I'm on a Roll

New pieces I'll be posting in the shop this coming week! Holler!

Campfire pendants in Sterling and Silver-fill metal

As I made these, I thought of the father and son characters in The Road by Cormac McCarthy. "Carry the fire...it's inside you. It was always there, I see it." 

 

   

Bridge Double-Finger Ring in Sterling Silver

 A dainty kind of tough.

Silver Canyon Hoop Earrings

My friend said it reminded him of Cylons in Battlestar Galactica. What do you think?

Copper Homestead Hoops

Copper jewelry is underrated, but it's such a pretty metal.

 

 

Gold Kite Hoop Earrings 

At the risk of dating myself, I think these earrings are hella fly.

XO
Angela

Natural "Pickle" Solution

This one is for all you jewelers and metalsmiths out there looking for an alternative to commercial pickle solution. I suggest checking out Emily Wiser's and Jo Hollingsworth's blog posts on using vinegar and salt instead of Sparex or other noxious solutions.

For the past month or so, I've been using a vinegar and salt mix, heated in my microwave, to clean away oxides and flux that accumulate on my pieces during the soldering process. It really works! Here are before and after shots to give you a sense of how well:

As far as I can tell, salt and vinegar pickle works on sterling, brass, copper and nickel silver. It does leave a pinkish residue on my brass pieces, but that's also the case when I use Sparex. However, I find it easier to clean the "pink" off brass that's been cleaned with the vinegar-salt solution.

In any case, it's safer on your lungs and the environment. I think I'll be cleaning out my crock pot and using this mix exclusively. Thank you Emily and Jo!

xo,
Angela

Fall Photoshoot

Oh, man. It's October, indeed. An unmistakable fall zing is beginning to saturate the air. I rang in the new season by slow dancing in my kitchen with Ben to the song "Harvest Moon" by Neil Young.

I've also started watching Season 2 of Walking Dead and am feeling the need to cocoon with books and video games. I'm also sensing boots, sweaters, pumpkin everything, and soup. Did I mention I bought a slow cooker recently? Fall is ON.

I've also started a Knuckle Kiss Facebook page, which you should check out during your coffee break! Holler!

You'll see photos I took with some lovely friends, Rocio and Rebecca, natural beauties who were kind enough to model some new jewelry for me this past weekend. Rebecca convinced me to take the photos on her iphone with an app called VSCO. Sadly, I'm stuck in 2003 when it comes to cellphones (Remember your flip phone? Well, I STILL have one!). Since hers did such a great job, I decided my next upgrade will be an iphone 5. So easy to use and so much better than my little point and shoot.

Here are some pics from the photoshoot. These pieces will be for sale in my etsy shop. 

xox,
Angela

Delicate Double-Finger Rings

I'm back with some new work to share: two-finger rings!

This style generally reminds me of brass knuckles, heaviness, constriction, and a machined look. So when I set out to make my own double rings, I wanted to temper the toughness with a little tenderness. 

My rings are handcrafted from thin sterling silver wire and are, in my humble opinion, surprisingly light and easy to wear. I like to think they're a sweeter, daintier, more organic take on the double-finger ring.

Some pics...

I plan to have some double-finger rings for sale in my etsy shop, which I'll be opening some time in November! Finally!

XO,
Angela

My Handmade Wedding Band

I'm back after months of wedding planning and crafting! Whew! I'M MARRIED! WHAT?!

The big day was August 4th--a lovely day shared with the loveliest people in our lives. And though we had a great time during our wedding and our honeymoon (Maui!), I'm thrilled to be back in my studio as a Mrs. instead of a Miss.

Before I post any of my new work, it seems fitting to share the story of my and my husband's (it's still very novel to say husband) wedding bands. Here's a shot from our wedding:

photo by Holly Feral

From the start, we both knew we wanted handmade rings. Something simple and classic, but with  subtle uniqueness.

And, of course, we wanted something affordable. So we went with sterling silver--a hardy, trusty metal--and 14k gold. I lined the interiors of both rings with 14k bezel wire. Bezel wire, if you didn't know, is a very thin strip of metal typically used for setting stones. I found it worked well as a cheaper, very effective way to create a two-tone design.

Our rings have beveled edges, so to play up the design, I also added a thin strip of 14k on the exterior of my ring, around the largest circumference.

We wanted our rings engraved with the date and the initials of our first names, so we took them to Fred Meyer's jewelry department. It's a decent option if you're not looking for specialty script and need engraving on the cheap.

After engraving, I oxidized my ring to create more of a contrast between the gold and silver. In the photo above, you can kind of see that contrast.

Some closeups of the engraving inside my ring: 

The two photos above show a slight oxidation on the sterling silver (I took the dark oxidation off). Still can't decide which I like better--the slight grey, or the dark, gunmetal look.

You'll notice this post is missing detailed images of Ben's ring. That's because he lost the ring on our second day in Maui! And I foolishly didn't take pics of it before our wedding day.

Losing or misplacing rings early on in a marriage seems to be common among a few married guys I know, so I guess I don't feel too bad about it. Ben, however, was pretty devastated. He ended up buying a cheap sterling silver ring during our trip (which I've been calling his "training ring"). I think I'll let him wear that one awhile before I make him a replacement. :)

We like to think of Ben's lost ring as an offering to the ocean. Really, the ring couldn't have disappeared in a more beautiful place, in the ocean off Ka'anapali Beach in Maui:

More Soon,
Angela xo

I was in a Fallow State

What happened to me?