Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : jewelry makers

Art Jewelry magazine now offers free desktop wallpaper downloads!

Addie Kidd — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:35:00 GMT

Hello everyone!

I don't know about you, but I could look at jewelry morning, noon, and night. No, seriously – I'm surrounded by it every day, and oftentimes jewelry even ends up in my dreams. (If you dream about jewelry too, I'd love to hear about it in the comment section below. It'd be nice to know I'm not the only one!)

There's inspiration to be found in other artist's jewelry work. Plus, well...it's just plain beautiful stuff. And I'm not alone in this art appreciation. Judging by the response we get to both our in-print Gallery and our online Gallery, you guys looooo-oooove looking at innovative and stunning jewelry.

I guess it's no coincidence that the Show Us Your Work section of our Online Reader Forums has more views than any other section!

So that got us thinking here at Art Jewelry. We've got all this beautiful imagery of equally beautiful jewelry. Hmm, what could we do with it? What...to...do?

Simple: Wallpaper!!!!

There's something for every jewelry maker in this first batch of 6 images:

Metals: silver, gold, copper, and brass
Polymer clay (metal clay to come shortly)
Gemstones
Tools and equipment
Techniques: soldering, fusing, cold-connections, hammered finish, keum-boo, chain-making, patination, and bezel- and prong-set components

These images are from articles featured in Art Jewelry magazine, and you can learn how to make each and every one of them!
(Okay, so we can't teach you how to draw a cute ilustration like in the Kiln Love image, but we can teach you all about how to operate and care for your kiln!)

Visit our wallpapers page for more details about the projects and the artists.

Top row: John Sartin, Patricia Tschetter, Jill L. Erickson
Bottom Row: Melissa Muir, article by Pam East, Kim Stephenson.

To get your own free wallpaper, head on up to the Resources tab at the top of our Web site, and click on Wallpapers link. You can download your favorite image instantly! You can also bookmark www.artjewelrymag.com/wallpapers. Then again if you're looking for ultra-convenience, sign up for our newsletter. It's free, and we'll send you link every month with the latest free wallpaper.

And if you've got a minute, head to our Web site's home page to take our new Reader Poll — we'd love to hear your opinion on our new wallpapers.

Take care everyone and have a happy Friday!!

~Addie~

P.S. If you have any favorite images from the pages of Art Jewelry, or a specific technique you'd like to see featured as wallpaper leave a comment below.

Think about visiting Tucson for the gem and mineral (and jewelry, tools, metals, wire...) shows! The Art Jewelry editors are.

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:55:00 GMT

It's November, and here in the Art Jewelry offices, our thoughts are turning to the Southwest — not because our Wisconsin locale means we've already got snow in the forecast, but because in February, the city of Tucson, Ariz., is inundated with countless vendors from every facet of the jewelry world. Every year, we make the trip to scout for new products, new discoveries, new contacts, and new friends. If you've never heard of the phenomenon that is Tucson, check out "How to Tackle Tucson." The article, written by editor and veteran Tucson-goer Hazel L. Wheaton, is a practical guide to what "Tucson" is, why you should go, and how to enjoy the experience.

For dates of the 2009 Tucson shows, go to www.visittucson.org. If you can't make it to Tucson, you can look for shows near you in our Events Calendar. You can also discuss shows, including Tucson, in Going to a Show? on our forum.

Enjoy!

—Kristin

Find out what tools you need for working with metals, metal clay, bronze clay, enamel, wire, chain mail, stone setting, engraving, finishing, polymer clay, and more

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 20:16:00 GMT

Tools, tools, tools! Do you wonder what tools you should get if you're going to take up metalsmithing? How about metal clay, or polymer clay? Or, maybe you want to know what tools you should have on hand no matter what medium you're working in. Well, here's your answer: In the November 2008 issue of Art Jewelry, we published an eight-page bonus poster that tells you what tools you'll need to have in order to work in a given medium or for a given task.

