Most of the botanical pieces I make come from species found here in New York, but I recently made a twig wedding ring in 14k palladium white gold for a customer who sent me branches from a southern live oak. These oak trees are very different from the ones here. Their leaves stay green in the winter, so they're a type of evergreen, and the twigs and leaves are very different in shape. And they grow huge, and often have moss hanging off of them in the south. My customer was nice enough to let me use the mold of her twig to make more pieces. Right now I have them cast in sterling silver, but can make them in other metals.

Here's the 14k palladium white gold version:

This was one of those ideas that I spent a long time thinking about, a long necklace, 30", and it had to be kind of pointy. Ha. It took me a few years to figure out what leaf to use, but I finally figured out it needed to be a sage leaf. The texture is dramatic enough that it's not all about the shape. The long necklace is pictured with a bright finish, but it would look good dark as well. The one shown with the dark finish has a somewhat more masculine 1.5 mm 20" bead chain. I think this is actually a great men's necklace in that length. Both are available here.

Here are a couple more custom orders. The first one is a Shoreline engagement ring in palladium 950 and the second is a willow branch ring which will be used as a wedding band. Palladium is one of my favorite metals!

Finally finished this custom order! Rough orange garnet engagement ring set in oxidized 14k palladium white gold.

This recent custom engagement ring had a fair trade green montana sapphire and was cast in 14k palladium white gold.

and this one in 14k yellow gold with gray-white diamond beads I think of as perfect for layering with one of the pebble necklaces. More will be coming as soon as I can wire wrap these beads. (Strangely, working with beads seems so much more labor intensive than setting stones the way I'm used to.)

Are these beads three different sizes? Yes, they are! 

Here's a quick peek at a new series of pieces in progress. These are fused, which is a very different process from soldering. Fusing means bringing two pieces of metal up to melting temperature so that they melt, or fuse, together. It's difficult to control, and that challenge is part of what makes it one of my favorite techniques. I also like the organic shapes that are possible. These two rings are not finished (I'm considering setting stones in them, like I did in this aquamarine ring) but I'm so happy with the subtle color contrast. I think the gray one is my favorite, and it's made with three different metals, sterling silver, 14k white gold, and a 50% palladium alloy. 

I've also been making a collection of pieces with rough diamonds, rose cut diamonds, and diamond beads. Here's the latest one, a sterling silver wedding ring with rough diamond cubes.

Here's a better look at it with a rose gold bezel on the Message of Love Ring.

and after hammering them flat, rolling them in my mill, stamping, texturing, soldering on fancy wire, finishing etc. they became two of the smaller pendants here:

Most of these are also stamped on the reverse side, and can be customized. I love how thick these are, and the distressed finish. The 14k gold love charm is one of my favorites, available here, just in time for Valentines day. The Constellation Necklace is something I've been thinking about for a while, since this custom order because I loved the distressed finish I got with etching, and when I made these stamped pieces, I wanted to try to reproduce that look, so I used some of my hammers and punches to distress the pendants. The little loops at the top (rather than drilled holes) were added because I wanted to make sure I was able to use the whole disc for stamping, and not interfere with the design. 

So those are my new items so far this year. Let me know what you think!

Off the topic of jewelry making, I made some gingerbread snack cake this morning and I wanted to share the recipe! Maybe it will put you in the holiday spirit. I'll be back after the holidays writing about some new pieces, but right now I'm focused on getting your orders shipped. And eating cake.

Ingredients

4 Tbs butter, soft

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses 

1 egg

2 Tbs grated candied ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp dried ginger

dash nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup boiling water

confectioner's sugar for dusting

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter/flour an 8 x 8 baking pan. Cream butter, beat in brown sugar, add molasses, ginger, and egg. Whisk dry ingredients together in a bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter/egg mixture, blend, then add boiling water last. Bake for 30 minutes. Cool, dust with confectioner's sugar cut into squares and eat! Mmmm. This is a variation on an old family chocolate cake recipe that never fails. You'll love it! Double the recipe for a 13 x 9. (I just prefer not to have THAT much cake in the house.)

*Edited to add: makes 16 squares, 102 calories each.

This was a custom order I finished this week. It's a 6 mm rose cut Moissanite on a 14k rose gold band. The bezel (platinum) is hand hammered to match the band. I hope the recipient is happy with it!

There's always a lot to ship on Mondays (18 orders this time) and messages to catch up on. I spent the entire day doing that, but I'll make jewelry later tonight.

This recent custom order is a 6 mm rose cut labradorite set in sterling silver for a pendant. It took a long time to set the stone in the thick bezel.

In 2008 I designed an item I was so happy with, a birch bark cuff bracelet in sterling silver. I think I sold about four of them before two things happened. First, silver prices went up dramatically, to the point where the cost would have doubled. Then, my mold broke. I had a plan- I just needed to find a new piece of birch bark and this time it would be cast in bronze. Five years later, I still hadn't found the perfect piece of birch bark, until this summer. I was walking my dog in the woods, and there it was. It was just what I was looking for, a deeply lined piece of bark, smooth, but with dramatic texture. The lines in the bark made spaces, which I loved. Now, silver is down, the economy is better, and I thought why not sterling silver? After this one is sold it will be a made-to-order (1-2 week) item. I have three cast in bronze right now, and I'm excited to see how they look finished. Bronze takes on an interesting patina with heat, and I'm thinking I could achieve something even more realistic. (In case you're wondering, the bronze version will be priced a bit lower, at $180.) 

