Blast From The Past

Well, I've had a lovely day, working on something FUN!

Today I decided to just play. It seems everything old is new again. Those 70's and 80's toys are getting some good dollars on ebay and anything "retro" is definately in. That in mind, I dug out my old box of Lego and made myself a ring. Here's how it went.....


I made the 'setting' with stamped silver. The setting is tight, so there are no gaps visible down the sides of the Lego brick. The Lego will be glued in, so a snug fit is essential.

I soldered a wire post to the ring and drilled a hole in the centre of the brace under the setting. This helps to centre the setting on the band and helps hold the pieces together when soldering as you can see in the picture below. The post will also become an anchor for the glue.


Here's the ring and setting ready to be soldered together. I curled the post so that it is more secure when glued in. A straight post can pull out easily, this one's going nowhere! I thought the Lego brick was a bit chunky and sat up too high in the ring, so I lowered it by cutting some off the base of the brick.







And here's the finished ring.........

I used a red brick for the construction pictures, because red showed up best in the photos but I used a black brick for the actual ring. (see photo of me wearing it at top of this post)

It really is surprising how the humble brick of Lego can become such a striking piece of jewellery. Who would have ever thought !!

Now, I'm off to raid the games cupboard....

One-Day Workshop Coming Soon : Canberra

For those of you who are wishing to get some hands-on jewellery making experience, good news!

I will be holding one-day workshops in Canberra in the very near future. You can make a fully-finished sterling silver jewellery item in just one day.... One project is the Flower Ring pictured on the right side of this page. Set with a cabochon garnet, this delightful ring will certainly impress your friends. Why not enrol and make it for your Mum.....Mothers day is not too far away. Better still, enrol WITH your Mum and spend an enjoyable day of creativity together.

Other project options will include sterling silver pendant with cabochon Jasper, or two tone earrings using sterling silver and copper. If you have something particular in mind, let me know. Classes will run with minimum of four students, so why not get a few friends together and make a day of it.


More information will be coming soon, but if you are interested in attending a workshop, email me now and let me know your preferred day (weekday or weekend, day or evening) and any preference in terms of projects.

Stay tuned for more details..........

Turning over a Silver Leaf.....

It's been funny lately... seems I'm doing dribs and drabs of all sorts of things, but not getting anything finished. Don't you hate that feeling ?? So today, I sat down at my bench, determined to do something from start to finish without getting sidetracked.

A few weeks ago (maybe longer..) I made a few wax pieces. There was no urgency to get them cast, so I gave them to a friend of mine who has a casting set-up at home and whom I know does a good job. Last week, he returned my waxes in silver. Yayyy !

When the silver model comes back, there is still quite a bit of work left to do cleaning up and polishing, so I spent this afternoon doing just that.

Here's a picture of the waxes. The one on the left is the one I had cast.

The wax comes in thin sheets.

I heat the wax gently until it's just softened and then press a real leaf into it and allow the wax to reset. Then I carefully cut around the leaf with a scalpel. The leaf is then peeled away and some strengthening pieces are added to the back if needed. This leaf is actually a tomato leaf out of my garden.

When the cast leaf comes back, it needs a lot of work smoothing edges, shaping, adding a bail and polishing, but the end result is amazing.

I'm really happy with how this one turned out. It looks great on the leather necklace.

Another job I started and finished today was a sample for an upcoming workshop (see pic below). This class is specifically designed for beginners. It incorporates all of the basic silversmithing skills and comes together quickly once the components are made. By completing this project, students will have learned the basics of sawing, filing, soldering, shaping, texturing, polishing and design skills, in just one day....Phew!! Sorry the picture is not too good, I was running out of daylight by the time I was ready to photograph. All of the silver components of the bracelet are handmade, even the fancy silver bead!

If you're interested in paticipating in a beginners workshop, drop me a line. I'm also looking at holding some open day workshops (bring your own project, or something you're having trouble with) and also some set-project workshops in Canberra in the coming months, so once again, if you're interested, let me know and I'll send you details and dates once they're finalised.

Well, that's about it for this entry. Must be wine o'clock by now !!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you'll come back soon.