Okay...there are lots of reasons for my lack of jewelry making and "radio silence" on the blog here - and other social media. In my last post, I directed you to the Love My Art Jewelry blog spot (link here, if you feel like reading it) , where I talked about an online class that I began on December 26.
The class, entitled Boho Cuff, is a series of online videos by Leslie Kail Villareal. I had taken her class in the Fall for the Boho Saddle ring and fell in love with her teaching style.
This is a picture of Leslie's absolutely stunning cuff:
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| Source: Leslie Kail Villarreal |
The techniques involved in making this cuff were almost all new to me: etching on sterling silver, setting a faceted stone in a hand-cut cone style setting (hint: there is math involved, geometry to be specific!), filigree work, and granulation (that's those tiny silver balls you see in the picture).
Well, here is my completed cuff:
The only true "Oh my gosh - I cannot finish this" moment(s) occurred when I was attempting to solder the tiny balls (granulation) inside the filigree. (I can also assure you that Oh My Gosh were not the words I used)! Every single time the flame hit the metal - those little balls went flying. I kept thinking of popcorn kernels in a kettle of grease. Yes - it was just like that!
I managed to get the granulation soldered to one side of the cuff.
But the other side resulted in reticulated filigree (translation: the filigree melted and bubbled...just a tad!) You can see the beginning of the reticulation of the wire in the photo below. I even attempted to remove the filigree and start over - but that wire had other ideas and decided to stay put for the rest of its life. So, I buffed the metal as much as I could, and I called it a day.
I am so tickled pink with this cuff! I cannot believe I actually completed this baby - it was days - and I mean days - of work and so many soldering operations. But - an immense learning process! I see so many opportunities for additional projects using these new-to-me techniques!
Forever grateful to Leslie's vision and the opportunity to be involved in this process.
Thanks so much for stopping by today - hoping you all enjoy your weekend!
xo
Patti
