Aurora Simmons uses inspiration from historical weapons to create elegant statement jewellery for people who want to stand out from the crowd. many of these objects are uniquely beautiful even though they have been used for violence in the past. Re contextualizing them as jewellery allows us to reclaim our power and helps us connect to the artisans who created the originals.
You can view more of her work at https://www.handmaderevolution.org/
A parang Machete necklace in brass, sterling silver spearrings based on a 14th c original and a polaxe brooch in brass.
Or follow her on Instagram and Facebook at handmade revolution_to
I’ve been teaching how to create flush settings in my Gem Setting course recently and decided to have some fun with one of the samples and to share it here!
Flush settings are a very versatile setting style which can be applied on almost any surface, though they work best on curved surfaces. You can also flush set just about any shape of stone, though round stones are most common.
This little guy was created using some random Cubic Zirconia we had laying around, and a small synthetic ruby for his clown nose!
When you think of sterling silver, do you think high mirror polish finish? Alot of people do, but there are actually other finishes that can be very attractive, and not everyone likes the super shiny look.
Sterling silver rings (left): high mirror polish, with bezel set gemstones
Sterling silver rings (right): oxidized and partially rubbed back to show texture
Bottom: sterling silver pin with needled felt: matte finish
(Jewellery by Robin-House of Cassady)
How about you? What’s your favourite finish? Come in and see what else we’ve got.
Jewellery tarnishes as a result of exposure to the oxygen in air. This process is called oxidation.
Oxidation can be used decoratively in Jewellery that you see as blackened areas but will also occur naturally over time. You can minimize this natural chemical reaction by keeping your Jewellery in a box that absorbs moisture and reduces oxygen.
Small sealed plastic bags are also an effective way to protect your Jewellery from exposure to oxygen.
Anit-tarnish covers and/or cloths are also available to put around Jewellery or to use in Jewellery roll-up cases to protect pieces from oxygen.
Oxidation will still occur over time, but these methods will reduce the speed with which it happens.
The climate you live in will also affect the rate at which natural oxidation occurs. Warm humid environments will cause Jewellery to tarnish faster than dry environments.
Dry environments can cause their own problems by removing moisture in some gemstones and cause them to crack. An artificially dry environment such as a plastic bag may appear to be the solution for humid environments but will hurt some gemstones like pearls and opals that need moisture to preserve their lustrous qualities.
If you are wondering why some of your Jewellery appears to tarnish more or at a faster rate than other pieces, it can be because some metals and their alloy components react to oxygen differently.
Costume Jewellery – Likely will tarnish but depends on the alloys. Copper based alloys tarnish.
Fine Silver – does not tarnish.
Sterling Silver – Tarnishes as the copper in the alloy reacts to the oxygen in the air.
Yellow Gold – Lower karats will tarnish more as they have a greater copper content than higher karat gold.
Nickel white gold – Tarnishes a slightly yellow colour over time, lower karats tarnish faster than higher karats.
Palladium white gold – Does not tarnish.
Platinum – Does not tarnish.
Some white metal Jewellery (sterling silver, nickel white gold) is plated with Rhodium. Rhodium is from the platinum group. There are six types of platinum that make up this group of metal; they are not alloys but metals with similar properties. Rhodium is hypo allergenic and does not tarnish.
Some yellow metal Jewellery (brass, gold) is plated with high kart yellow gold for a bright yellow finish and because of the higher kart the less it tarnishes.
Just because a metal does not tarnish it can still get dirty. There are chemicals and dust in the air we breathe and this settles on Jewellery forming a fine layer that can resemble tarnish but is not the result of oxidation.
’20 Tips on maintaining our Jewellery’, Gillian E. Batcher, 2013
This is your reminder that Jewel Envy is full of talented goldsmiths who can make beautiful gold jewellery, have made beautiful gold jewellery, and do make beautiful gold jewellery.
When we craft jewellery, we begin with a small step in what may be a project that involves many different processes, challenges and new learning. Even an experienced jeweler regularly tackles things they are less comfortable with that may involve new challenges and techniques. Below you can see a selection of the numerous steps that go into making a custom 18 karat and opal necklace. Head to our instagram to see a more in depth video reel of the creation of this piece. This piece was created by Aurora Simmons of Handmade Revolution.
It’s a bit wintry out today, so thinking about cheery purple stones is making me smile. Which is good, because the birthstone for February is the amethyst.
Amethyst is a purple variety of quartz, and its colour comes from irradiation, or inpurities of different metals or other trace elements (although mainly iron). It’s got a nice hardness, (if you read the post a few weeks ago about Mohs, you’ll know what I mean :), so it’s a lovely stone to use in jewellery.
It’s also something that is found in Ontario. I remember traveling with my dad when I was young (he was a long haul trucker), and passing through Thunder Bay area, and seeing all the amethyst crystals, rocks and finished jewellery (yes, I was a magpie even then!).
So…..here’s some purple to brighten your day!
Lovely pieces from our studio members: flower pendant from Jenn (Frekkel Designs), large optic amethyst pendant by Gillian (Pash Jewellery Design), stacking rings by Robin (House of Cassady), and large flower ring by Alexis (Glaciale Goldsmith).
We’d love to see you, why not come in and explore what else we’ve got for the person born in February in your life?
Do you have pieces of Jewellery in your Jewellery box that you no longer wear? Come and visit us at Jewel Envy and our Goldsmiths can help you give your pieces a refresh!
This hammered finish sterling silver bracelet was tarnished and the owner no longer wore it. The decorative engraving was removed and the finish was revised from polished to a new satin finish!
