll start posting some photos!

So You Wanna See My Shop...

I decided to start of 2009 properly... organized. It's not a New Year Resolution, I don't believe in those, it's just that I have lots of papers and receipts and little teenie tiny stones and scraps of metal and such... all of which need to be organized for taxes.

So, my shop is now spic and span! And what better time to show you where everything is fabricated. Here ya go...


That's it! I know, shockingly small. But I do have a few other pieces of equipment scattered about that I don't have room for down here. I have my ultrasonic in a kitchen, my tumbler in a pantry and a few large pieces (rolling mill, full sized polisher, anvil on a tree stump) in a basement in storage. But I have what I need... and I think it works pretty well.

My favorite piece in the shop is my double bench. It was originally a watch makers bench, somewhere in the ballpark of about 100 years old. I've modified it to my needs... added blocks to make it a bit higher (to be ergonomic), a sheet of metal added to the top of the left side for soldering (acts as a heatsink), and added lots of storage to hold all of my itty bitty tools.


And living on my bench is my sweeps jar. What is a sweeps jar, you may ask. Well, to fabricate a piece the metal goes through many steps to become an actual piece of jewelry. Metal can be filed, pierced (drilled), sawed, bent, hammered, soldered, and then finished (sanded, polished, etc) and all of that creates sweeps (dust.) All of those sweeps are to be saved to send to a refiner because it is a combination of precious metal dust/filings and little bits of emery paper, rubber, pumice, non precious metal and anything else that can break off of the tools used. On it's own, it's basically worthless... but once refined, it is transformed back to pure precious metal.



But as I was cleaning, I became a bit nostalgic. My Grampy Bonfiglioli used to tell me stories about working in a foundry where some of the screws and nails contained gold. He said the women who worked there would keep running their hands through their hair in hopes to trap any gold particles. When they would return home at the end of the day, they would rinse the gold out of their hair so they could save it and sell it.

Now knowing what I know, this would be REALLY difficult to do... there would have to be some very large particles of dust for it to equal anything. But, I still smile at the thought of him telling stories, so what the hell... I'll believe it.

But while I was thinking about Grampy, I remembered that he was the first person to ever teach me how to make a piece of jewelry. I'm not talking beads and strings... I'm talking about hitting metal with a hammer... getting dirty. You see, he proposed to my grandmother while he was in the Navy in WWII. He didn't have any money, so he took a nickel, drilled progressivly larger holes in it and then put it on a mandrel and beat the snot of it with a ballpean hammer. When he stretched it up to the proper size, he cleaned it a bit and scratched a diamond shape into it. Voila... instant engagement ring.

I was so impressed with the idea of hitting metal to force it to change shape, I had to make one for myself. So we spent the day in the basement and made a ring for me... which I still have. I should start wearing it again (even though it turns my finger green from the quantity of copper in it.)

Actually, now that I think about it... I also learned about metal compounds from him. My college boyfriend's little sister wanted to make one for her high school sweetheart, but a nickel wouldn't stretch large enough (especially since we weren't using any heat to anneal it.) So we attempted a quarter. Well, I'm not too sure of the metal/alloy content at that time, but the sucker just woudn't stretch. Maybe if we had heated it, sure, but just plain old hammer to metal didn't do it. For me, it was an early lesson on how different metals 'work'... for the little sister, dissappointment that her ring wouldn't fit her beau.

I wonder if she still has her ring?

Back to work

The holidays are nearly over... and I am slowly getting back to work. The shop still needs to be cleaned, have to inventory all metal scraps and stones, do receipts, get ready for tax time... ugh! I hate the end of the year stuff to deal with.

But even though I have all of the end of the year crap, yes... I said crap, to deal with, I do have jobs lined up for next year. So, back to working on ideas for a Nouveau engagement ring.


I really want to include calla lilies and some types of swirls. From the top it would look more like vines, but from the sides you will be able to see the calla lilies holding the main stone. Also, the main store could be round, oval or cushion cut.

Let's see if this one flies!

Happy Festivus!

Merry Christmas... Happy Chanukah... Happy Kwanzaa... and HAPPY FESTIVUS!

I still love the idea of a Festivus for the Rest of Us! So... put up your aluminum pole and air your grievances... and have a very merry merry whatever you want to celebrate!

And just for you, my readers, I got you a special gift...


I wish you all a wonderful, warm and safe holiday season and look forward to many adventures together in the New Year!

Religious Tolerance

Well... it's about that time of year again that I go off on one of my little diatribes that have very little to do with jewelry on the surface. But, with me, in the end it all comes back to jewelry. I had a special little project that I was working on for the holidays, but hadn't shared because of the symbol used. Some will take automatic offense to it, but that is when you are unaware of it's beginnings. So, with that, let's talk a little bit about religious tolerance.

