Making a statement- Sapphire and Diamonds
I love remodeling old jewellery and reusing stones for clients to make something fresh and new that they love! These two rings are part of these efforts—I recycled some gold from the client, and used their diamonds/sapphires to make these two new, unique pieces in sterling silver.
I love the asymmetric look, and the chunky feel to them!
How about you? What’s your favourite style? Dig through that jewellery box and renew those pieces you used to love!
Make a statement-- How I helped to bring vision to reality in earring form
I love doing custom pieces. It can be so rewarding bringing something new to life in collaboration with a client. I recently finished a spectacular pair of earrings. Some pieces are quick, and some are not so quick. These were the latter. This story starts about six months ago….. A lovely lady wandered into the studio with a fist full of stones removed from jewellery and a bunch of other jewellery that still needed to have the stones taken out of, and some quick sketches on a piece of paper. She had a clarity of vision that was spectacular! I did some sketches, and then we had a meeting. One of the first things she said to me was “I have big hair, I need big earrings”. Well, she got her wish!
The brief was for broken and run down wheels, incorporating as many stones as possible. These guys are massive- about 3.5 inches long! With some pretty big stones. The challenge was to incorporate lots of stones, but still keep them wearable. In the end, I suggested extending the wheels a bit, to incorporate a cluster of stones on a post, this allowed me to make them so that the stick and wheel units could be taken off the clusters, making the earrings more versatile. So, the client can wear the clusters as much as desired (because they’re a reasonable weight), and put on the dangling wheel on special occasions when she really wants that wow! factor.
Next, I prepped the waxes, and cast them (you can see them here with the stones placed. Each setting was done, and then I played a bit with the wax weight to try and keep the overall weight down. I didn’t worry so much about the finishing at this point, as I knew that I was going to have to modify them alot in the metal.
The stick units, ready for setting with their stones! I added posts and omega clips, as well as jump rings to the different units, and ate away at the metal to give it a distressed or aged look. Then it was time to have the stones set! Once that was done, I did some more work on eating away at the metal, and the oxidised them to give them an aged look. And voila! Finished earrings.
Mission Accomplished! These were so much fun to make, and the client was delighted with them. Diamonds and garnets and sapphires and topaz, oh my!
Do you have jewellery lurking in your box that you used to love, but don’t anymore? I can help you love it again! Drop me a line, let’s have a conversation.
St. Andrew's Society, and discount
Starting a business is always challenging, particularly when you return from away and are trying to get things up and running from a stand still. Four years ago, I returned to Toronto from the UK with the intention of establishing my artist practice in jewellery, and kiltmaking. I had a plan (because I can only split my attention so many ways at once!): I’d concentrate on getting one side set up, and then work on the other. Serendipity ended up dictating that jewellery got the lionshare of my attention first!
Fast forward to 2020, and the new year, which included plans to start trying to develop the kiltmaking aspect of my business more. Well, we all know what happened then…..and, like alot of people, I fell into abit of a covid black hole. Fast forward again, and here we are moving toward the end of 2022. Amongst the activities I’ve done this year, is to joing the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto. Apart from conncecting with people of Scottish descent, they have a charitable aspect that I admire, and hope to become more involved with in the future.
In the meantime, I’m happy to announce that I am partnering with the St. Andrew’s Society of Toronto to offer it’s members a 10% discount off my products and services. Keep your ears up for exciting news about this in the next few weeks!
And….if you love all things Scottish, I recommend visiting the society’s website, as they have a pretty exciting calendar of social events! Hope to see you at some of them:).
-Robin
I got a grant!
As you may know, I used to be a research scientist. Part of my old career was writing grants for money to do research. Since I like to use all my skills (and it’s always nice to get the money and recognition that writing a successful grant brings!), I’ve turned my hand to start writing applications for grants, for exhibitions….for anything I think will bring me more exposure, and that I feel I will benefit from, really.
And…I’m pleased to say that I’ve received my first arts grant from the Ontario Arts Council! It’s a grant that supports (retrospectively) my participation in the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair (which I participated in person for the first time this year!).
So, what does this mean for me? Well, first of all, I’m grateful to receive support from the OAC. For an emerging artist (which I am), it’s a big deal to me. It’s some money to help me defray the cost of exhibiting (these shows can be pretty pricey, and when you’re new, you don’t necessarily sell much until people get to “know” you), which is great. And, hopefully, it will lead to other things! But we’ll see.
It also means that if you peruse the website, you should notice that I’ve added a new logo to the footer of the pages, indicating that I’ve received support from the OAC. This is important, to help publicise that the OAC is an active supporter of artists, and bring attention to it’s work from the general public. If you don’t know what they’re about, I encourage you to visit their website and explore this a bit!
