He Lost His Ring

Actually, he lost it last spring.

We thought for certain it had fallen into the depths of his piano, during a tuning session. We looked into the bowels of that complicated instrument. No ring.

We thought for sure it was in his workshop, having fallen into a pile of wood shavings after he removed it for tool-gripping comfort. We swept and sifted. No ring.

We figured it must be in our bedroom, dropped down behind the nightstand or his dresser. We searched and rummaged. No ring.

I decided I'd make him a new one, and quick, lest some unknowing lady try to catch his eye, believing him to be single. Still no ring.

Nearly two seasons have passed by sans ring. Next week, we will celebrate 11 years since the first time I put a ring on his finger, and I didn't want our anniversary to sneak by without a replacement. So last night, I finished his new wedding band and slipped it on his finger. Finally, a ring.

"The A Ring" is now listed in my shop.

Seeing the Forest...

Sometimes, I just can't see the forest for the trees.

See, one of my most popular items is the Initial Charm Necklace. Simple and straight forward, a single initial on a small disc. But, I have a confession: I have always felt a little luke-warm about this piece, as it is not one of my most original designs. In fact I have seen similar necklaces before, and this was my version of a classic, originally made by request for my sister-in-law.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago when a customer requested an initial charm necklace with a twist. She had seen some of my wire writing pieces, and wanted her kids' initials done that same way. Here's the part where I whacked my forehead with the heel of my palm. doh!

The idea was right in front of me all along—my best selling necklace, only made with a touch that was mine all mine—the wire writing. (Of course, ALL credit here goes to this particular customer, who made me see the obvious. Thanks, Laurie!)

Did I just recently say that custom orders made me nervous? I might be reconsidering that sentiment, as I begin to recognize all the ways in which clients contribute to my body of work.

Wire Writing Initial Charm Necklace now in the shop.

Labor of Love: Custom Jewelry

There's something about making custom pieces that both humbles and terrifies me. I mean, what could be more flattering than someone asking you to make their vision come to fruition? They must have liked the style of my jewelry designs, right? And I can only assume that they must have confidence in my metalsmithing techniques—my ability to fabricate what they are dreaming of, right?

So why, then, do I have this whispering voice of doubt in the back of my head that says, "Oh my, somebody has entrusted me with making their vision come to fruition?" Why am I not able to breathe easy until I get word that the piece was received and is absolutely adored?

I don't know why. I guess I worry that the finished piece won't live up to their expectations, and how my reputation as a jeweler is on the line. But I'm going to let you in on a secret: even through all that, I love doing custom work. I love the departure from my usual designs, I love working with the client, making design decisions, and turning ideas into realities. I love knowing that the recipient is going to wear a piece that has personal meaning, one that was made deliberately, with care, with the sentiment behind the piece in mind.

This spring, I had the opportunity to fabricate a few ideas into wearable pieces.

Emily, from Mousy Brown's House, asked me to make the necklace she had been dreaming up. She had a long list of elements she wanted to include, and was creative enough to be able to translate all her wishes into a design. It had to reflect her personality, and remind her of the good things in life. She had a clear vision of what she wanted polished, and which parts she wanted roughed up. And it had to have a little silver mouse. The photo above is the set of charms that hung from the silver ring, making the focal point of the pendant. That mouse? I didn't get a good picture of it but you can view a few good shots of it over at her blog, where she wrote about it.

The length was another unique element of the design. She wanted it to be long, so she could "wear it with pride above her clothes, or tuck in and enjoy secretly." Well, long she got, and I think she is on to something here. That length makes quite a statement.

I also had the pleasure of creating an anniversary piece for a couple. The husband came to me with a request for a piece that would symbolize the fact that he and his wife had now been together for more than half their lives. He, too, had a clear vision—a simple "clock" with 55% of it in polished silver, the rest oxidized black. The contrast of this uncomplicated design is striking, and represents much meaning for this husband and wife.

When it comes to custom work, I've learned to focus on these things: listening, asking, and reading between the lines. I include the client in as much, or as little, of the design process as they want, and I stay in touch and provide updates. Given all of this, you'd think I'd be a little more confident about how the pieces will be received. Well I'm not, but I'm starting to realize that all that fussing is exactly what makes custom pieces such a unique experience—a labor of love.

More Cabbage Love

Ever notice how gorgeous red cabbage is? I have. And I even dedicated an entire blog post to this most visually-pleasing cruciferous vegetable. Those pretty purple folds create such a striking formation. The contrast of color, the randomness of the swirls, the lineal arrangement that changes depending on how it is cut—it is nature's ultimate graphic design.

I vowed to one day give this cruciferous the props it deserves. Well my friends, that day has arrived. (I imagine you are on the edge of your seat right now? Ok, maybe not. Fair enough.)

The girls and I started off sketching and painting a cross-section of cabbage. Observing and then actually drawing/painting the many lines was fascinating and, for the girls, a little tedious. They both started off with gusto but eventually got bored of all those little layers and loops. Not me.