We were so excited about the poster that we put the info up online too! (If, for some inexplicable reason you haven't picked up your issue yet, you can find a PDF of "The Right Tool" here.) Of course, the print version has its advantages: it's a pullout, so you can proudly display its glossy pages on your studio wall. And, it's one continuous sheet of paper, so you won't need as many thumb tacks to get it up there, and you won't have to spend time with your level making sure all eight pages are aligned. Of course, the biggest advantage to having the print version means that you have the rest of the issue surrounding it.

We hope the poster helps you as a shopping list, a quick reference (what do parallel pliers look like again?), and as a vision of beauty that only a tool junkie could love.

Enjoy!

—Kristin

P.S. Subscribers, if eight pages of info isn't enough for you, you might want to check out our archive of Product Reviews.

Video gives sneak peek inside Ford Forlano studios and how they make polymer clay art jewelry

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:26:00 GMT

If you like polymer clay jewelry, chances are you've seen work by Ford Forlano; that is Steve Ford and David Forlano, with Maryanne Petrus-Gilbert doing metalwork. We first featured Ford Forlano's work in "A Rarefied Medium," an article by Ronna Weltman (September 2006) about A-list polymer clay jewelry. If you've never seen their work, prepare for a treat. For me, Ford Forlano pieces never disappoint. The texture, the shape, the color — the pieces are always exciting and elegant. When I'm feeling creative, I tend to work better on my own. So it was really interesting to learn more about the team's collaboration in this video.

It shares not only great images of their studios and finished pieces, but also a bit about their history and how they continue to work together. Check it out!

—Kristin

Video interview with Robert Dancik: jeweler, sculptor, and originator of Faux Bone

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:54:00 GMT

At the 2008 Bead&Button Show in June, Senior Editor/Online Linda Augsburg was able to catch a few minutes with Robert Dancik to talk to him about how he got started making jewelry, where he's taking the craft, and how he uses Faux Bone. To watch the video, click here. If you're interested in learning how you can incorporate Faux Bone into your work, check out Robert's article, "Chart Your Own Mixed-Media Odyssey," page 28, in the September 2008 issue of Art Jewelry. The article will teach you how to make this bangle:

If this project inspires you to make a piece of jewelry, we'd love to see what you've come up with! Just post it in the Show Us Your Work thread in the Art Jewelry forum.

For your sun-worshipping pleasure: a look at some traditional Hawaiian jewelry by Philip Rickard

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:46:00 GMT

I just came across an article about Hawaiian jeweler Philip Rickard, who wrote the book Hawaiian Heirloom: A Lasting Remembrance after researching the topic for six years. Rickard was recently commissioned to make traditional jewelry pieces for a historical feature movie about Hawaii's Princess Ka'iulani, who reportedly was fond of bracelets. Rickard's research led him to the discovery that one royal bracelet in particular held a message in its traditional Victorian symbols; Rickard calls the message "Queen Lili’uokalani's prayer." Click here to read more about the movie Rickard is involved with and to see news clips of an interview with him, where he shows his replica jewelry pieces.

Does jewelry from other cultures intrigue you? If so, what cultures? Do you buy cultural jewelry? Or do you make your own versions of it? I'd love to hear your stories and see pictures of your work!

—Kristin

You have one month left to see Either Side of the Skin — Penland School of Craft's human-body-inspired exhibit

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:15:00 GMT

First of all, hurray for the first day of summer!!! And the longest day of the year! That should give us all extra time to get stuff done right? Riiight.

For those of you who plan to enjoy the season by going on vacation near the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, you may want to check out Penland School of Craft's current exhibit, Either Side of the Skin: Work inspired by or responding to the human body. Based on the way painter and writer Connie Bostic describes the exhibit in her review for Mountain Xpress, the exhibit sounds beautiful and thought-provoking. It's a multimedia exhibit, and Bostic points out a couple of notable jewelers: Yuyen Chang and Mary Ann Scherr. The exhibit will close Sunday, July 20, 2008, so make your travel plans now!

Even if you can't make it to the show, it's still interesting to consider what jewelry you would've made to fit the theme of the exhibit. Any ideas? Please share!!

And enjoy the beautiful weather!

—Kristin