Art Bead Scene Blog: Silversmithing

Showing posts with label Silversmithing. Show all posts

Friday, January 29, 2016

Inside the Studio with Claire Lockwood

Each week one of our contributors gives you a sneak peek into their studio, creative process or inspirations. We ask a related question of our readers and hope you'll leave comments! As an incentive, we offer a prize each week to encourage you to use that keyboard and tell us what you think. The following week a winner is chosen at random from all eligible entries. And here are the results from last week!

This week's winner is Lynda of Fresh Baked Designs. Congratulations! You have won a $25 gift certificate for Swoondimples! Please contact Heather to claim your prize!

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Is it a little late to be wishing you all a happy new year? I hope you're all contending with the potential gloominess of January. I last shared an Inside the Studio post with you back in early November. Perhaps you'll remember: I have recently taken up metalwork and I had plans of converting my under-the-stairs cupboard - aka the naughty hole - into a little work space. There was a problem, however. Five years of accumulated junk and mess.

Well, it certainly seemed like a mammoth task. I was shocked just now, revisiting these pictures. A chance turn of events lead to me actually taking it on. I was telling a friend about my plans, a friend who actively likes sorting and tidying (I know?!), and she said, 'Right, we're going to do it'. I can't thank her enough. It took two long afternoons-into-evenings-into-the-small-hours to sort it all, and it was pretty tough going and stressful at points: so many things to have to decide to throw away; so many, sometimes painful, memories unearthed. (Some of the stuff at the back had been dumped in there when I moved into the flat and that wasn't the best time of my life.) But we did it! Can you see the little pixie door? Where the metal working pixies live?

Open wide and what's inside....

I hope you'll agree, it's a pretty remarkable transformation! This is going to be the tidiest it will ever look, I reckon! I'm so chuffed; I've only just got to the point where I've stopped going in and turning on the light and just thinking, 'Eeeeeeeeeee!' One thing I hadn't remembered was that the naughty hole was actually an airing cupboard.

My first thought on seeing this beast (which actually serves all the flats in the damn building) was: 'Oh, thank goodness! That's several square foot of stuff I'm not going to have to drag out of here and and re-locate!' Once this relief had worn off I was a bit disappointed that it was lurking in there taking up precious space. Still, I reckon I'll live with it well enough.

So, it's now time to pick up the torch/saw/file/hammer, etc. My classes started again last night. I'm making bezels for stones. I was working on my first one again this morning. I got to the stage where I had it looking all neatly trimmed and thought, 'Oooo, look, that looks like what it should look like! Will the stone fit nicely? Yes, it fits very nicely!' Hot on the heels of that thought came, 'Oooooo, look, is it? Yes, look, it is... it's.... stuck...'. I've tried finding something thin enough to lever it out, but nothing is thin enough. I've tried running water into it. I've tried tapping it on the back. I've tried tapping it on the back with a hammer. I've tried holding it in a pair of tweezers and hitting it on the back with a hammer. I've tried holding it in a pair of tweezers and hitting it on the back even harder with a heavier hammer. No joy. It's only a small, inexpensive, piece of moss agate but if anyone has any suggestions, do share!

I would have got going on the metalwork earlier in the month but there was other stuff to do in the studio, like glazing a big batch of beads.

I'll be listing all of these in the bead shop some time at the start of February - just in time for pay day! I also had a heap of beady makes planned that I wanted to make real. It ended up being quite a make-athon. Here's a small selection.

Art beads by Stillpointworks and Something to do Beads

Art beads by Scorched Earth, Nells Embroidery, and Happy Fallout

Art beads by Donna Perlinplim, Scorched Earth, Something to do Beads, and Happy Fallout

Art beads by Blueberribeads, Happy Fallout, and Something to do Beads

Art beads by Something to do Beads

Art beads by 4 Ophelia and Lucy Haslam

These and many more can be found in my jewellery shop.

