A hole

Last week was the final session of my jewellery making and silversmithing course in Sheffield and this week I’ve felt there is a definite hole in my life.  

I want to continue my metalworking very much, but reluctantly I won’t be rejoining the class in September for two main reasons. Firstly, it’s an eighty minute drive there, meaning I’m actually driving for nearly three hours in total on top of a full working day and two and half hours intensive work in the workshop. Also despite my attempts to drive economically I’m using £20 worth of fuel for each 100 mile round trip, which has added over £300 onto the original cost of the course.

I’m investigating courses in Grimsby and Hull, both within an hour’s travelling time and hoping I can start one of those in the new year. Until then, I hope I’ve stored up enough of the things I can’t do at home to keep me going.

So last week I had a plan. A ring to finish, a beloved pair of earrings with a broken integral earhook which needed a new earhook making from silver wire and then soldering onto the earring, bales to solder, loads of stuff for the barreller and more domes to shape.

I decided to make some of the domes from this piece of impressed brass.

 

The doming process altered the texturing from the impressing slightly but I like the effect and it’s nicely different from the hammered domes I also made.

Should give me plenty to do when I start adding the silk cocoons.

The earring took three goes to solder but is mended beautifully, the pieces in the barreller are ready to be transformed into jewellery and I got two bales soldered. The big project was the ring and it’s almost finished, just a minor bit of tidying up to do. 

More on the ring in my next post.

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Beginnings…

Only three weeks of my jewellery making and silversmithing course left and so much I’m desperate to do! I have lists everywhere; ideas and sketches of things I want to try in my sketchbook, jobs I can do at home with my small selection of tools, and things I can only do in the fully equipped workshop at the college.

So lots of things have been started this week, both at home to be finished/continued at college, and in the workshop, to be finished or continued at home!

Another scrap of reticulated brass to make another brooch like my goldwork spirals on the blue silk.

Turning this piece of gilding metal impressed with some sticky circles…

…into a set of covers for another book charm.

Impressing more brass with embroidered fabric.

I put this one through the rollers on a slightly too small setting, which distorted the imprint of the embroidery but the crispness of the weave comes out so well at the sides.

And some wide leafy lace, which being dark green, is a bit difficult to see at the top of the photo.

I have plans for this off cut of reticulated brass now it’s been barrelled.

And these reticulated shisha shapes.

And that’s not everything! Now all I need is about another 12 hours in the day. 🙂

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