Thursday, September 12, 2013

A Beautiful Break...


Anyone who lives in or around the Sonoran Desert knows it's rugged, hot and at times, unforgiving.  There are months of intense, high temperatures and we wait for it to break.  Toward the end of the summer is the monsoon season and then if you're lucky, there will be occasional rain showers.

The other morning it was cloudy, dark and sprinkles were in the air.  Out here, this is the stuff dreams are made of and I decided it was time to take a beautiful break.  It's true that if you don't venture out into nature at times like this, it's a missed opportunity.  I went on a little hike and enjoyed feeling cooler, the sun was hidden behind layers of clouds and the rain and moisture made the desert scents come alive.  I wished I could have bottled up the scent of the creosote leaves and brought it home with me.

Instead, I took some photos to enjoy.  You can look closely and see the rain drops all over the agave which makes it look like cool shark skin.  I also noticed what looks like some sort of images burned onto the stems of the plant that look like silhouettes from the upper stems.  It's possible that as the sun appears to change position during the day, it blazes in shadow marks of the jagged edges from one to another.  A simple example of the rugged beauty in this desert southwest!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

1/2 Ounce Silver Ingot and Paracord Bracelet


Here is one of my finished .999 fine silver ingots I milled with oak leaves.  I used the silver piece and black 550 paracord to make this bracelet.  It was quite a process to figure out the levels of milling and getting the impressions on the silver.  I really like the look of the metal after adding the patina and then gently removing some of it.

Monday, September 2, 2013

1/4 Ounce .999 Fine Silver Ingot Bracelet with Black Micro-Paracord







I've been working on some bracelets where I use an actual .999 fine silver ingot as the center piece.  I have milled the ingots, impressed oak and other leaves on them, drilled, hammer formed, added patina and sanded.  If you look closely at the finished piece, you can still see the markings from the mint which is what I wanted.  I made a black micro paracord bracelet with this piece.

I used hard boiled egg to do the first layer of patina and it was a cool peacock color.  You can see where I sanded some of it off in one of the photos.  I really wanted the recessed areas to look black, so I then used liver of sulfer.

Here are some photos of the finished bracelet and the process along the way.  Thanks for looking!

About Me

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I enjoy silversmithing, making jewelry, beads and working with paracord. I sculpt in polymer clay and desert themes are my favorite. I'm always looking for ways to incorporate the beauty of nature into my work. My work has been published in a large book called "1000 Beads," Lark Jewelry and Beading, 2014. I have sold beads through the Glendale Bead Museum Shop, a gallery in Tucson and www.wearartbyjulie.etsy.com. I'm an artist currently showing my jewelry at the Shemer Art Center in Phoenix, AZ.