Plum Flower Pendants

Took me a little while to finish these 3 pendants but I'm pretty happy with how they turn out. The sterling flowers has a black patina and a hand-rubbed wax protective coating. 5 gold (14kt) dots and the shimmer in each the (sunstone, labradorite and star ruby) is a great light-play against the dark patina.

Plum flowers have a lot of symbolic meanings in the Chinese culture. It represents virtue because it thrives in the coldest of winters and signals the upcoming spring. Each of the five petals of a plum blossom stands for the five major ethnic peoples of China - Han, Manchurian, Mongolian, Muslim, Tibetan. Sometimes the five petals refer to the five elements - metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. And it is also the official flower of the Choy Lay Fut kungfu system.

Round Top Rings

Here are 3 new rings where all round cabochons are 30mm in diameter. I used 1-1/2" diameter sterling backing so that there is room for tiny custom inscriptions on the edges adjacent to the bezel. They are huge and will certainly be attention grabbers.

I just bought stones of various types and sizes that can be custom made into rings to fit anyone or necklace pendants. You can contact me through my Etsy or Artfire shops. I've created separate listings at each shop if you want personalized inscriptions. This way, there is no obligation to have a piece of jewelry bearing any messages.

This cabochon is a Chinese jasper with striking maroon red, freeform color spots set against a gray background. It reminds me of the plum blossom painting at my parent's house, which has dark pink and red flowers against a white background. The painting was the work of one of the last Qing Dynasty imperial scholars, Yu Yao Yum. Click here to see a similar painting.

An agate that reminds me of Orange Dreamsicle.

A fossilized coral that looks like a photo of chrysanthemums.

Ikebana & Kusuma Necklaces

Just finished these 4 pendant / necklaces:

1. Ikebana with Red Quartz. This red quartz is really unusual because it has these really sparkly mica inclusions, like pieces of glitters embedded.

2. Ikebana with Labradorite. I thought this half round labradorite makes a perfect "bowl" for this miniature ikebana arrangement.

3. Kusuma is an Indonesian name that means flower. These agatized Fossil Coral is a natural stone formed when ancient coral is gradually replaced with agate. They usually have small flower-like patterns. Each piece of coral can display different colors, depending on weathering/oxidation and original mineral content.

I added some 14k gold dots to complement the warm tones of these coral.

4. The back of this pendant is inscribed.

Ring for Haiti, Auctions

I'm sure by now, you have been deeply moved by the sufferings of the Haitian people due to the 7.0 magnitude earthquake less than a month ago. A lot of you have made donations to your favorite charities. I'm appealing to all of you yet another fun way.

My metalsmith friends and I have decided to donate one of our handmade rings to be auctioned on eBay to raise money for the relief. There are a total of 50 rings, and they will be posted on eBay at the rate of 2 new rings per day. All money will go to the charity, GlobalGiving. Each auction will last 7 days, beginning tonight with a ring I made. Starting prices are set low to entice donations for this worthy cause. The link to eBay is http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290397426403&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:ITViewItem&item=290397426403&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT. This auction ends Monday, Feb 8. Please help by bidding on these rings and/or spread the words. Merci!!!

*To see some of the rings donated, you can go to my friend's blog for a sneak peak:http://metalriot.blogspot.com/search/label/fundraiser

**To see more artful rings in current auctions and to bid on them, please check here - http://shop.ebay.com/modbaubles/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p3686

Friday Finds - 09 Sep 25

Wow, can't believe fall is actually here. Just earlier this week marked the First Day of Autumn. Leaves are starting to turn colors. I can just smell the apple cider brewing. My friend Dianna's better half is already back from the wine grape harvests. The other day, I even saw a little kid with a black cap on his shoulders, test driving his costume.

Here are some treasures I found that just suits the occasion:

Clockwise from top left:
1. Autum Equinox by SusanClarkeOriginals
2. Autumn Neckwarmer by Ebruk
3. Cats Cats & More Cats Wallet by zaibboo
4. Handmade Journal with Wine Cork by BBesigns
5. Build A Flower Card by tigerlilyol
6. Pumpkin Inspired Earrings by BelladonnasJoy

Raised Bead Setting

This is my latest commission piece - a 14K gold pendant with a 4mm round faceted ruby. Due to the high cost of gold (eeek!!! $1,004 per oz as of this very moment), I sweat solder a piece of 14K with a piece of 10K, to achieve a .006 inch (1.5 mm) thickness of this pendant. Hey, you skimp where you can , right? The rest of the necklace is all 14K.

The ruby was set with bead prongs that were raised from adjacent materials. This technique is the basis of pave stone setting, which is one of the most challenging of all stone setting techniques.

After setting the stone, I put a sandblasted texture on the front and back. Edges are brought to a high polish. Finally touches are the quality stamps and then I signed on one of the edges. Ah yes, I still need to design and have a hallmark stamp made. Soon!

The group of photos below are my progress pictures.