I have never really been a fan of the term 'tolerance' used with the idea religion. To me, personally, tolerance is used when dealing with a screaming child on a plane or a bitter relative that you are stuck spending time with at the holidays. You tolerate all of those situations. I would prefer if we used a term more like 'religious respect' or 'religious understanding'... but religious tolerance is the term coined, so we'll go with that.

This is a time of year when we are surrounded by many different religious holidays, even though what we are bombarded with is commercialism. While most know that we are 3 days from Christmas (due to all of the television ads reminding us) many forget, or do not realize, that we are 2 days into Chanukah... and Kwanzaa begins on the 26th (though it is not a religious celebration.) But remembering specific dates is not what makes us tolerant, it is being educated (even in the slightest) and having ability to understand and show respect for each religion. With this being said, we are not going to talk about religious tolerance dealing with Catholics or Muslums or Christans or Jews... but about the Hindu religion.

About 2 years ago, I was introduced to Sal's parents, who are from India and are Hindu. And what would any good Indian family do when spending time with a jeweler but pull out every piece of jewelry they own to get a verbal appraisal of each. Well, while we were going through pendants, I came across one that was quite surprising, almost shocking, to me. It is a Hindu good luck charm that I later found out dates back to 2400 BC or possibly earlier... the Swastika.

The Hindu Swastika is an equilateral cross with arms bent at 90 degree angles, sometimes with other decorative elements added in. This symbol was once commonly seen all over the world, but with the Nazi regime adopting the emblem it is very controversial in this day and age. The Nazi Swastika is orientated differently by being rotating it 45 degrees... while the Hindu Swastika is straight up and down, similar to a cross.

Well, I felt embarrassed about my reaction to seeing the pendant because I was ignorant to their religious beliefs. And while I am not completely educated in the Hindu religion now, I am much more open minded about what I may come across.

So, where am I going with this? Well, I told you it would all come back to jewelry!

A couple of months ago, when I thought I was going to be killed in an antique shop in Ct, I bought some beautiful glass pieces that were about 125 years old. Along with this bunch, I found a Hindu Swastika. I had them all sitting on my bench and a neighbor came over and asked (in a rather defensive manner) why I had a Swastika in my possession. Well, I went through the whole explanation and she seemed satisfied, but I was still hesitant sharing this with anybody.

But you, my shiny followers, are not just anybody! So here goes... I set a Hindu Swastika for Sal's mom for Christmas...


It's a tiny little piece... no larger than a dime... set in 18K yellow gold. I had to make the bail rather larger because she wears fairly heavy chains (and always mentions how she can't wear American pendants on her chains.)

So, be happy that you learned a new piece of information... and remember to show respect to all religions.

Oh... and on a side note... I couldn't make a pendant for Sal's mom without making one for mine! This is what will be under the tree for my mum this year...


Yes, a 125 year old wiener dog portrait! It is also set it 18K yellow gold. Please... in my family wiener dogs are treated like little demi-gods, so why not wear one around you neck ;)

Swirly Cufflinks

14K white gold and VS1 melee diamond cufflinks.

plugging along...

I know I haven't been posting much, but I'm just attempting to get everything finished in time for the holidays. Honestly, I'm not having an insane month... just a regular month. BUT the thing that makes this a little extra crazy that everything is due at the same moment.

I finished a couple small projects last night... thought I'd share...


This is a semi-custom lady bug... red gold with little black diamonds.


And personalized collar stays... sterling silver with a stamped personal message.

Seriously, I know these collar stays are simple, but Sal loves his. I don't know why more men don't get them. Those cheap little plastic ones are... well... cheap! These aren't really expensive and they will last a lifetime.

Okay... back to work! Wee!

nouveau engagemet ring idea...

I have been approached to design an Art Nouveau inspired engagement ring. Some of the key words used in describing the project were nouveau, calla lily, bezel set and set low, and NO diamonds... just sapphire. Well, if you follow my blog, you know that I adore Art Nouveau and Calla Lilies! So this project is right up my alley!

After poking around a bit online, searching for examples of nouveau rings, a very cool idea hit me.


A melding of old and new. Somewhat of a traditional shape from the top view, but a more whimsical side view (with the flying saucer shape to the head.) The calla lily pattern could either be carved as a relief or pierced and cut out (which I prefer.) Then the head would connect to the shank with a calla lily on each of the shoulders.

I don't know the clients thoughts on this ring as of yet. I'll let you know!

Flying Buttress Ring

It's finished! And I think it came out pretty damn cool...





The ring is Palladium w/ a .73ct IF F cushion cut center stone and a pair of .52ct total SI1+ G pears.