Knitting Silver
It sounds impossible doesn't it? Yet, in fun, it reminds me of the famous children's fairy tale, Rumplestiltskin, and the little elf who helped the poor miller's daughter spin straw into gold. As I take sterling silver wire and work loop over loop to create a precious metal chain, I find great satisfaction in creating something more magical and wonderful than the simple material from which it derives. Chains from a simple spool of wire...now that's fun!
Organic Silver Forms
I love texture in jewelry. Knitting, hammering, bending, folding and forming silver create such amazing textures and forms. Fold forming is a new system of metal forming which developed between 1980 and the present. Fold-forming is an approach to metalsmithing that creates jewelry by relying on metal's characteristics and following what the metal naturally wants to do. Rather than forcing form upon the material, forms are partially derived from the natural tendencies of the plasticity, ductility and elasticity of the metal.
You can see a fold-formed bracelet on our website Urban Organic Designs. Our "Silver Cuff Bracelet" has "ruffles" and "rivulets" which references natural forms such as streams and waterfalls. We love bringing nature to urban environments and accessories through our jewelery designs.
How to Fold-Form Metal
One of the best resources for learning how to fold-form is Brainpress. Here is the link to see the amazing fold-formed copper and silver created by Charles Lewton-Brain. http://brainpress.com/Foldforming.html Enjoy!!
Monday, April 23, 2007
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Gem Fair ~ Shimmering Gemstones
Exquisite Natural Gemstones
The Gem Fair, San Diego, had the most breathtaking collection of natural gemstones and organic beads such as coral and pearls. I went yesterday and once again was delighted to see such an abundance of shimmering, faceted gemstones at every booth.
Handcrafted, Tibetan Ornaments
One of my favorite vendors, Tenzin and Pasang and Pema Arts had a fresh collection of one of a kind, handcrafted ornaments created by Tibetan artisans. These pendants with their large turquoise cabochons and silver shapes with lizards, birds, dragons inspire me to create necklace designs with global appeal. My sister business partner and fellow designer believes that being in presence of artists from other cultures is an honor. I have to agree. As jewelry designers, we both rely on our cultural life experience to create feminine and eclectic adornment.
Labradorite Briolettes
I purchased a strand of fancy, shimmering Labradorite gemstone briolettes. Labradorite is a gemstone that exhibits a high degree of irridescence like spectrolite and moonstones. High-quality stones are the result of light refracting from intergrowths created as the stone cooled. Stones with good iridescence are prized, expensive and highly sought after in high-quality jewelry.
Design Collaborations ~ Lapidary to Designer
I love the Gem Fair experience! The fair sparks hundreds of ideas and creates mental pictures of luxurious designs just waiting to happen. There is always something new! This trip, I also found exquisite, earthy white turquoise, free-form slab beads. These magnificent pieces remind me of the story of that every bead has ~ from the turquoise mines, the geologists, the lapidary specialists, the vendors both national and international, the jewelry artists and designers, to finally, the customers viewing the art work at galleries and art fairs. What an unspoken but amazing collaboration it is!
Gem fairs are hosted throughout the United States--a fun day for anyone, and a real inspiration for jewelry designers.
The Gem Fair, San Diego, had the most breathtaking collection of natural gemstones and organic beads such as coral and pearls. I went yesterday and once again was delighted to see such an abundance of shimmering, faceted gemstones at every booth.
Handcrafted, Tibetan Ornaments
One of my favorite vendors, Tenzin and Pasang and Pema Arts had a fresh collection of one of a kind, handcrafted ornaments created by Tibetan artisans. These pendants with their large turquoise cabochons and silver shapes with lizards, birds, dragons inspire me to create necklace designs with global appeal. My sister business partner and fellow designer believes that being in presence of artists from other cultures is an honor. I have to agree. As jewelry designers, we both rely on our cultural life experience to create feminine and eclectic adornment.
Labradorite Briolettes
I purchased a strand of fancy, shimmering Labradorite gemstone briolettes. Labradorite is a gemstone that exhibits a high degree of irridescence like spectrolite and moonstones. High-quality stones are the result of light refracting from intergrowths created as the stone cooled. Stones with good iridescence are prized, expensive and highly sought after in high-quality jewelry.
Design Collaborations ~ Lapidary to Designer
I love the Gem Fair experience! The fair sparks hundreds of ideas and creates mental pictures of luxurious designs just waiting to happen. There is always something new! This trip, I also found exquisite, earthy white turquoise, free-form slab beads. These magnificent pieces remind me of the story of that every bead has ~ from the turquoise mines, the geologists, the lapidary specialists, the vendors both national and international, the jewelry artists and designers, to finally, the customers viewing the art work at galleries and art fairs. What an unspoken but amazing collaboration it is!
