Riveting!

I'm learning all about mixed media in my current jewellery class. This is awesome! I'm experimenting with texture and colour and will hopefully finish one of the projects I enigmatically started last October (no I haven't forgotten/given up!). It's great to have a chance to dig around for inspiration and things to accompany the metals as well as just jumping in to PLAY.

I'm an avid lover of coastal walks and often return home with a pocket full of salty treasures. I can't help but pick up a smooth sea beaten stone or perfectly carved shell. One such find had been accompanying me to class for a couple of years and it's time had finally come. When my tutor proposed rivets - a means of attaching metal to other material without heat - the stone suddenly became a piece of jewellery (in my mind!). I had a vision of a bug perching jauntily atop the pebble and promptly set to work sketching and, of course, my all time fave - piercing :)

Sawing that fiddly little bee-st was no walk in the park mind you, and despite my piercework passion I went through more saw blades than I care to mention. I'm still mulling whether I can use this as another argument in my case for absolutely NEEDING this - the world's sexiest saw frame, oh and the most expensive too.

Sadly another bit of kit let me down (I know a bad workwoman and her tools etc, but...). The drill bits in our workshop were not the sharpest in the box and after winning the battle with the bee, I lost the war with the stone :(. My attempt had worked but had taken a chunk out of the back. In the spirit of experimentation I persevered. I was delighted my first time riveting worked but in the process a crack developed on the already weakened back.

So, I now have to decide whether to consider this a test piece or shore up the back somehow. If I do give it some TLC I think it could make a rather nice brooch. Or maybe I'll start over with some silver. 

What do you guys think? Any riveting stories to share?

Happy Bank Holiday to any lovely UK folk out there - enjoy the SUNSHINE :)

Small, sweet and shiny!

Review. Pearl Knotting Workshop (July 2012), The Beaderie, Cambridge  

I was very excited to count myself amongst only 4 craftsters for an intimate and highly in demand workshop led by local pearl stringing aficionado Sally of ‘The Beaderie’. Due to the cosy nature of the venue – it really is teeny tiny - they can only squeeze four enthusiastic jewellers in. And, in order to be ‘in’ one has to literally leap on an email the second the class is announced. This was second time lucky for me.

The start was a little brusque for my liking, with not much in the way of introduction or general banter. Instructions said arrive early in order to prepare. Apparently there’s no messing with keen knotters and it was straight down to business. Sally made it look a breeze and I sat there confidently thinking, oh yes, I’ll master that. A slight case of overconfidence on my part as I swiftly did all sorts of strange things with my tweezers. As a small workshop one on one time with the tutor was ace and I was soon happily knotting away. It’s a very methodical thing to do and I just switched off and enjoyed. The class was on one of the hotter days (there have been a few, really!) and I didn’t enjoy the heat in the shop so much. It would have been great if we’d been advised to take a bottle of water. On the flip side being in the heart of the shop meant being surrounded by the glittering gleaming shiny seductive temptation of all the fantastic beads and gems. Warning to the wallet! The longer you sit knotting the more attractive all the beads look. I left the class with a solid understanding of the knotting technique, a sweet pearl necklace, more confidence in finishing a strung piece and a bag full of goodies for my next go (as yet unaccomplished). A good night out!

Hammer and Pickle ratings:

Value – 5/5 Hammers: Affordable (if you don’t get carried away in the shop at the end), all materials included

Vibes - 3/5 Hammers: A reserved friendliness and a focussed atmosphere

Pickle rating – 1/5 Pickles: Other than the aforementioned tweezer tweak this really was a walk in the park, but one in which I learned a useful jewellery stringing tecnhnique. Don’t get that in many parks round here.