Have I mentioned that I'm tired of the mud?

I'll be wearing boots until the 4th of July, I swear.

Dalmatian Jasper and Sterling Silver Ring . . .

This is the story of a Silpada ring and the stone that had slipped down inside the setting. At first glance it seemed that the stone possibly had taken a hit and the stone shoved further into the open setting and off what I hoped was just a step bezel. Not so.

It is important to know just what a simple bezel setting is and how it works. A thin strip of metal is cut and shaped into the exact diameter of the cabochon, or stone, and the edges of the base of the stone must be exactly the size of the bezel. The idea is to be able to drop your stone into the bezel once the bezel is soldered onto a base and the edges of the bezel will be carefully pushed over the top edges of the stone to hold it in place. Without a good fit, when the stone is set it will shift in the setting and not seat well. We don't want it rattling around in the setting, do we? So a perfect fit is key.

It was my hope that this stone had just been pushed down over the edge of a step bezel, which is a bezel setting where the bezel is not soldered to a solid base but has a small ledge for the stone to rest on, thereby leaving the back of the stone exposed. However, when I lifted the stone from the ring, this is what I saw. The wall of the bezel was thick, much thicker than normal, and appeared to be a cast piece instead of a constructed piece. In order for the stone to have a ledge to rest on and in lieu of a solid base, a burr had been used to carve out a 'step' so that the stone (in theory) would snap into position and not move. [Not a particularly safe way to set a stone (obviously, since I repaired it) and as a craftsperson, I would never construct this setting for a stone I thought was important but probably it was easier and less time-consuming for the maker of this piece. Workmanship is important when you want your work to last.]

I removed the stone by carefully prying open the bezel edges where it typically is pushed over the edges of a cabochon. Once opened, the stone came all the way out and I could see down into the open ring. No step bezel. Jeez, now what.

My solution was to use sandblasting media which, in this case, is super fine glass particles that I mixed with epoxy and slowly built up the inside of the ring so the stone would have a solid bed to sit on. Once dry, it ought to have a bit more durability than before. There are some who advocate the use of sawdust to create a base but I would think that if your hands were in water and a ring you were wearing had a sawdust base, that the water could seep into the setting and expand, causing the stone to loosen and pop out. Just a thought. And I don't think sawdust is a particularly good solution.

I reset the cab, burnished the edges over the walls of the stone and polished it briefly on the buffer. This ring is solid and has a lovely patina and is a real hefty beauty and the Dalmatian Jasper is a sweet little stone. I can see why my client wanted it saved and I hope this one lasts a lifetime.

Lovely heart . . .

This is one gorgeous stone. A showstopper.

An incredibly colorful piece of Moctezuma Agate with beautiful bands of orange, pink, green and buff and is striking when pinned to my brown wool jacket. I bezel set in a large open heart shape, all sterling silver.

New work for Art & Soup Show in Omaha . . .

I've been pretty busy in the shop getting major work stockpiled for an upcoming show in Omaha, Art & Soup, as well as several galleries. The cat animal help really isn't so much help but they are good company.

I finally feel like my work has a cohesive look to it and I've found my artist's hand so I'm pleased with what I'm turning out. Of course, time will tell if anyone else is as pleased but it was a good holiday season and i'm keeping my fingers crossed that the Spring look and feel to these pieces will do well.

I look at some of my work from years past and think it has a rather hodge-podge look and laying all of this out on the worktable to inventory makes me smile.

What is it about . . .

. . . spreading my new work out for inventory that attracts these animals? Oprah guards the earrings

and Ink stakes her claim in the middle of the necklaces and bracelets.

They're such a big help.

And sometimes it's all about me . . .

I've been really, really busy working on new pieces for two upcoming shows and galleries and replenishing things ever since the beginning of January. Quite honestly with all of the snow and ice we've gotten recently, staying inside in my cozy little shop has been pretty easy. However, I find that working on production stock is not always artistically satisfying so creating something for myself today was all about lynn.

I've wanted to make a 3-d piece for some time, a box shape or a bead - I wasn't quite sure what. So today I got out my 26ga sheet and punched two 5/8 disks then punched two disks out of those making little doughnuts (mmmm . . . doughnuts) I cut a strip of heavy gauge bezel wire and made a ring a bit smaller than the disks, soldered the three pieces together so that I had my little open bead and I drilled two holes in the top and the bottom of the sides. I oxidized the doughnut (mmmm . . . doughnuts), brush-finished it with an old emery board and hung an imperfect smoky bead of Aquamarine that I had cracked earlier this week.

I really like the whole aspect of this pendant and I think it will only get better with age and wearing against my skin. It's an everyday piece just for me.

Valentine's Day . . .

These sweet litte earrings are so simple. No embellishment. Nothing fancy. They are what they are and I love them.