A customer asked for a wedding ring with a design similar to my Rain stacking rings and here it is! The ring is not finished or polished yet, but the stacking rings are soldered to a band to make them sturdy enough to wear as a wedding band. It's about 3.5 mm wide. This will probably get cast in palladium or another metal eventually.

Here's a new custom order, just finished. I love how it came out! The diamonds are are slightly different sizes, ranging from 1.3 to 1.5 mm, and are arranged randomly to emphasize the twig design.

I just took a photo for a customer trying to decide between 14k palladium white gold, palladium, and platinum, and thought I'd post them here. It shows the colors (metals are from Hoover and Strong) but there are other qualities to consider, mostly durability. Sterling silver is the lightest metal in color, but it does tarnish (it can be easily polished bright again) and is the softest one. Gold is more durable, followed by palladium and platinum. In terms of price, sterling silver is the least expensive, followed by palladium, then gold and platinum. Palladium is being used more in wedding rings. I think its slightly darker gray color provides a nice contrast with white stones like moissanite and diamond.

This morning I'm making three of these in argentium sterling silver. They're based on this one: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6014/5985061089_6728de5501_o.jpg

Three Leaf Hair Pin, Fused Argentium Sterling Silver

Looped Hair Comb, Fused Argentium Sterling Silver (in progress)

I hope to find time to make more hair jewelry.

Chains are some of the most difficult pieces of jewelry to polish. Delicate cable chains like the one pictured above have many tiny hard-to-reach surfaces that make it impossible to hand polish them. Chemical dips are expensive and toxic.

This method is easy, inexpensive and non-toxic. In about 1-2 minutes, you can clean all of your jewelry. Boil some water, and line a small dish (just large enough to hold your jewelry) with clean aluminum foil. Put about a tablespoon (it’s not necessary to measure) of baking soda in the dish along with your sterling silver jewelry. The jewelry must be in contact with the foil, and be sure it’s free of dirt and oils by washing it with soap and water first. Pour in the boiling water. You’ll see bubbles right away. They’re carbon dioxide, just like in carbonated water. As the bubbles slow down, you’ll notice that the jewelry is brighter. In less than a minute it should be free of tarnish. If the water becomes cool before all tarnish is removed (this might be the case if your jewelry was completely black) repeat the process with fresh boiling water and baking soda. You can re-use the same piece of aluminum foil over and over for this purpose. It will eventually turn dark. This is the tarnish from your jewelry. It’s been transferred to the foil!

How does it work? It’s an electrochemical reaction. Aluminum has properties that allow it to attract the tarnish from the silver. The hot water and baking soda are an electrolyte- a very weak current runs through it. You shouldn’t notice any smell, or be able to feel the current in the water. The chemical reaction is mild and involves tiny amounts of chemicals, but its effects on tarnished jewelry are dramatic!

This is a custom order- I like the wide pine branch with a stone.

day's work

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

I love being caught up on work.

1pbweddingset2

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

This is actually my Ring a Week piece, but I've been meaning to add this set to my line for a really long time. I'm glad it's finally ready! This recycled sterling silver cast pine branch wedding ring set is made up of one narrow 2-3 mm band, and one wide 4-5 mm band. Comfortable and rounded on the inside. The species of pine is white pine, one of my favorite trees.

RAW3-3

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

I love the flourish the buds on this smaller oak branch make at the top of the ring. I added the little 2.5 mm Moissanite in an 18k gold bezel for a bit of color and sparkle. I like the bright (non-oxidized) finish on this one. It might make a nice engagement ring. Other stone sizes should work with this design too.

RAW1-4 Oak Branch Ring with Citrine and White Sappire

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

My first ring for Ring a Week (RAW) is listed! An oak branch band with dark citrine and a tiny white sapphire. Size 7, sterling silver.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/65785105/citrine-and-white-sapphire-oak-branch

garnet rings!

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

I really enjoy making these rose cut garnet stacking rings. They're made from fused argentium sterling silver hand hammered bands, and 14k gold bezels.

The top ring is a new 6 mm version I'm working on.

handmade with love

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

A little gross, yes... A heart shaped temporary tattoo I got thanks to missing with the hammer while cutting discs. Actually, I was showing my friend how to cut them, so it was extra stupid for that reason.

I'm holding two engagement rings I was in the process of setting earlier today. (Done and in the mail now.)

And all of my holiday orders are out!

aqua5mm

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

This recent custom order was not complex, but I did get a chance to photograph it! 5 mm aquamarine on a 2.5 mm round hammered band. Have a look at what some other Etsymetal members have been working on...

http://www.inbarbareket.net/2010/12/blog-carnival-december-2010.html

http://www.twigsandheather.blogspot.com

http://vtakahashi.blogspot.com/

http://jewelrytutorial.blogspot.com

http://nodeform.blogspot.com/

decorating2010

Originally uploaded by esjewelry

This is it. That's all.