Bling it up - silver, garnets, & rubies Whoo Hoo

I've really been having fun making some pretty pieces,  ready for the holidays.  Rings: cone set basket set tube set, and of course silver balls!   Earrings made with hammered sterling cups and a post back, they are quite stunning!  Totally eye catching.  The pendant is a lovely tube agate and set with some garnets and a big ruby.   I'm offering my next class is Dec 18th "rivets and tube set rings"!  Got room for 1 more student!  Hope these photos inspire you! Most of these are available on my Etsy store, https://www.etsy.com/shop/leslievillarreal?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Here it is Part 2 Jewelry making and metalsmith hand tools video! From Hammers to Rolling mills!

TOOL TOOLS!  Why so many?  When do you use a planishing hammer?  What's a rolling mill used for?

In this part 2 video You'll get a review of nearly all my tools and what they are used for. You can decide if you need the ones shown and it might help you make good choices when buying tools.  If you want info on where to purchase any thing leave a comment on my you tube link and i'll add them for you!

So you want to learn to make jewelry?

So many of you have been asking me a lot of questions about torch set up and studio tools.  When I was first learning i met so many lovely people who were willing to help me.  So, its only right that I pay it forward and make a few videos to help those who want to learn.  Here is the first one.

You can skip the introduction and go to about 8:11 min into the video if you like! Please share it!
here are links to some of the items I use This video is and introduction to basic metalsmith tools, how to use a   propane only torch set up, smith little oxy propane set up, soldering, pickle use,  tumble polish, rotary tool, and foredom flex shaft.  Part 1 of 2. you can watch it here or click the link to view it on You tube..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2gigbfjaIY
Go to the you tube link for  are links to the tools if you would like to purchase them

Spinner Rings Class

Spinner Rings!  Who can get enough?  Last week my students made spinner rings from bronze and sterling silver.  They had never soldered, or sawed metal before and they did such a great job! By the end of the day they had made some awesome pieces! At the bottom are photos of  class projects and student work!

 LOVE to have YOU come for class too!

Studio is open, sign up for a class..

Classes Available!  Fridays and Saturdays
So MANY of you have been asking me for private and small group instruction.  So, I'm DELIGHTED to announce that I have my studio fully stocked, and ready for small classes.

  So let's make your jewelry making BLOSSOM!

This Friday from 10 to 4 were making  my favorite thing.. yep RINGS, and we are going to have a blast!  If you are interested in coming up for classes. I'm located in 10 min north of San Francisco just over the Golden Gate bridge.  I'm in Marin,  Corte Madera, CA.
 I offer small classes from 1 to 4 students at time.  
2.5 hrs for $75 or full day (10 to 4) for $150  
Leave a comment here and I'll get back to you or call 415-999-8720.

Private/small classes are a whole lot better than sitting in a hotel conference room class with 20 or more others, You get more attention and improve your skills quickly. 

There are a few lovely and affordable hotels less than 5 min away from me You can even take a ferry over from San Francisco and I will pick you up! 

  You'll be in a real FULLY LOADED studio, with proper tools and a real work bench, you'll get to see all the fun tools we love and hoard to make REAL JEWELRY! 

 From sterling rings to setting stones.. enameling and metal clay!  We can do it all.. Ready?

                             

  Let's take a peek in my studio......

The hardwood floors are covered with fatigue reducing foam

and there are double doors that open to the back yard so there

 is beautiful natural sunlight in the day time.

Can't wait to have you over!  Why not grab a girlfriend and make some gifts for 

the holidays while there is still time left? 

Art is You, 3 ring circus!

I  spent 4 blissfully art filled days last week  with Richard Salley and Jessica Jordon for their rings 3 ways and bracelet classes. Had a blast, learned a few new things and made some really nice pieces!

First up was the spinner ring:

Next up turquoise ring.. I decided to try a double setting with some pierced hearts in the back..Jessica taught me how to solder a lot of things all at once :) 

And the back side ;

 filling my ring tank, so I chose to make a enameled pendant

Showed a class mate how to torch fire white

But my favorite piece was this awesome balance beam braeclet! The class example was in copper .  I really wanted to do it in sterling and it came out pretty awesome,

 I think! 

But the best part of all is I met some old friends and made some wonderful new friends too! Can't wait to go back for more in April 2015!

Hope I've inspired you!

Bottoms up!

Or "culets up" My latest thing is setting faceted stones upside down.  Hey,  maybe I'll start a new trend!

Can metals marry?

Why yes!  They can!!!

I'm learning some different methods of marrying layers of metal to make patterns!! 

The one below is called multi-metal lamination.  It's a type of faux married metal.   This is done by cutting strips of silver, brass and copper and melting solder between them.   I put the stack through a rolling mill and slice off layers with my saw, then put the striped slices side by side and solder them until I make it as wide as I need it.   The result is multi stripes of color.

There are Many different ways to do this.  

ganskin has a nice article on it if you care to learn more. www.ganoskin.com/bori sat/Neman/metal-overlay.htm 

or ask me about it and I'll be happy to share more detailed instructions with you :)

Every problem is a chance to learn

I decided to add my multi-metal lamination slices to my hollow formed ring... Well oh boy- did Iearn a lot!

