The first pieces I made with this theme were a pair of stud earrings that came about as an idea for a birthday present for my mother-in-law...
I cut out some little sterling silver discs with my trusty disc cutter and experimented with some textured stamps that my husband passed onto me that had belonged to his grandfather. I decided I really liked the random texture created by one of the stamps and the marks it left on the metal. I soldered on little misshaped balls (deliberately squashed and battered a bit) and earposts and put them in my tumbler. This is when a little bit of magic seemed to happen because when the came out after an hour or so, the texture had taken on an extra sparkle (bottom photo). I chose to oxidise them for my mother-in-law (top photo) and this gave the texture an interesting depth.
Following the earrings, I made a little Rustic Disc Pendant creating another texture on the larger disc...
The necklace sold really quickly and I offered to make the customer a co-ordinating pair of earrings. Like me, she doesn't really wear stud earrings (I have wonky holes!), so I offered to create a pair of earrings with earwires...
Another addition to my collection is a stacking ring which can be worn alone or alongside other rings...
I am currently pondering a Rustic Disc bracelet or bangle... watch this space! In the meantime, if you would like to see further details about any of the jewellery in my Rustic Disc collection, you can find them in my website shop, my Etsy shop or my Folksy shop.
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I'm liking your rustic discs collection! The effect you get with the texturing gives the silver a pretty satin shimmery effect. I expect the collection will be very popular :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracy - although I yearn for a rolling mill like yours, at the moment I will have to make textures in a different way. The metal stamp collection my husband passed onto me from his grandfather is rather special as apparently they are handmade tools. I am having fun experimenting with them. The first thing I had to overcome was how to stop the metal jumping around as I stamped it, then I thought about masking tape folded over (my version of double-sided tape!). That works perfectly and even gives a little cushioning effect to the stamping.
ReplyDeleteThank you for stopping by to comment. All the best
K :)
your mother-in-law will love her gift! The irregular texture and shape are what make them so special.
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