This morning, I found an email in my inbox via the "Contact the Silversmith" form. 

The email was from Sharon J.  and she wrote the following:

I so appreciate you sharing so much info on this blog. I know how much time this takes. With you working and doing workshops, doing your jewelry, photoing your jewelry, doing the website & blog site, etc....busy girl!! At any rate, I certainly love your work and appreciate the info! I'm a begginning/intermediate silversmith, bead embroiderer, cabber, who wants to do everything right now, all the time!


I was quite surprised to say the least.


I know many people do follow but to know that I might be helping and inspiring is just icing on the cake or patina on the project!


So to show Sharon my appreciation, here is a link to her FB page - go have a look she does some nice beading.

If you have followed me for a while, you know that I don't I really don't set facetted stones and if DO use stones it is a cabochon. 

Personally I don't like having a big bling stone hanging out there in a prong setting just to show it off. Yes my wedding/anniversary ring has a big sapphire but that is because it is a wonderful set stone in a very art deco style setting.   

I have been asked to make some jewelry just to show off a stone and I won't do it. It is not my aesthetic and I must admit I avoided learning how to set a facetted stone so I could avoid the work. 

Until recently. 

I now feel that some of my chasing & repousse designs could be enhanced with a few small set stones - tube set stones to be exact. And over the past few months I have been looking at the best way to learn tube setting.  

I know, I know you're thinking "now she learns this?? why it is so simple". Yeah, there are lots of YouTube videos and other on line resources but I always have lots of questions and think of situations where something else might be needed; thus working with someone on this is best for me. 

And so when Deb Jemmott sent an email about an open studio day with her, I jumped at the chance to learn it from her. And yesterday was that day.

When I arrived Deb had everything I would need at the bench where I would sit (being left handed I usually sit at the left side of a two person workbench). There was 3, 3.5 and 4 mm CZ's, brass sheet, brass tubing, setting burrs, drill bits, and setting punches. We walked through the process and also discussed how to set the stones when working with a cuff that has repousse; especially when the stone is set in an area of repousse.  Then it was time to DO!

I set 6 sample stones - two of each size and making the setting from plain tubing. And then I set two more 3 mm stones in some silver for a pair of earrings for me using pre-made settings.    

Overall the day was a success with only the first stone a bit cock-eyed.  Here are just a few pictures of my learning piece and the earrings.

It has been a busy week at the code smithing (day) job and so not much has been happening in the studio for the past week or two but next week, some new things will be started.

In the mean time I thought I would fill you in on some other items

The Sea Urchin II (large) has been delivered and paid for by Barb and I have been given an order for TWO more - both another small and another large. I have to have them completed by October/November as they will be Christmas presents for Barb's family.  I have to get the metal annealed and in the pitch bowls in early September.

For four of the 5 Saturdays in August I will be teaching an all levels Chasing & Repousse class. I currently have 4 students signed up and there is room for two more. If you are interested contact via this link and I can give you the information.  This workshop will be held at the Palomar Gem & Mineral club in Escondido, California.

I have been working on the design for my next new project will be a bowl for my cousin who is getting married. I won't say much more cause I don't want to spoil the surprise in the off chance he reads this.  So if he does, he will only find out i am making something and not what it is.

When I say "A LOT OF HAMMERS" - it is in both senses of the word. last week I scored a lot of 20 vintage silversmith hammers. In actuality there are only 8 types of hammers but for each type there are anywhere from 1 to 4 of each type totaling 20 hammers in all. They need a little bit of work and I will only keep a few for myself, the rest will be sold so keep your eyes open for some postings in my store but to tease you hear are some pictures of them before I clean them and reset the handles.

This morning I completed the larger sea urchin II.  

I have been working on this shell, in-between various workshops and other trips.

I started this one back in April when I did the raising of the shell. Then in May it was my demonstration piece at the Palomar Gem & Mineral Club show.  And if you read that post you will see the first sea urchin shell that I sold to a fellow club member, Barb, who said she would purchase this one too.

But just in case... I have also put it up for sale in the store.

I am now ready to make one in sterling silver.

Enjoy the pictures.

(Last) Saturday morning, after a great sleep at my AirBnB place, I headed over to Adam's Forge for the first day of the high relief chasing class with Heather McLarty.   There were 10 of us in the class and Heather started with a morning lecture on the differences between high relief and classical chasing and repousse - in high relief, as she was taught by Alfred Habermann who was THE MAN in blacksmithing,  there is almost NO repousse.  

YES FOLKS  - None to very little. 

For classical chasing and repousse. The metal is bulged "up" from the back of the metal which results in the thinnest point being the highest point as seen from the front. 

With high relief, he metal is pushed inwards and upwards to a bulge with a wee bit of sinking... and from there everything else is either pushed around or pushed down. This results in the thinnest point being around the edge of the design and the highest point, 9 times out of 10, being the original thickness of the metal.   The Japanese also do their chasing work this way and it is called uchidashi and so if you are curious watch this video by Ford Hallam who I consider to also be THE MAN for Japanese metal work by a Westerner!  Also Jim Kelso who is another great Japanese (western) metal worker has a great page about it.

I knew this was a great technique to learn so for example if (when) I do another tentacle, I won't break through when forming the suckers.   Which is why I wanted to learn it and Heather being a master blacksmith/artist was just the person to learn it from. 

After the lecture,  we annealed our 18 gauge copper and started right in.  My design was to be the shop pet (not shop elf) BOOTS.  Actually she is the shop elf's cat. She spends most of the day following him around the house; naps on his lap and plays with him. Boots only see's me as the person who lets her into the house on weekend and who gives her the best chin scratches - other times she avoids me but I am gone all day with the day job so it is understandable that she has a stronger bond with the shop elf. 

I think Heather appreciated me being there (well she said so, but actuality may be another thing) because at times I would raise my hand or just interrupt and give the "classical" view point on chasing & repousse.  

On the first day I completed the bulge and started pushing down Bootsies ears and eyes. 

After class, we went to Heather's house for a dinner of hamburgers and great conversation. By 8pm I was exhausted so I returned to my AirBnB, took a hot shower and a long one too; then spoke to my sweetie and had a deep sleep - which was interrupted at around 3 am by the sound of gun shots through the open window. YES you read that correctly; I rolled over and went back to sleep.

On the second day I shaped Boots' cheeks, nose, lips and chin. I am almost done but I need/want to even out her lips, shape the nose a bit more and the left ear which I hope to do tomorrow.

Here are some process pictures as usual.