In the meantime, I’m back to the salt mines!
I saw, I did, now it's over, and on to the next thing!
I’ve been a bit quiet. First, I was in a bit of a whirlwind in getting ready to participate for the first time in person at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. Then I was recovering from the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair. Now I’m just stuck into getting back in the swing of things at the studio, working on various custom orders (more about this in the future!!), and getting ready for my next show.
Which is next weekend, as it happens! I will be a Guest Artist at the Beach Studio Tour.
There are 10 studios that will be open to the public for two days, with 13 artists. I’m pairing with the lovely Carolina Reis. I feel like we make a good pair, since I like to include elements of textile in my jewellery!
You can find the tour map here. If you’re around Toronto, come visit the East End and check out the awesome art!
Hope to see you there!
I'll be at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair-2022
I’m so excited to be able to say that I am going to be participating in my first in-person show in more than two years! In fact, it’s only the second show I’ve done in person ever—eek! And….it’s…drumroll, please!… The Toronto Outdoor Art Fair!
Unimaginably excited!!
It’s 3 days of lots of standing, smiling and talking—I’m so looking forward to interacting with people about my art and jewellery, although I suspect it will be exhausting! I’ll have some new work for sale, including the earrings below and necklaces.
I call these my “Misfits of Science” studs—they’re made from the cutouts of my “macrophage” units, repurposed to make studs. They’ll be available by the one, or in pairs, but they’re all individual, so don’t expect them to match (hence the name!).
It’s pretty exciting to be able to do an in person show, and since it’s open air, it about fits with my comfort level in the ongoing covid era. I hope that you’ll visit me (and the show generally!) if you’re around. If you’re not, you can browse the online show, which I’ll also be taking part in. I will also try to post a bit more active social media stuff while the show is going on, so if you’re interested, make sure to follow me on instagram!
Don’t forget to mark your calendar for July to visit, and hope to see you there!
Tumbling--Current Exhibition
If you follow me on Insta, you might have seen these recently, and I believe that I promised a story……
Introducing Tumbling.
Every year, the Craft Council of BC presents a fundraising Earring Show/Exhibition, which this year opens on May 5th. I first took part in 2020, in a virtual exhibition. I had originally planned to submit these earrings in 2021, but pandemic malaise had seriously set in, and I didn’t manage it. So, this year I was determined to make them and put them in for the show.
I used a mix of casting and fabrication for this project-wax forms in progress
As I’ve mentioned before, alot of my work examines the duality of the human immune system; the positive defense aspect and the darker, self-consuming aspect. I mainly d this by the use of different finishes and colours. These contrasts are a nod at the idea that while these cells primarily defend the body, sometimes they turn against the self and become the destroyers.
Wax components mounted, ready to be invested for casting
The amorphous and organic forms are representative of the heterogenous and changing dynamics of the cells of the immune system, as well as the responses that they carry out in infection and disease.
Some auditioning for final addition of fabricated elements
All species have some form of immune system, however, the shapes, types and sizes/functions of the cells that participate in these systems are subtly different. The final Tumbling earrings are one-of-a-kind, in sterling silver, with garnets and needled felt.
Since I used omega clips at the back, I had to get a bit creative in stabilising the earring in order to set the garnets!
They are inspired by the shape of chicken red blood cells (which are nucleated, unlike mammalian red blood cells), and mammalian lymphocytes and monocytes. In four sections, each earring is composed of two parts, joined by a hinge. The kinetic movement, and their asymmetric design are meant to give the impression of flow, as cells in the blood are constantly on the move, and can also attach and "tumble" along the inside of blood vessels. (If you’re interested, the British Society of Immunology has some really well done explanations.)
Detailed shot of the fabricated elements.
Check out the full show here.
And…these are pretty big, and although they definitely make a statement, they’re not for everyone! If you’re interested in smaller scale version, get in contact, and let’s start a conversation!
Wandering round the Orkneys
You know that facebook function that keeps reminding you of your memories? Every year around October, I get a reminder that I went on holiday to the Orkneys (quite some time ago now), and every time it does, I remember how much I loved it!
I went with a good friend who plays underwater hockey (yes, that’s a thing), who was going to some kind of championship meet (fun fact, underwater hockey is a bit think in the Orkneys!).
If you don’t know about the Orkneys, they’re a small group of islands about mid way between Scotland and the Shetlands.
Picture from wikipedia
You can fly there, but we drove— six hours from Edinburgh to the ferry, then about an hour, hour and a half on the ferry to get to the islands. We mostly stayed on the main island. I would have loved to visit some of the other islands, but unfortunately, didn’t quite have enough time.