Gem fairs are hosted throughout the United States--a fun day for anyone, and a real inspiration for jewelry designers.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Wear the Wealth ~ Create A New Accessory
Jewelry Design Now
Jewelry designs now are wonderfully diverse and creative. From dainty feminine to bold and assertive, jewelry designs have switched up the volume. But whether you choose Swarovski crystals or hammered silver and turquoise, well-designed jewelry can be expensive. While it is fun to go to art fairs and scope out art jewelry, sometimes you can create your own new, distinctly feminine look by looking through your own jewelry box with fresh eyes.
Stacked Bracelets and Necklaces
Try playing with your bracelets first. You can create a layered look in more than one way. Several bracelets with complementary color, materials or themes can be worn together. You can create a “luxe” look by layering chain bracelets with teardrop crystals or gemstones. Or…be daring and stack bangles or single strand bracelets from your wrist to mid-forearm. And of course, you can always take a beaded necklace and wrap it around your wrist for a rich, feminine look too. Consider layering your necklaces too. Many jewelry designers have created pieces of jewelry that already incorporate the layered look with multi-strands and twisted “torsades”. You can put together your own expressive form of this look. Try putting “unexpected” elements together. You can add a dash of bold color with other more earthy tones. Add a touch of sparkle and light of crystals with natural materials such as wood or shell pieces.
Themes and Stories
When I design new art jewelry pieces, I often get a theme in mind. For instance, I recently found some international postage stamps that were cased in sterling silver. There were doves, angels, and ships in the stamp designs. I had some older, Mother of Pearl, turquoise and silver chain necklaces that were a bit dated. Putting them together, I created a new collection around a new theme “The Sands of Time”. The collection is wonderfully beachy and tells a story too. You can do much the same thing by putting together unexpected combinations with a common theme. They will tell a new story...about you!
It’s fun to experiment and though it can sometimes feel like you’re in grandma’s attic doing the “dress up” thing…you may just come up with a new look AND a new you! You can find one of a kind jewelry and more jewelry information at UrbanOrganicDesigns.
Carol
Jewelry designs now are wonderfully diverse and creative. From dainty feminine to bold and assertive, jewelry designs have switched up the volume. But whether you choose Swarovski crystals or hammered silver and turquoise, well-designed jewelry can be expensive. While it is fun to go to art fairs and scope out art jewelry, sometimes you can create your own new, distinctly feminine look by looking through your own jewelry box with fresh eyes.
Stacked Bracelets and Necklaces
Try playing with your bracelets first. You can create a layered look in more than one way. Several bracelets with complementary color, materials or themes can be worn together. You can create a “luxe” look by layering chain bracelets with teardrop crystals or gemstones. Or…be daring and stack bangles or single strand bracelets from your wrist to mid-forearm. And of course, you can always take a beaded necklace and wrap it around your wrist for a rich, feminine look too. Consider layering your necklaces too. Many jewelry designers have created pieces of jewelry that already incorporate the layered look with multi-strands and twisted “torsades”. You can put together your own expressive form of this look. Try putting “unexpected” elements together. You can add a dash of bold color with other more earthy tones. Add a touch of sparkle and light of crystals with natural materials such as wood or shell pieces.
Themes and Stories
When I design new art jewelry pieces, I often get a theme in mind. For instance, I recently found some international postage stamps that were cased in sterling silver. There were doves, angels, and ships in the stamp designs. I had some older, Mother of Pearl, turquoise and silver chain necklaces that were a bit dated. Putting them together, I created a new collection around a new theme “The Sands of Time”. The collection is wonderfully beachy and tells a story too. You can do much the same thing by putting together unexpected combinations with a common theme. They will tell a new story...about you!
It’s fun to experiment and though it can sometimes feel like you’re in grandma’s attic doing the “dress up” thing…you may just come up with a new look AND a new you! You can find one of a kind jewelry and more jewelry information at UrbanOrganicDesigns.
Carol
Welcome to Urban Organic Designs!
Welcome to Urban Organic Designs! I am excited to share this space with you. I plan to dialogue about art jewelry designing, will share photos of interesting designs and will gather new, creative ideas. I am a jewelry designer who works in precious metals, stones and crystals such as Turquoise, Amethyst, Peridot, and Citrine. I will be sharing my my own creative processes and my thoughts about art jewelry designing, fabricating and forging metal, and designing wax for metal casting plus information on ornament and adornment.
You might wonder about the title Urban Organic Designs. Several years ago, when brainstorming we tried unexpected combinations and came up with Urban Organic. It speaks about bringing the natural world of gemstones and the designs nature provides, to urban environments. Our jewelry designs speak about the instinct we all have to be "for" and "of" nature.
So...welcome to our site and hope you visit often. I look forward to sharing my journey with you.
Carol
You might wonder about the title Urban Organic Designs. Several years ago, when brainstorming we tried unexpected combinations and came up with Urban Organic. It speaks about bringing the natural world of gemstones and the designs nature provides, to urban environments. Our jewelry designs speak about the instinct we all have to be "for" and "of" nature.
So...welcome to our site and hope you visit often. I look forward to sharing my journey with you.
Carol
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