Amy Abrams Designs

Finishing New Work – Part II – The Tumbler’s Revenge

Amy — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:04:34 +0000

So, after spending twice as long as usual in traffic on my way home from work (and I leave early, I don’t travel during rush hour) because of the hostage situation in Downtown Silver Spring affecting all the roads in my area, I finally get home – find a notice from the Post Office that my package of findings was not delivered because it required my signature, which I specifically asked the company sending it to NOT require a signature, do my chores around the house, eat dinner and settle in for a little Brush n’ Tumble. I brushed enough silver for a couple of tumbler loads and put my first load in the tumbler. I always put it on a towel on the floor in the upstairs living (which is on a slab) to absorb any noise vibration but I usually need to adjust it a few times during the first load of the season. Sure enough, a few minutes later the thing was squeaking like crazy so I just lifted the whole thing up at an angle (like I usually do) to adjust the position of the barrel, which migrates and winds up rubbing against the mechanism – hence the squeak – and it stopped rotating! I then had to search high and low for a screw driver so that I could take it apart and see what was going on. That took 1/2 hour. Finally, I found one, took the thing apart, and found that the little rubber ring that attaches to the motor and makes it rotate had slipped off and it was an easy fix.

So, after an afternoon and evening of escalating aggravation I finally was able to tumble one load. Bleah.

That load was in the tumbler for over 2 hours and it wasn’t nearly as shiny as I would’ve expected.

Tonight I have two loads ready to go but I still have more that I have to brush – its going to be a looooooooong night…

Finishing New Work

Amy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:18:52 +0000

Here’s some advice: When finishing your new metal clay pieces (pre-firing) be really careful. I spent all of yesterday evening sanding and filing all my new work and now, instead of 68 new pairs of earrings I have 64 and two of the new “triptych” necklaces I had planned are now single pendant necklaces. Why? Because while I was sanding and filing several pieces broke. Some of this was while I was re-drilling holes, some of it was while I was just sanding. I tend to make small earrings thin as I know that this makes the earrings light weight and more comfortable to wear, but I shoot myself in the foot sometimes because all it takes is the slightest bit of pressure and the piece, still in its “leather stage”, snaps in two.

Bummer.

Anyway, I got everything fired last night. 200 grams of clay (minus a few pieces – probably about 25 grams worth) in only 3 firings! I was impressed that I was able to fit so much onto one fire brick at one time.

And I got my least favorite part of the process over with (the sanding and filing – which I dislike because it is tedious, but also for the reason stated above).

Tonight? My second least favorite part – brushing. Then? Tumble-a-thon! Yay! I love tumbling my new pieces because when they come out of the tumbler they are so sparkly and beautiful.

Tomorrow? Actually making jewelry out of these new pieces! Whoo hoo!

Works in progress

Amy — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:10:36 +0000

Here are some terrible snaps of some of my newest work freshly made, drying and awaiting sanding and filing:

birds and butterfly necklace components

I’ve been going through a bird phase ever since last fall – I can’t help myself, I love them!

necklace components and one bracelet set

My new favorite though are these peacock feathers! I may have to keep one of them… There’s a nice deep blue sapphire in the eye of the feather on the right. I’ve also really been excited about geometric shapes lately and I did a whole series of them for necklaces and earrings. The three oval bracelet components in the lower right corner of the above photo are textured with my piped silver design as shown but on the back they are textured with the spiral texture that you see in the rectangle components to the left of them.

butterflies and flowers

geometric shapes

modern Etruscan shapes for necklace

modern embellished Etruscan shapes for necklace

These elements are finished on the other side with my piped silverwork (like the oval bracelet components).

square elements for necklace (with tanzanite)

These elements are textured with a paisley pattern on the reverse side.

I’ve also made 65 new pairs of earrings in similar motifs and I have sanded and filed over half of them (43 pairs). Tonight I hope to fire at least two loads and finish firing tomorrow. Then I will tumble everything during the rest of the week and begin making actual jewelry out of these components over the weekend.

Upcoming show schedule

Amy — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 17:33:56 +0000

I am gearing up to be pretty busy with shows in the near future!

Here is a list of what is scheduled so far – I’m waiting to hear from a couple of other promoters so I will hopefully be adding a couple of holiday season dates:

Events:

Arts On Foot – Art Market – Wednesday September 8 – 10, 11-7
Festival – Saturday September 11, 11-6
I will be at Booth #28 – diagonally across from the stage

The Boutique at the Potomac Country House Tour -
Saturday 10-5, Sunday 11-5
My good friend and fellow jewelry designer Emily Weber will be
there in my place on Sunday while I am in Takoma Park

Takoma Park Street Festival – Sunday October 3rd, 10-5

New photos!

Amy — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:24:12 +0000

I think I’m starting to get the hang of taking pictures of my work. I’m not completely sold on the background (it has a pixelated effect and I’d rather it be smoother) but as far as lighting, cropping, framing, etc. I’m pretty happy with how my most recent photo session came out.

mehndi teardrop amulet necklace

This is one of my amulet necklaces – I choose a selection of items in a motif that tell a little “story”… maybe it’s a color story or a story about geometry… this particular necklace is an exotic story! I set a marquis faceted blue sapphire into the fine silver clay and fired it in place and wrapped a sky blue zircon at the top. I accented both little silver drops with a deep blue kyanite briolette. I love the royal colors of the blue with the exotic design.

