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Sterling Silver Necklace Made In Maitland Art Center Jewelry Fabrication Class

sterling_silver_dichroic_glass_necklace_handcrafted.jpgI spent much of this session’s Jewelry Fabrication class at the Maitland Art Center working on this necklace, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.  I finally got to use this dichroic glass cabochon which I bought from a vendor at the Lake Eola Fiesta in the Park last year. I’m generally not a big fan of some of the dichroic glass that’s out there, but I liked how this one looked almost like an opal.

Making the chain was a challenge. I melted more than a few links in the process, but I felt really satisfied after completing it. I made all of the jump rings and the toggle clasp from sterling silver wire and cut, sawed and soldered sterling silver sheet and bezel wire to make the bezel setting.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think!

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Sterling Silver Earrings Hand-Stamped with Stars

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While shopping at my favorite local jewelry tool supplier (FDJ Tool) this past weekend,  I spotted a girl with some cool earrings which inspired these. Hers had a lot more going on than these, but I liked the look of her earwires and wanted to try something similar. I’m very happy with the look, but now that I’ve made these, I’m not sure how secure they actually are. I’ll have to take them for a test drive this week to see if I can make it to work and back wearing both earrings.

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To make these, I started with some sterling silver sheet and used a metal punch to cut out a disk and cut it down the middle with a jeweler’s saw. I also picked up a couple of design stamps on my shopping excursion, and used one to hand-stamp these dainty little stars. A little sanding smoothed the edges and gave them a brushed finish, and I added the silky grey pearl dangles to give them some swing.

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

Etsy Shop Update

I’ve added a couple of new items to my Etsy shop. Check it out, and I welcome any feedback you might have regarding my shop and shop policies as they are still a bit of a work-in-progress.