The obvious next step was an interpretation in silver. And since March is, apparently, the month of bent-and-hammered-wire designs for me (see Jane pins, and current header) I started with a strand of thin silver. I bent and swirled it in a random configuration, then hammered it all flat and rough, and soldered in onto an oval backpiece.

It turned out to be not-so-literal, this interpretation, but the cabbage influence is definitely there. My cabbage-in-silver series has only just begun, and I will surely show you more as I go. For now, this piece can be found in my shop.

This Week

School vacations are perfectly timed. Just as the daily process starts to get weary, a chance to change up the routine saves the day. And, though we did we did not escape to the mountains, or go anywhere for longer than a day, we took the opportunity to flip the days on end. There were a couple of days the girls never got out of their pjs, there was a trip to the Museum of Science, and a ride to Cape Cod. We had junk food for breakfast one morning, and a breakfast with the works the next. The girls have been staying up late, watching the Olympics with us, and cheering on team USA (we are serious Olympics geeks).

The calendar for this week was blank—not a single note or appointment scribbled down. It's only natural that a week like this would spawn a few creative undertakings. Take a peek into our house this week:

A set of custom pins, nearing completion (more on this soon)

Thumb print art, with Ed Emberley's Great Thumbprint Drawing Book.

A stash-busting work in progress

And a bedroom makeover, apparently

But we're not done yet. We will be squeezing as much as we can into the final few days before we return to the grind. What have you been up to?

Charming

Gifts I made and gave aside, I still have a few things to show from the holidays. Today I'm sharing a commissioned work, personalized for a very special Nana. A friend of mine had the brilliant idea to make a few custom gifts from the Remembery tokens. The first request was a bookmark with a token on it (a few of you suggested this idea in my recent bookmark post), and the second was this set of stethoscope charms.

Made with large lobster clasps and sterling silver tokens, these charms clip onto the tubing of a stethoscope. Now Nurse Nana can have her grandchildren proudly on display, ready to show off on a moment's notice. (This is high priority for grandparents, as we have had the joy of coming to understand)

These little tokens invite curiosity and beg to be held, turned over, and inquired about. The combination of the polished silver and the black and white photos give the charms a sleek look that shouldn't be reserved for medical professionals. They could work in so many other applications—backpack pulls, key chains, ID badges, ornaments...

There's gotta be more clever uses for these, but I just can't seem to come up with any right now. So once again, I'm going to defer to you for more charming ideas (sorry, couldn't resist that pun) and uses.

(More) Bookmarks

By now, you may have guessed that bookmarks would be on my roster of holiday handmade gifts. I am lucky to have so many readers on my list, so just about everybody got a custom bookmark, and a book to put it in.

My mother and my sister each got a fleur-de-lys in all its tiny, hammered, oxidized glory. I expanded on my bookmark offerings, departing from the hearts and baubles I made so many of in the past two months. And now there are scores of ideas swirling in my head—a simple dangling charm is just so easy, almost any shape could be used for these. I am currently trying to narrow down my design choices for a few more bookmarks to round out the line. Any requests? Suggestions?

Five shillings for my father. My parents have traveled to Africa a few times now, so I used a coin from Kenya for his bookmark. A dangling object felt too feminine to me, so his is set in a bezel and attached directly to the silver hook. The coin I chose was beautifully time-worn, with some of the lettering nearly completely rubbed off. I like this idea of using a coin, and I was recently reminded of a Norwegian coin bookmark I had made for a friend a few years back. (I had forgotten about this completely. Scary!)

I am thinking of offering custom coin bookmarks in my shop. They'd be a nice way to remember a vacation, especially because it seems like coins are the one common souvenir everybody comes home with. (Then they end up in your coin jar, only to get rejected by the coin counting machine when it's time to cash your pennies in...)

Hope you new year is so far, so good!

As for the Jewelry...

You may have noticed and absence of all things metal in my recent posts. It's true—I have spent very few hours in my workshop. With the kids home, it is impossible for me to sneak downstairs and get any work done, so we have been spending our days knitting, sewing, and cooking together. And, oh, how I am loving that the girls are big enough to participate in these activities in a much greater capacity than ever before.

As for the jewelry...

I am excited for the recent inquiry by a very interesting online store, for the gold I just purchased, and for the new line I have designed. Now, to actually fabricate those pieces...that's another story.

Openings Available

Openings Ring

Graphic yet earthy, the contrast of the free-form cutouts against the oxidized interior is stunning. This wear-everyday ring features a polished silver dome with organic-shaped openings cut out. Measures approx 3/4" in diameter

Click here for price and more details

Blog Debut

The first blog post!

This is a good time to let you know what AGA Elemental is all about:
my influences
my interests
my jewelry

Or, to be specific: nature, metal, all things handmade and local, fashion, sustainable living, books, the craft world, gardening, design, creative inspirations and last but not least, trying to make a living through my craft

Please join me as I explore this vast world of crafts and the Internet in an effort to nurture an awareness of handmade crafts, inspire people, promote my own work and the outstanding work of others, and become entrenched in this community of bloggers and crafters and tweeters and...