Oval Lily Cluster Necklace

This necklace has my favorite little “flip flop” mini cornflake keishi pearls in an unusual shade of baby blue. Mixingcolors with these pearls was challenging as the shade of blue has a subtle cast of green in it but it didn’t go with my usual blue/green stones that I tend to favor when I make things for myself. I used chalcedony and iolite in the necklace and in the cascade I used additionally some gray sapphire and mystic blue quartz.

Granulated Disc Necklace

Do you ever make something and think “I hope this doesn’t sell because I want it”? That’s the case with this necklace I made two years ago.

spiral textured oval earrings with quartz briolette

I made a series of these, from which I was going to make a bracelet, but then the show I was at, which was multiple days, I was selling out of earrings and I didn’t have any more fired pieces that I could make earrings for so I scratched my bracelet idea and decided to make multiple pairs of earrings instead – so now I have 4 pairs of earrings made from these little spiral textured ovals. I do think that they are pretty cute!

Back after a long break…

Amy — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:02:58 +0000

I took a long break after the holidays due to exhaustion and some health issues which I have started to resolve and now I’m back! I’ve been taking photos of the jewelry I had left after the holiday season like there’s no tomorrow! I’ve been experimenting with different ways to light and frame my shots, and a plethora of what I hope to be very creative backgrounds (that are also hopefully not distracting).

Take a gander at these and tell me what you think! Can you guess what I used as a background?

Alexandrite Star Earrings

The photo does not do justice to the amazing color of these alexandrite stones (lab grown) – a vibrant purple with shots of teal blue!

Sapphire Star V-Wire Earrings

These limpid blue sapphires are amazing and I never get tired of using them when I can get my hands on them. Its a pain to set the v-wires, especially when I’m also setting a stone, but I think that the overall effect is worth it for these earrings.

Peridot Sheild V-Wire Earrings

Don’t you love trillions? The shape is a little challenging to work with but they sparkle so beautifully!

Green Amethyst Lily Cluster Earrings

I accented this Asian-inspired lily cluster with full round-cut pale sage green amethyst (prassiolite) briolettes.

Victorian Double Peridot Earrings

I cast these earrings from a fragment of a mold that I made of a Victorian-era stick pin. I found these large, clear, sparkly peridots at a recent gem show and thought that this shape, along with the smaller peridots set them off nicely.

Victorian Peridot Button Earrings

I cast these earrings from one of my favorite molds that I made of a Victorian-era button. I love the rough edges – they give sort of an artifact-y feel to the earrings.

Dainty Flower Earrings

Sweet little flowers for dainty ears!

Aqua Chalcedony Briolette Earrings

I call this spectacular cut of briolette “pyramid” because I can’t figure out what else to call them. Shades of blue-green (or green-blue) are my favorite and this shade of chalcedony has a wonderful “glow from within” effect. I felt that these needed no further adornment.

Rose Quartz Pointer Briolette Earrings

Another pair of briolettes with no need for further adornment from my stash of uniquely cut beads. These rose quartz briolettes are so beautifully faceted and they also have that “glow from within” quality that the chalcedony does. I have a matching pendant necklace (slightly larger) so perfectly cut that it could be used as a pendulum.

This is just a small portion of the photos that I’ve taken recently. I will post more later.

I feel like this is really important for me to post

Amy — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 15:53:08 +0000

Please read this article and share with loved ones, particularly anyone you know who has a child or has a child in their life:

http://www.nctimes.com/news/national/article_c81ea644-6c23-5ed9-b51d-4655bbd0ddd4.html

Downtown D.C. Holiday Market

Amy — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:01:29 +0000

Come one, come all to the Downtown DC Holiday Market from 12/17 through 12/23 and see me and one of my jewelry partners, Cindy Folkers of Stardust Jewelry. We will be showing our jewelry at booth number 23 from 12 Noon to 8 PM Thursday through Wednesday.

In addition to our pure silver jewelry we will be introducing our new work in bronze and copper and showing a selection of our Christmas ornaments in the new materials.

Busy, busy, busy!

Amy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:24:14 +0000

Between selling jewelry at craft shows, helping my dad at Greenfest and getting that horrendous cold that’s been going around, I’ve definitely let the blog slide! This month is going to be even busier! I’m going to be selling my jewelry at a school fundraiser in Ashburn, VA this weekend, I’ve started a weekly belly dancing class at the YMCA, and I’m selling my jewelry for the 6th year in a row at the Garrett Park Nursery School Craft Show. Because of this and other upcoming December shows I have elected to not travel to Pittsburgh with my husband to visit his family for Thanksgiving. I am spending the weekend at home and will only take a break from jewelry making for part of the day on Thanksgiving to go to dinner with my Aunt and her family. Hopefully I’ll get plenty done!

I’ve introduced a new medium into my work – Bronzclay. I haven’t fired anything yet but I’ve made pieces of a box that I have to put together, as well as a couple of incense holders, a tiny little treasure bowl, and pieces for a bracelet. I’m planning on firing those pieces this week! I’m so excited! I’ve been planning on making Christmas and Hanukkah ornaments out of the Bronzclay so that I can have something non-jewelry related that still is in harmony with my jewelry.

Photos of the Bronzclay pieces will be put up as soon as I get them fired.

Craft Open House

Amy — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:59:30 +0000

Please come see me at the Artisan Showroom in Olney, MD. I will be showing my work, along with several other artisans and crafters from 12 noon to 8 pm. For a list of artists and address of the Showroom please visit the Artisan Showroom website.

Artisan Showroom