Most Recent Posts 
![[]](/clipart/main-cat.gif) How-to customize your orchid blog -Part Two: Facebook | by kobrienjewelry
|  | There are so many ways in which we network as individuals and businesses and I believe that most choose facebook for both. There are many artisans with a business page on facebook, using it to connect with clients, potential client and other artisans. I have found that it can be a great source of seeing what happens behind the scenes in the handmade world. You have the ability to post photos on anything you like, be it your work, inspiration.... | | View full article... |
| More Laser Cutter Fun, or Organizing your GraverMach tools | by alberic
|  | [caption id="attachment_102" align="aligncenter" width="450" caption="Plexiglass graver organizer"][/caption]
So I have a GraverMach power engraver. I also have a fair number of engraving tools for it. They all come in quick change mounts, which is great, except that the little round holders that GRS sells don't organize them that well. They don't really grip the shanks, and they tend to dump all the tools if the holder should get tipped over, which seems to happen frequently. It's also not the easiest.... | | View full article... |
| Torch, etc. | by jay whaley
|  | There might be an assuption that as a male, I would be full of all kinds of pre-conceived notions about how men are brave and not afraid of fire, and women are timid and scared of flame. Not true. I have been teaching metalsmithing for nearly 30 years, and I estimate that at one time I was teaching over 150 students a year. Most of my students ( 90%) have been women, so I am intimately familiar with how many,.... | | View full article... |
| 2010 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ - Cutting Edge Awards Part 2 | by Robyn Hawk
|  | Back to the Cutting Edge...2010 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Collection - A2 - Open Category All Other FacetedThese are the faceted gems in anything other than a "classic" cut - there were some stunners...like this fabulous Aquamarine from one of my favorite gem cutters...Entry 249 David BracknaDavid A. Brackna Gemcutter Germantown, MD24.68 ct. bar cushion-brilliant-cut Aquamarine....and lots of Paraiba Tourmaline...Entry 557 Jeffrey Bilgore Jeffrey Bilgore LLC New York, NY14.73 ct. round Paraiba Tourmaline.Entry 318 Allen Kleiman A. Kleiman & Co.San Francisco,.... | | View full article... |
| My Bench has arrived! | by valerieaheck
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My Grandparents came up from Maryland and delivered my lovingly hand made bench! My Grandfather made if for me as my Birthday/Christmas present. This is the best present ever! I cannot wait to start working on it.
The bench came in many pieces due to the fact that it is very heavy and 7 feet long. So I got to help screw things together and level it.
Thank you so much for my bench and coming to visit!.... | | View full article... |
| Winter Jewelry Collection | by Sam Patania
|  | I haven't Blogged in weeks and weeks, I am of the school of not saying anything unless I have something to say, at least I would like to think of myself that way. So serious am I . Last night the Pats lost to the Colts in one of the best football games I have ever had the priviledge to watch. I love the Colts so it worked for me.
I have been working on a collection since this past.... | | View full article... |
| Lizard Wall Sculpture, hammer-formed brass | by shelbyvision
|  | I guess this is repousse, although I do it a little differently than the norm. I don't use pitch, because I hate the mess, and I prefer to be able to work from both sides, switching back and forth readily. The first four pictures show the beginning stages, with just wood for backup. The material I'm using is 16 gauge brass. It's punched and hammered from the back, and then pushed in around the edges in front. The last picture.... | | View full article... |
| Etching Class - Follow Up | by Littleton Studio School-Jean Matray
|  | The etching class is over and we all had a good time. As usual, I learned as much as the students. We etched for 3 classes, each separated by a week. Each week there were new ideas and new things on PnP to etch. Take a look!
Fiona (the cat) was etched using PnP. She started as a photograph, and modified to a line drawing in photoshop. I used the following steps: Filter-Other-High Pass (~6.0), Image->Adjustments->Threshold.
[gallery].... | | View full article... |
| Part 2: 2010 AGTA Spectrum Awards™ Collection - Business Day Wear | by Robyn Hawk
| | The Business Day Wear category continues with everything from brooches, pendants and rings to bracelets...however I did notice a trend to the Ocean Theme with lots of blues and some really incredible pearl pieces....Entry 264 Mark Schneider Mark Schneider Design Long Beach, CA18K green gold pendant featuring an 11.38 ct. Opal, 77 seed Pearls, Diamonds (0.36 ctw.), green Diamonds (0.11 ctw.) and yellow Diamonds (0.06 ctw.).Entry 43 Graham Edney Graham Edney Santa Barbara, CA18K yellow gold necklace featuring 98 freshwater.... | | View full article... |
| Pearl Ear Rings | by John Rasmussen
|  | With birthdays approaching in the next week, I took my mind in hand over the past several weeks to craft presents. I decided to make pearl ear rings with sterling silver wire, headpins, jump rings and ear wires. As is my usual design style, I prefer simple lines (not ornate). My muse thought of dangles with the pearl at the end of the wire, and this is the result:
Hope you like them..... | | View full article... |
| Fold Forming and Using A Hydraulic Press | by Laurie Jane Kern
|  | I spent yesterday in Pasadena at Farrin O'Connor taking a class on Fold Forming and using a hydraulic press. The class was taught by Carl and you can see his work here to get an idea of what we were making.