First of all, the weather was amazing! And the people were so friendly! It’s fairly remote, I think they’re largely dependent on tourism, although there is alot of independent art and craft happening as well.
Above left: Maes Howe, right Skara Brae, both neolithic remains on Orkney. The day we went to visit Maes Howe, it rained for exactly 10 minutes—most of which happened as we were waiting at the entrance to go on our tour—we were soaked, and then we went inside, and the sun came out!
So, as I mentioned earlier, there’s a lot of craft happening on the islands. One of the coolest things we visited was the Sheila Fleet factory. I’m not really huge on production jewellery, but Sheila Fleet is a big name on the island. Known for her Scottish inspired enamel jewellery, I love her work , and it was amazing to visit the factory (and the associated showroom, of course!!).
This is a piece of Sheila’s jewellery that I own. I love the subtle colour gradient in the enamels, and sleek lines.
One of the things that was cool was the views into the workshops. On one side, you can watch workers wet-packing enamels in the jewellery adn then firing them in the table top kilns. On the other, you can see the finishing process of the jewellery. I admit, it was a bit of a revalation for me!
This is just a small snapshot of my trip, but I have to say, every time I think about it, I think about how I’d love to go back! In addition to these memories, I have memories of good food, walks along the shoreline, seeing the Italian Chapel and visiting the Hoxa Tapestry Gallery. One day I’d love to own one of Leila’s pieces!
New Statement ring
If you’ve been following me at all, you may recall that I said that I liek to make new work and try out something new at least once a year. This year I have a few things in process, including a project to try and produce alot of wax carvings. BUT, more about that later!
I have several rings that I cast many years ago when I was first learning. I carved them in such a way that they were meant to be a base for a more complex design. Well, my moons later, and they’re mostly still sitting in my box. However, sometime in the summer, I dug one of them out and started thinking about what I wanted to do with it.
For a long time it was at this stage where I’d constructed the wire crochet/beadcomponent, and pre-finished the base ring:
base ring pre-finished with its crocheted wire and sea bamboo/pearl hat sitting on top (me, looking for inspiration!)
I had decided on the basic design, but I wanted to incorporate some enamel, and I was dithering about how the final form should look. Then I got busier with custom work and other things I needed to do, so it sat again.
When the New Year hit, I decided I better take advantage of my January lull (since all my instructing was put off), and finish up! So, I pulled my enamels out of the reaches of my locker and did some experimenting with torch firing some enamels on some test copper bits.
random bits of copper and enamel testing, and a small wee disk that gives you an idea of my target piece!
That went pretty well, so I progressed onto doing my tiny cups:
In case you were wondering, that’s actually a pretty small paint brush!
Success! I was pretty pleased with how they worked out. I’m a bit organic when it comes to these things, and enameling on silver can be trickier, but I find that I’m liking using the torch, it allows me alot of control over how much and how long I precisely heat the metal and enamel. All that remained was to put it all together!
So…. I’m pleased to present to you: “Spillage”, the idea behind it is the cascade of blood cells from a blood vessel.
side view
side on view- you get a good look at the “cells” spilling out!
I don’t often go for an over-the-top effect, it‘s a very chunky ring, I think I achieved the effect I wanted to with it! What do you think?
The eternity band
Who doesn’t love the never-ending band of stones? Traditionally, the eternity ring has been reserved for couples/anniversaries/wedding bands, symbolizing a life-long committment, and are often set with diamonds. But…..as with many things, this is no longer strictly the case, and it’s become a bit…..trendy…..to wear them regardless of your coupled up state….and why wouldn’t you? We all like a bit of bling!
Eternity bands are generally made with calibrated stones-this means they are all the same size-in order to achieve that completely edgeless stone-to-stone look. They are also pretty difficult to size if your fingers change (as they generally do over time!). However, that;’s getting a bit off topic.
My client wanted to upcycle some stones from other pieces that they weren’t wearing, as a nice gift for one of their young person relatives, and settled on a “faux” eternity band style ring. As the stones were slightly varying sizes, rather than a prong setting, I went for a bead setting, and to accomodate for sizing later, made it a bit thicker, so that metal can be removed later to make it larger.
The band ready to be set with the diamonds and rubies shown— we used a total of about 26 stones!
The finished ring- it looks amazing in sterling silver with the bead set stones. There’s a slight metal bumper on either side to give it a bit more dimension, and to provide some protection to the setting.
So, have you been looking at your jewellery and thinking you never wear it? Let’s start a conversation and do something exciting and fresh with it!