On the Bench

Here's what is currently on my bench...

The two pair of brass earrings need to be oxidized, then tumble polished. I'm just waiting to have a few more pieces that also need to be oxidized. I prefer to do several pieces at a time. The large, clear faceted glass beads are going to be paired with smaller Swarovski crystal bicones for a goes-with-anything necklace...kind of Wilma Flinstone style! Lastly, the hair on hide cross pendant is waiting to be matched up with some stones. I cut the pendant from hide scraps myself...not the easiest project, but I like how it turned out. I'm think it would go well with some white magnesite rounds beads. The ones in my inventory have a lot of brown veining in them which I think will complement the color of the hide. Notice the silver rings to the right of the cross...still waiting for me to figure out exactly what I'm going to do with them. I have a couple of ideas...maybe tomorrow!

First Attempt at Fusing Fine Silver

I made my first attempt at fusing fine silver last night, and I really, really like it! The earrings pictured are the results of my first attempts. The round and oval rings were made with 16 gauge fine silver wire. The Swarovski crystal and pearl earrings will be listed on Etsy later tonight. I've decided to keep the cat's eye earrings for myself! I would love to hear your comments on what you think of these earrings. I always welcome constructive criticism.

I also made several attempts at soldering, and that didn't go nearly as well. I think I might be using the wrong flux...it seems to be heating up too quickly. And I think I need a thinner wire of solder. I'm winding up with way too much solder on my pieces. I'll have to check out some of the jewelry supply places to see what they have. I think I'm also going to look into a disc cutter to cut blanks from sheets of metal. I have lots of ideas!!!