laurieopal

Rings and Thinking

2021-07-23T03:22:00Z

I'm looking to the future now ans starting to work on rings. I need a group of them before I start going to cons/shows.

I just almost finished one in wax that is lovely large moonstone with a big blue flashes. I am also going to work on a small charoite and a black agate with druze white crystals in the center.

I have an absurdly large stone collection that I've been collecting forever.

I've been looking through them tonight and these these three really appeal to me.

This is condor agate and the clear portion is rock crystal. It's even lovelier in the actual stone.
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This is lunar agate. the crystals are druze and figuring out how to make sure that the ones on the side are visible in a ring is going to be challenging.
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This is Icelandic spar. It's a stunning form of rock crystal that is only found there. I brought it back from my trip there, after doing some real searching.

Back to work.

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Making New Rings

2021-01-17T03:14:38Z

I'm starting to make a new group of rings. Different stones demand very different settings. They will all be in silver but sometimes the silver will be very highly polished, sometimes subtle and sometimes dark.

I haven't made any decision about these three stones. They are beautiful in very different ways and they will take a fair amount of design thinking.

This is Medicine Bow plume and is unusual in it's subtle patterning. I would be interesting to reflect that in the setting design.

This is a lovely freshwater pearl with exquisite colors in the pearl that will change in different lights. Possible dark silver to set it off but maybe not.

This is druze and zoasite. The crystals are even more brilliant in life. I might add a small red stone to the setting to emphasize the red zoasite.

These are all just thoughts. What really happens, especially with rings, is that the design seriously starts to develop when I work on the wax. Often it is the design I had in mind when I started, and often I get marvelous surprises.

Follow my new Pandemic Shadow photos on Instagram

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Rings and Cubism

2019-09-29T06:10:12Z

These are a few of the rings I’ve made lately for World Fantasy. Stones are black opal triplet, Sonora Sunrise, and ruby in zoasite (mostly ruby).
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Today was the day everything went wrong. The switch died on an important piece of equipment but I managed a back up and I had a small flood. It’s all more or less OK now and I’ll replace the switch tomorrow.

Other then that I’ve been designing a cubist influenced pendant with a large opal. I’ve been spending time looking a a book of the history of cubism with good photos of paintings and sculptures.

It’s a very different way of seeing for me. I’ve never thought in this area before. I like it a lot and it’s stretching my head in interesting ways. I’m not sure what I’ll design yet but I’m looking forward to seeing it when it happens.

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More Rings for Wiscon

2018-05-10T23:51:38Z

These are some more of the new rings for Wiscon.

They are tourmilated quartz, opal mosaic and gold druze crystal in sterling silver.

Right now I'm final polishing some of the earrings an starting to put chains on pendants.

(My cat is trying very hard to add to this post and so far not succeeding.) Also will be polishing some of my patined bronze.

The base that will turn one of my pendants into a sculpture when it's not being worn looks like it will work really well, but it still needs final fitting.

I'm starting to think about how some of the shadow photos I've been taking would work (transformed of course) as jewelry designs.
Back to work.

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Rings for Wiscon

2018-05-01T05:04:37Z

My eyes are really tired. I've been working in wax for hours and just stopped a little while ago. I'm working today on a bronze sculpture with cameos and an opal ring with a stunning stone.

And a first for me. I'm making a base for a pendant I made a while ago so it can sit on a shelf as a sculpture when it's not being worn. The pendant is a irish setter standing a a blue larimar with some landscape and I've carved a base that harmonizes with the pendant and makes it more sculptural.

A little later this week I'll be polishing. My cat has learned that my work is _not_ a cat toy even if everything else is.

The rings are lapis, jade and jasper and are all sterling.

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