Featured in Rio Grande's Blog
I recently attended the annual MJSA trade show at which Rio Grande Jewelry was a major sponsor. Marketing Manager, Eugene Brill, gave a rousing seminar on e-commerce and he invited designers and other industry professionals to submit articles and ideas for blog entries on Rio's web site. I submitted my article " Flora Refashioned," published in Belle Armoire Jewelry. To my great delight, they accepted and posted it! See their posting titled "In the Spotlight: Barbara Michelle Jacobs Casts from Nature in the Concrete Jungle". I am so thrilled to be endorsed by Rio Grande, a well respected industry resource for tools, supplies and training.
Examples of jewelry cast directly from nature can be found here.
Flora Refashioned - How to Make Jewelry Cast from Nature
This past summer I was contacted by the Editor of Belle Armoire Jewelry and asked to write an article about casting Jewelry from nature. Specifically, how to make coiled twig rings. What a thrill to see it in print! Bell Armoire is published by Stampington Publications who are known for fine magazines on crafting.
Have you ever seen something ordinary yet so profoundly beautiful that you wish you could freeze the moment in time? What if you can alter that object and use it in a fresh way? I enjoy trying to blur these lines between reality, fantasy and time. I usually trip over my most interesting ideas and this is exactly what happened one spring afternoon. Just missing the cross-town bus, I decided to meander home through Central Park instead of waiting for the next bus. Enjoying the magnificence of the day and deep in thought, I heard a loud snap and looked down realizing that I had stepped on and broken a branch a branch. Picking up the very ordinary twig I imagined what it would look like turned into metal and embellished with gems.What are champagne diamonds? Or, how to make lemonade with carbon....
The term champagne diamond is used to describe untreated diamonds that are yellowish brown in shade. Intensity can vary from soft yellow to deep brown. Once, not so long ago these diamonds were regarded as inferior industrial grade stones and they were sold to machinery manufacturers to be used for making drill bits, files and blades. Teeny Tidy Studio - A very brief tour
Be it ever so humble...... here are a few quick snapshots. More to come. Viewing clockwise: Soldering station, "Every Woman Should Have a Blowtorch" - Julia Child poster by UUPP on Etsy. My beloved bench: Inherited from a dear friend. Story to follow at a later date. Bench & Tools: Obsessively organized. That's just how I am :) Microscope: by Kassoy Every set stone is inspected under magnification before shipping.
How Gemstones Are Cut
Ever wonder how a gemstone is cut? This 5 minute video by master stone cutter John Dyer shows how it's done. They know how to bring out the best characteristics inherent in a stone and fool us into believing they had nothing to do with the gem's beauty.
Approved Vendor of THE GREEN BRIDE GUIDE
This week I stumbled upon the Green Bride Guide and knew that I just had to be a part of this great organization. I took their "Green" survey and was qualified because I use recycled metals and antique or ethically mined stones but it got me thinking about what else I could do. After a little research, I - Joined 1% for the planet where I have committed (based on tax returns) to donate 1% of my sales to my choice of their affiliated and approved vendors. -Sourced packaging made of renewable resources which I will be switching to for silver jewelry. The new Celebrate Reclaimed Silver collection will be packaged in renewable sinamay. More info to follow soon. -Researched and purchased "green" chemical alternatives for the studio. Not bad for one week! But stay tuned for more....
May 14 2012
White Gold - Isn't that an oxymoron?
It is common practice to plate white gold jewelry with Rhodium to offset the yellow shade of the alloy, adding brilliance and a more refined finish to the piece. Rhodium is a bright white precious metal in the Platinum family. It is actually ten times more costly than gold and even more expensive than platinum. Rhodium is hypoallergenic, has a great resistance to corrosion, tarnishing, scratching and abrasion.
