…not so much. I had a great morning in the studio, finishing some earrings with rivets, and some with copper pieces I had patinated last week. I spent the afternoon taking 118 photographs of 5 pairs of earrings I was planning to list on Etsy. I thought I was getting some good shots until I began to crop and edit them. Some were okay, but there weren’t 5 decent images of any one pair. Etsy will have to wait until next week, because I have something really exciting to do this weekend.
Silver was $36.97 today. Yikes. The cost of silver clay has become prohibitive. I’ve started thinking about sheet metal and simple fabrication. After an experiment with patina on copper discs, I decided to rivet them to some earring shapes I had cut from sterling silver sheet. I hammered the silver and gave it a hand finish, rather than a high polish. Not sure if I like the concave discs on this particular pair. The shape is from a template I made for toggle clasps, but it works out pretty well for an earring too.
I love the colors in the copper so much, that I decided to learn more about it. I’m waiting for the arrival of some patina solutions from Shannon LeVart at Miss Ficklemedia. The pdf file for the Color Drenched Metal tutorial is well written and looks like it will be easy to follow when my supplies get here next week.
Oh yeah…rivets!!
More copper discs with patina, mounted on PMC discs, mounted on beautiful glass head pins made by Sue Kennedy at SueBeads.
Hey Sue, check us out!
I had some copper discs lying around…. and I’m waiting to learn more about patinas….but I just want to keep riveting! Check out Sue Kennedy’s off-white glass head pins below. The white disc inside the rivet is some kind of bone. (I think.) Sterling silver and gold filled head pins are used as rivets.
The photos below are the best of my worst ones. (Faint praise.) I didn’t feel like taking the time to deal with everything they were reflecting. That’s the problem with shiny silver and photography. I was happy with the decorative rivets, though.
Finger reflection and finger print….eeeesh. Not recommended.
Whoa baby!
Barbara S Fernald Jewelry 
these are GREAT earrings! love the patina, and tomorrow night (!) let’s talk about how you rivet with a skinny little headpin!!!!!
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What time are you leaving?
I used a #65 drill bit for the head pins. Maybe could have gone smaller, like a #66.
We will have so much to talk about! Have a safe trip.
xoxo
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leaving katonah (school) at 3…should get me into rockland about 9ish, i think…
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Hmmm….I’m thinking there is no reason for me to leave on the 11:30 boat. I could leave on the 4 p.m. boat and get there around 8 and be closer to your schedule….hmm….
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LOVE your design sense on these earrings! And your rivets rock! The patinated copper and silver look beautiful together! Can hardly wait to see what you create with the patinas that are coming! Better keep an eye on those babies! They look like they are up to something!
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Thanks Marly! Hey, any chance you and Angie are actually signed up for this class in Rockland and you’re not telling us because it’s going to be a big surprise?
xoxo
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So cool Barb – I love what you did with the headpins! I will be putting them on my blog if you don’t mind – with a link to you of course! Also, I love the patina as well! I have Shannon’s e book and patinas but haven’t gotten around to using them yet. I will have to get on that!
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Hi Sue, thanks so much. I would be honored to be on your blog. You know how you say on your blog that you liked using lampworked beads so much you had to learn to make them yourself?
Well, before I even get to the patina experiments, I am taking my first lampworking class in Rockland on Saturday and Sunday. I have always wanted to give it a try, so I’m traveling down the coast to
Playing with Fire. (http://www.playingwithfireglassworks.com/home.html)
I’m excited to see what it’s all about. Also excited to be meeting up my my friend Holly who lives in Connecticut. Reunion and glass. Good times.
I’ll be in touch to let you know what it was like.
xoxo
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Hey! I found you through another beader’s blog. You have a wonderful sense of design! I love how organic these all look. Great colors and shapes. I’m also a fan of how you do your photography, even though you say it wasn’t a good day for photos. ;)
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Thanks! The photos that weren’t working so well had backgrounds that were too busy, or too pale, or blah blah blah. Thank you for the vote of confidence. I am my own worst critic. I just checked out your blog too. It’s great! With a lot more for me to check out on it. Thanks for leaving a comment here. I love how all of the jewelers and beaders are so connected through their blogs.
Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter made me laugh out loud!
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