It's a very ambitious endeavor to try to solder a bezel on to a married metal piece.   Every time your piece is reheated the solder may move, leaving gaps between the slices.  

After my ring was joined I added the bezel and got gaps- but someone encouraged me to try and fix it, and I'm glad I I did!   I melted off my bezel in the process, but replaced it with a larger one.  In the end it was a lot of work, but I excelled in all of the troubles!  If only life could be that simple, huh?  

Here's the ring I ended up with:) 

Hollow Forms!

More and more I'm moving away form mixed media and falling in love with metal.  I find myself easily bored with everything but metal, and metal clay and enameling,  so these are the mediums I'll be focusing on this year and making some on line classes for many who have been asking.   Yesterday i made this lovely hollow form ring. It's massive and I really love the shape.  I have to let it set aside until i find the inspiration for the front of it :)  Hope it inspires you!

What? More hearts you say?

So I thought I'd give prong setting a try to mount this pretty heart stone. 

Since this was a new technique for me and I was in uncharted territory,  I started with copper, was good practice but didn't look good with my stone.. So I decided to make the back plates with nickel sheet and use sterling for the prongs and balls.  The fire scale was no fun but it cleaned up nicely :)   Hope it inspires you!

And here is me trying it on.. Heh

Go big ;)

Love me some sterling! It's the only metal I want I my fingers. This one is simple,elegant and BIG.  You can stick it front of your face and say "Fabulous Daaahling!"  Silly me... Having some fun with this one:) might need to put in on my Etsy Shop- Hope it inspires you

From scrap to art-

Hey! Remember that nasty old pipe someone gave me?  It just keeps on givin:). Made another bracelet with it today.. Hope it inspires you!

Caged wire choker

Made with a little inspiration from SLK... This one is fabulous .. The design possibilities are endless, could add some enamel here an there...!!

Resin heart druzy!

I love druzy's. The bigger the better. This is a faux druzy made from resin and glass glitter, set in a hand made silver and brass heart shaped bezel with a hammered silver choker.  Hope it inspires you!

Wings and hearts..?

I've always been attracted to wings, hearts and crosses.   I managed to get all those things into one necklace!  I made all of these bronze elements by hand.  I love the rough citrine nuggets with it.  Hope it inspires you! 

REPRESENT.. yeah go for it.

I needed  a drop dead gorgeous  statement piece to wear  with a black maxi dress to a black tie event. 
After all  I can't just wear some rhinestones..  I MAKE JEWELRY!  I need to wear my own work..uhh don't I?  It's awkward when you meet someone and they ask you, "So,what do you do"?  Umm, "well I make jewelry".  Immediately their eyes take inventory.  First my ears, neck, fingers and wrists..looking to size me up.  See?  So i have to R E P R E S E N T!  

 Hmm.. well I've been looking at the beautiful crown I made from Goldie Bronze Clay for months now trying to decide how to finish it! It's regal enough for the event I'm attending. 
   I love the beautiful look I got from my Goldie bronze pieces but they looked flat and boring.   I cringed at the though of darkening all that pretty gold color.  But, on the other hand, I wasn't feeling the love the crown I made deserved. So whats an artist to do?  I dipped my brush into some Novacan patina an applied it  sparingly to selective crevices of my crown and brass bullet casings :)  The results are, well..quite pleasing and give the crown a much richer appearance.  Combined with the hammered wire shank and beads, yeah  I think this will do nicely.   

Here is the back side view of the bail .. equally as important....

Hope it inspires you :) 

Hope it inspires YOU!

Shabby Chic, Just a visit to the hardware store!

So I was at the hardware store buying a can of mapp gas, and a guy comes in and says to the cashier, "hey do you recycle old copper pipe? This one has been nothing but frustration to me!" No.. the cashier said .. we do not!.   I saw the bent and wriggled pieces in his hand, looked like they came from under his sink. 

I replied, "Well Sir, I'll take it and make it into somethin purdy"!  He handed it to me and said "here ya go lady, good luck!"  So I took it home, cut piece off hammered it flat, and torch fired some enamel on to it.. and now its pretty!

Where is your current inspiration coming from?

So where is your current inspiration coming from?     I'm loving choker style necklaces with large focals and long dangles .....This one is Palm 23 set in resin with touches of enameled rings, pearls and wire wrapped beads.....

And,  this one was for  Easter!   I love the message of the cross and God's love for us all.    I also love fashion!  I've been trying to master enameling (which for me was NOT as easy as it looks) and was very inspired by Susan Lenart Kazmer's enameling DVD and her recent Elle magazine shoot.  The  look of her long pendants with large focals sent me over the moon :)  . Here's the result ...some robins egg blue enamel, prenite stacked beads and a very large copper etched  cross.....

I revamped some resin set pieces, adding long dangles and enameled elements using Susan Lenart Kazmer's cone shaped copper looks and mixing kiln firing with  Barbara Lewis immersion enameling method..which is much easier than traditional torch fire enameling since you do not need to counter enamel!

Hope I've inspired YOU :)  !!!!! 

Be blessed!