I decided that my piece would use copper for the majority of the piece that way it would look ancient - that and the fact that the amount of silver sheet to make the piece would cost a lot.... | | View full article... |
| Christmas on Main Street | by James L. Sweaney, CGA, FGA. GG
|  | Yes, it's that time of the year again. We retail jewelers all look forward to having a busy and profitable holiday season, but dread the long hours and hard work. Our open air walking mall was the perfect place for a kickoff party for the upcoming holidays. Lots of folks in the store, schmoozing and buying, a little wine, snacks and treats, live country music, crisp winter air-- 55 degrees is a wintery Southern California eve!-- and new merchandise to.... | | View full article... |
| An Essay In Crosses: Developing My First Silversmithed Jewelry (For My Wife's Christmas). | by aulë
|  | Today is the day I resolved to attempt actual silversmithed jewelry. I have the thin strips of fine silver I hammered out previously. I figured the simplest thing I could do with those strips was to make crosses for presents for my wife, her cousin, and her friends.
I tried out a variety of techniques today, but it really wasn't until the end of the day that I found what worked best for me.
One lesson I certainly learned, was.... | | View full article... |
| Day Two: AOS Opal & Gem Show! | by Robyn Hawk
| | I really wanted to get to the show early enough to report on the second day of seminars - but I am battling some sort of head cold - so...I missed Jim Pisani's talk on Florescence in Opals.I got to the show just in time for a great seminar with Larry Hoskinson and Leslie Neff (some of you may recognize them from the South Bay Rock Club ad as vendors at several local shows) on Discovering Yowah, Queensland, Australia. They.... | | View full article... |
| Latest commission - Arabic cursive "Angel" pendant | by Helen Hill
|  | This is my latest commission from a chap at my hubby's work - who actually appreciates the value of handmade! It's to give to his daughter for her birthday. He asked me to make a necklace/pendant with the word "Angel" in Arabic, about 2" long, as she loves anything to do with angels apparently, on a 16" chain. I gave him the option of me arranging the chain as shown below, or having half the chain attached to one.... | | View full article... |
| | by Tony
|  | A recent post from Kevin Kelly regarding an American law for a bloggers requirement to divulge receiving free products was the inspiration for this endorsement and blog entry. I probably wouldn't have made my comments to Orchid readers as this is a lapidary related product and will probably be of little interest to the majority of jewellers.
It's quite easy to dismiss this legal requirement as an "high class problem" in as much as "who is going to give me.... | | View full article... |
| Bloody Fear: Dust on the Bench Pin | by gingermeekallen
|  | Today I greeted dust on my bench pin. This is a first.
Never before, in 18 years, has there been dust on my bench pin.
For a metalsmith, the bench pin is the center of the studio universe. It’s like the bottom of a skillet for a chef, or the fretboard for a musician.
My bench pin has been covered by many things before, such as metal filings, wax shavings, or polishing compound. But never, ever, just plain dust –.... | | View full article... |
| Show Review - the ASCCT SC Jazz Festival Fine Arts and Crafts Show | by Beth Wicker
|  | The Artisans of the South Carolina Cotton Trail held their second annual Fine Arts and Crafts Show in conjunction with the SC Jazz Festival in Cheraw again this year. I was once again the show organizer.
We had seven people sign up again this year: a glass jewelry artist, three painters, a folk artist and myself. Plus one of our members who spins and weaves was going to be demonstrating both of these skills.
Last year we had a super.... | | View full article... |
| Rock, Gem & Jewelry Shows: November 2009 | by Robyn Hawk
| | 1--SCOTTSDALE (PHOENIX), ARIZONA: Wholesale show; Rings & Things; Chaparral Suites Resort Scottsdale (Conference Center), 5001 N. Scottsdale Rd.; Sun. 1-5; contact Dave Robertson, (800) 366-2156; Web site: www.rings-things.com/Show/3--SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA: Wholesale show; Rings & Things; Mission Valley Resort Hotel (Ballroom), 875 Hotel Circle S; Tue. 1-5; contact Dave Robertson, (800) 366-2156; Web site: www.rings-things.com/Show/4--BUENA PARK, CALIFORNIA: Wholesale show; Rings & Things; Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel, 7675 Crescent Ave.; Wed. 1-5; contact Dave Robertson, (800) 366-2156; Web site: www.rings-things.com/Show/6-8--ANCHORAGE, ALASKA:.... | | View full article... |
| Belt Buckles - The Guy Manly Gift... | by patpruitt
|  | I noticed its been several months since last posting in the blog-o-sphere...well...Halloween is just around the corner and I have a cool belt buckle that has a skull, it just sort of makes sense...
Buckles are one of those things every man should have...and most have at least one. From my perspective, dealing in the men's market, its like a watch, it should be super high quality, last a lifetime, and be pretty bullet proof. Enter my buckles. The over.... | | View full article... |
| Link Repaired | by leehulcher
|  | Dear Mr Stitt, The link to Mammoth Ivory Creations has been repaired. Enjoy the new store. LeeC.... | | View full article... |
| Catching Up, and More | by teresamasters
|  | Vertigo, follow up. Finished week 4, vertigo free and was in Physical Therapy when rolling the head to the right brought on a fierce episode, and son Gregg was called to come get me, deja vu.
Back to square one, and repeat Epley Maneuvers, left side was fine, next week, right side was fierce, and the doctor told Gregg and I that it was the most severe he had seen. Well next visit, I was rather apprehensive, but no repeat.... | | View full article... |
| Why is Sometimes Harder Than How | by Michael Johnson
|  | In my last blog I ranted a tad about inspirations and muses. Then I started searching out other blogs on the subject.
[caption id="attachment_178" align="aligncenter" width="238" caption="Cintric Cuff: sterling silver, citrine chrysoprase, and a star ruby."][/caption]
A photographer friend of mine friend had posted a blog where she discussed how she created her beautiful works, and she mentioned that it was easier to discuss how she did it, rather than why she did it. It spun me into thinking about.... | | View full article... |
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