Tag: jewellery

I’m so excited to blog about this one hehe… I picked a different wrapping paper for today. It’s very pretty too. I originally took a photo of it upside down, until I realised, wait.. those are baubles, and turned it around for another photo, haha.

Day 6: Twelve Days of Xmas Swop

Bead bracelet!

So it’s a bead bracelet! The shimmery mystic colours are very attractive on faceted beads. Can’t wait to put it on.

Lovely fit

It fits like a glove, OMG. My wrists are so skinny thin, most bracelets and bangles are just too big and flop around like no one’s business. I have given away all those bracelets because they just looked ridiculous on me. Don’t worry Samantha, I have to say that these are just the right fit! Most stretch bracelets out there are simply too big, but this one is perfect. The bracelet stops halfway up my arm, and that’s just right for me. 🙂

I like this bracelet

I love the chunky faceted mystic beads.. they go so well with the metal accents. I found myself wearing it all day as soon as I opened the package. Another fantastic gift from Samantha. Thank you!

12 Days of Christmas Swop, hosted by Juanita and Chloe. I’m Chloe’s Santa! Check out her Wasted Fashion Facebook Page to see the gifts I gave her. 😉

It’s the new material I’m working with lately. Instead of cutting and bending thick, hard wire and soldering, I just carve it out of a block of modelling wax and then send it to the casting company. It saves me money because I don’t have to buy precious metal in advance. Wax is a lot less dear should I make a mistake.

I’m currently making rings for myself, while I figure out the intricacies of carving, casting, setting and finishing. I wouldn’t want to sell products before I was ready, would I? 😀

Here are some behind the scenes photos:
Rings in progress
The left one is actually my wedding ring! (it will be a little larger in size than I should make it, but I’ll be wearing it on my right hand)

Wax ring prototype
This ring is still in the works. I modified it since this photo session. It will hold the Old European Cut stone also shown.

Trying on the rings
Here I am trying them on. My finger size is a bit smaller than the pre-drilled holes that wax ring tubes come in, so I don’t even need to enlarge the hole. For some designs, I may need to carve the ring from a solid block of wax instead of using ring tubes.

Purple wax is my favourite, and not only because of the colour! 😉 I find that it doesn’t clog up my bench files and isn’t gummy in texture. I have used blue wax which is softer than purple, and I don’t like it as much. BUT pink wax is the WORST ever. Being a novice, I tried to carve the gummy wax with my wax file and it clogged up to the point where I had to dig out the wax bit by bit with a piece of copper, since using a metal brush didn’t work. Don’t make that mistake, because it will take you an hour to fix up the mess.

More updates on my projects soon to come.

I now have a Flickr Pro account! I can now blog faster and embed my photos so I won’t have to upload them. Hah. I should have done this a lot earlier.

Project 2: Russian wedding ring Soldering Rings, soldered and formed into circles Surface is still rough and unfinished Two rings cut open and re-soldered
Project 2: Russian wedding ring. So, the rings come from wire. The wire has a D profile shape. They are cut into the right lengths, then bent up and the two ends must face each other flat. This makes the ring an odd shape, but not to worry. After soldering the joints, the rings are hammered on a mandrel to make them round. Then two of the rings are cut open again, so they can be interlocked and re-soldered. Once that’s done, the rings are cleaned up by hand.

Texture Finished Russian wedding ring
Left image shows the ring, hand sanded to remove nicks and blemishes. I have also sandblasted one of the rings to give it a texture. The right image shows the ring complete, after being polished in the vibratory tumbler for about 2 hours. It looks so flawless. Only I know where the flaws are! lol.

Finished Russian wedding ring So shiny
So shiny! Fits great, but I must admit that I wanted it just a tiny bit larger, to fit on my right hand ring finger during summer. Next time, I’ll add 1mm to the wire lengths. Rings are very sensitive and my measuring was not perfect.

I’m so terrible with blogging! As usual, I only blog when there’s something big. Anyway, on to the show.
As the title suggests, do you ever wish you could see some of my polymer clay jewellery in person? Now you can! A selection of my work will soon be available for purchase at Ballyhoo Art in Geelong, Victoria, Australia.



They also stock a whole range of paintings, decorations, jewellery and accessories made by other Australian artists. It’s exciting to be chosen. Perhaps they may even distribute my work to other shops in Australia if all goes well. This is a great start for me and I’m really happy about it. If you’re ever in Geelong, make sure to drop by Ballyhoo Art (90 Ryrie St, Geelong 3220).

I’ll provide more updates on when exactly my items will be released and the RRP for them. Stay tuned!

I started my metalsmithing jewellery class 3 weeks ago, and at first I hated sawing metal. It was hard on my hands and I felt it was very messy and dirty. After 3 lessons, I’ve finished my first project, a brass brooch. Now I can say that I do enjoy it for the most part. It’s rewarding to have a piece of jewellery completed. It looks easy, but believe me, it takes more work. I believe it took me 6 hours to make this, a lot of the time is spent on filing and using different grades of sand paper to even out straight lines and curves. I hope I can make more at home when I have the equipment.

Anyway, on to the photos.

I love the sandblasted texture. I even put it on the back. The pin was once shiny, like a regular brooch pin back that’s glued or sewn on. I thought this would be the best finish since I can’t do this myself at home. I may be able to make a piece into a high polish if I get a rotary tool. The class uses a polishing wheel. It’s huge, and no way I could ever afford one!


It wasn’t easy to refine the curved holes. They’re still a little wonky. Luckily sandblasting hides many of the flaws. 🙂

The next project is a silver Russian wedding ring. I’ve taken some work-in-progress pics this time, and I’ll continue to do so until I finish the final piece. Not sure what the last project will be. It could be a bracelet.

I’ve been meaning to buy these for ages, and a couple of weeks ago, I finally did it. I had a code for free shipping, so I thought that was a good time to order! I designed these so that I could either use them as jewellery cards (for shipping) or as business cards. I ordered 1 pack of normal sized cards, and 1 pack of mini cards. I love both! I will definitely be ordering more, and perhaps have multiple sets, one for each of my different crafts.



I can’t remember how many images I used for these, but there are at least 25 different card pictures. The backs for both sizes are plain brown with text, as provided by Moo. I didn’t want to spend too much time designing the info section. I can easily get caught up in the whole process if I end up making my own from scratch — designer’s curse.

If you buy jewellery from me now, they will come on one of these lovely cards. I used to hand-stamp my cards. While fun for a while, it was also time consuming and looked amateurish. I never went overboard with colours and fancy card stock, so the outcome always looked awful. But not any more! 😀

Next on my list for MOO in Nov/Dec: stickers and single purpose business cards!

Also, I’m planning to upgrade my packaging boxes from handmade to sturdier pre-made boxes. I’ll be able to do this once I no longer have the 2cm rule. I found a packaging company in Australia that sells wholesale boxes in kraft/natural colour. These will be a lot sturdier and better for gift-giving. I can stamp the top cover for a personalised touch. 😀 Well, more info on this once I actually order them.

Want to score a pair of donut earrings and a glittery pink cream hair pin?

All you have to do is leave a comment on the first photo, on my shop’s facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=221689&l=f9c109a36f&id=329702710039

On 5th October, I will use a random number generator to pick a number, which is then matched to the comment. For example, your comment is fourth on the list. If the random number generator returns a 4, you win! Winner will receive both items with complimentary shipping. However, I still recommend getting it registered, for $6. I can’t cover that part, unfortunately!

Good luck to everyone! 😀