ring a day, jan 28

this ring is built out of oddly-shaped steel hexagons that didn't quite become earrings or pendants.

steel, sterling silver

also, these band-aids happened on the same day I was fabricating this piece, and seemed like an appropriate image to share- they're kind of like rings!

 

ring a day, jan 27

narwhal!  I didn't know this ring was going to be a narwhal until it was one.  I love narwhals.  I know, everyone does right now (I mean, there was a narwhal printed inside my trader joe's candy cane green tea box), but I've loved them for so long, and this is why: I learned about them the same time I was learning about dinosaurs, and dragons, and unicorns, and zebras.  when I got older, I learned about how some of these things weren't "real," like the unicorns and the dragons.   so when I rediscovered the narwhal, it was like someone said, "no, [insert imaginary animal here] ARE real!  they just live where it's really cold!"  so, to me the narwhal was like a fairy tale redelivered, when I was old enough to know better.

steel.  also, his horn is shorter than it should be because he's a young narwhal.  it should be full grown in a few years.

ring a day, jan 26

this ring is another experiment with my new castings.  I thought it was going to be an earring, but then it happened to be finger-sized- and I think I like it better as a ring. 

sterling silver

ring a day, jan 19

in my head, the gold hexagons looked more like molecular structures, but all I can think about when I see it is a shattered golden egg on a silver platter.

sterling silver, 18k bimetal

ring a day, jan 13

This ring makes me think of a moth or other such winged insect.  these elements are some of my new castings I am experimenting with.

sterling silver, oxidized

rime frost

so this isn't jewelry per se, but if you think about it, it really is.

this is rime frost.  my mother sent me images of it this morning- she knows what I love!  rime frost is one of my most favorite things that nature creates, hands down.  it's a perfect image to follow up yesterday's ring, too.

frozen water, pine needles

ring a day, jan 12

I love this one!  this is an accumulation of a bunch of copper samples from about a year ago.  I was sawing sheet into hexagons, fitting them together in different patterns, and then soldering them in place.

copper, sterling silver

ring a day, jan 11

for as long as I can remember, my grandfather has made beads with church bulletins, tacky glue, and toothpicks.  he slices the paper in long triangular strips, covers one side with tacky glue, and rolls each one up on a toothpick- this is one of his favorite past times. when we would come over to visit, all the girls - cousins, aunts, daughters, and daughter-in-law - would pick out their favorite colors from the hundreds of beads he had on display.  this past fall, my grandfather was able to stay with my parents for three months, and of course continued to made his beads.  I love having his necklaces in my studio, and my mother just sent me a huge amount of them from the stash he left from his visit.  using his beads makes me feel connected to what his hands have made, and lucky to be able to collaborate with him.

paper, glue, string, metallic beads

ring a day, jan 9

this ring needed to be quick, because yesterday seemed to be a day-long study in running late & I didn't want to abandon RAD in my second day.

when I was in a blacksmithing class last fall at pratt fine art center with local blacksmith & jeweler paul casey, I made these tangly scrolls that I really liked.  I was thinking about turning them into jewelry somehow, but they're awfully heavy.  this ring was a lighter version of its forged forefathers.

steel binding wire, twisted & soldered.

ring a day, jan 8

I began the ring-a-day project yesterday that was started by nina dinoff at the beginning of january. the only parameter is that what you make should fit around your finger- materials and techniques are completely open. my added rules are that it should be quick (under an hour - a half hour is ideal!) and I want to use my scraps as often as possible- there are loads of interesting-but-abandoned ideas buried in my silver scrap bowls.


also, I'm imagining the execution of the ring-a-day project will become more like a seven-rings-in-a-week project.

the first ring is copper, stamped with faceted stamps I made last summer at penland, and scored, folded, and patinaed.