So, it's time for this week's giveaway! The prize will be - again! - a

There are two questions this week. First, the general one: What are your big - or not so big! - plans for your work in 2016? Do you want to learn a new skill, like me? Are you hoping to get your work out there in the world, in some galleries or shops? Perhaps you've been meaning to set up an online shop but have kept putting it off? Is now the time? Or maybe you just want to make a dent in your art bead collection and incorporate some of them in some great new designs? Will this be the year you finally make something with that awesome piece of treasure you've been hoarding?

And a second question: do you have a trick or tip that might help me free my cabochon from its bezel? (See above!) If anyone comes up with a suggestion that actually works, they'll receive a little beady parcel too!

Friday, November 6, 2015

Inside The Studio with Claire Lockwood of Something to do with your hands

Congratulations Kathy Lindemar!
You have won $25 to spend in Erin's shop!
Contact Erin to claim your prize!

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Sometimes I find that, when my Inside the Studio post comes around, I risk going over the same things: I've been making beads; I've been making jewellery. And, since my last post, I've done plenty of both. But, I actually have other things to report on! For a long time now, I've wanted to get to grips with metalwork. Ages ago, when I first got into making jewellery, I bought a load of kit for silver-smithing, but for various reasons, I've never set to and used it all. I bought books and read things on line, but I find taking in instructions from reading things quite difficult. Finally, during the summer, I got my act together and booked a place on a silversmithing course. It's not that I really wanted to start making silver jewellery. I'm planning to use other, more affordable metals, in the main, I think. I just needed opportunity to get comfortable with the various tools and processes. However, I have got a little seduced with working with sterling.

This crop of earrings - all kinda minimal (and not without some flaws!) - have all been made during the six weeks of the course. The term finished this week but I'll be booking on to go back in the new year. I am now far happier with the logistics of soldering, and I really want to do it some more, preferably sooner than next year! One of the things that has held me back from trying soldering, etc., at home is the lack of space. I've moaned about this here before, numerous times, in relation to one thing or another. Speaking to Christina, the jeweller running the course, I've come to see that the table area I was planning to use wouldn't necessarily be the safest place. Then, about a fortnight ago, I had a brainwave. In the corner of my flat there is what I - and certain close friends - would describe as 'a naughty hole'. To flesh the term out, I guess I'd describe a 'naughty hole' as any cupboard or hidden space where undesirable junk and clutter or 'just stuff' is stored/dumped, usually in a careless, haphazard manner. You open the naughty hole door, you take the thing you're struggling to house, you sling it in the naughty hole, you shut the door, you forget about it.

Now, my naughty hole isn't just a cupboard. It's a walk-in naughty hole. Can you guess what my brainwave might have been? I really can't believe I didn't think of it sooner!! If I clear out the naughty hole I can set up a jeweller's bench in there!! And possibly have space for other things! Like good, orderly storage! And places to keep all of the many, many things! But... oh... oh no, that means.... I have to clear out the naughty hole!

That will be quite a tall order. Towards the back of the hole there is stuff that I stacked up in there when I moved in. Heaven knows what half of it is. Dozens of VHS tapes that I can't play, that no charity shop will take, that can't be recycled easily.... but that belonged to my grandma? Mountains of bank statements and suchlike that need shredding before disposal. About 8-10 years worth of the Times Literary Supplement and The London Review of Books. If I chuck them out, am I abandoning academia forever? Oh, naughty hole!!

BTW, am I the only person preserving one of these?

Because: design classic? Thought so...

The mouth of the hole poses another problem. At some point, I did attempt to set up some sort of storage nearer the door; there are some old shoe racks on which I had piled my unused metal tools, my polymer stuff, and various other supplies and kit. This started in an orderly fashion but has since descended into chaos. I messed it up even more the other week, trying to find my neglected metal tools under the other stuff. Now it looks like some kind of craft-based dirty bomb went off in there.

Just writing about the task in hand is making my head spin. I'm telling myself that, now we have this lovely expanded ABS team, and now I only write an Inside the Studio post every other month, I might have it sorted by the next time I join you. I so hope I can do it. Wish me luck!

Anyway, it's giveaway time. The question: Would the prospect of a new workspace be reward enough to encourage you to clear out a similarly horrendous mess? Perhaps you have your own neglected naughty hole for which you have plans? Let us know! (Also, if you're interested in an extensive collection of 1970s - 1990s, BBC nature and comedy programmes, all preserved on VHS, just say the word!)

The prize is a...

Bye for Now, Claire

www.somethingtodowithyourhands.com
www.somethingtodo.etsy.com
www.somethingtodobeads.etsy.com

Saturday, February 21, 2015

The Art of Bali Beads

Bali Beads

The Love of Bali Beads

I have always loved Bali Beads. They can be added to so many designs and can be the lead singer or back-up singers. Used singly or en mass they are a wonderful handcrafted silver beads. Make sure when you are buying these beauties that are .925 sterling silver and handmade.

I photographed some of what I have. My favorites have always been the little flower spacer beads. They not only give you space but texture between more dominant beads.

Bali Spacer Beads

Bali Tube Beads

History

Indonesia learned the metal work crafts from Southern Chinese and Southeast Asian traders during the late Bronze age, several hundred years before the birth of Christ. These influences have been inferred from archeological digs that have uncovered dongson drums, jewelry, weapons and other artifacts clearly bearing "imported symbols." Excavations of ancient graves have also turned up artifacts from this period than show remarkable similarities with similar items from modern day China and India.

Over time, the metalworking skills of the Indonesian people grew, no doubt added by continuous contact with outsiders seeking trade in spices and other items. Gold and silver, which continue to be mined in Indonesia, were in no short supply by the time the Majapahit Empire emerged in Java (1300s) and moved into Bali. By the time the empire had failed, Bali had become the center of Indonesia's silversmithing and gold work activities.

One cannot easily discern how past influences have shaped current silver work practices in Bali. It is important to keep in mind that Bali, far from being an isolated island culture, has had vigorous contact through trade with many cultures over many, many centuries. Indeed, Indonesia as a Dutch colony as of 1602 and controlled much of the nation for 350 years. As such, European silverwork traditions and standards were no secret to the Indonesians, many of whom no doubt produced for export.

Bali Earwires

The Art of Silversmithing

Bali is a small island located in Indonesia, a nation of islands. The Balinese people, who are primarily Hindu, have a long and illustrious history. Arts and crafts are a significant part of their culture, and among their artisans is a community of highly skilled silversmiths. While silversmithing is practiced all around the island, there is a concentration of silversmiths in and around Celuk, a village in the south central part of the island.

Bali is known throughout the jewelry world for its sterling silver beads and jewelry. Balinese silver has a unique look to it, distinguished by its use of soldered granulations and twisted wiring.

The Balinese style involves applying little sterling silver dots and wires that have been bent into various forms to a larger base. The base can be round, oval, square, rectangular, or virtually any other geometric shape.

The silversmith will use a glue from a native berry to attach these granulations and wires to the base. Once he or she (there are many talented female silversmiths in Bali) is satisfied with the layout, every piece is soldered. That's a lot of labor, but this approach leads to a crisp appearance, with much contrast!

When these components are brought together into a single piece of jewelry, the effect can be stunning! Many Balinese silversmiths make the beads and findings that go into their jewelry, and then assemble the final piece to produce treasures that are truly of their own creation.

The Balinese style is also distinguished by its use of antiquing (induced tarnishing). Antiquing of the base allows the protruding granulations and wires to stand out.

Silversmithing in Bali, like many of the other arts of the island (wood carving, painting, fabric making, etc.) is a family affair. Children often apprentice with their parents, passing on skills from generation to generation.

Sadly, the silversmith craft is under attack from outside forces. Today, it is easy to to find "Bali-style" beads and jewelry made in Indonesia, Turkey and other countries. These products are essentially copies of Balinese design, and are usually not made up to the same exacting standards of the Balinese people. India, in particular, is producing a lot of imposter Bali silver that is of poor quality. India's Bali-style silver often makes use of casting, which leads to poorly articulated beads, and is seldom made of sterling silver, although it is usually sold as such. These low-quality, low-priced cheap imitations have reduced demand for Bali silver, causing hardship for the Balinese people. If you find Bali silver attractive, buy from a Bali source. Don't support cultural theft by purchasing imposter jewelry. Source

Another history article to read.