Art Jewelry magazine Editors' Blog : metal

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

New Free Project: Image-Transfer Technique for Metal

Katie Streeter — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:49:00 GMT

Are you looking for a new jewelry technique to try out this weekend? We just posted a new project by Sherri Haab on how to use image-transfer solution to add photocopies to metal jewelry. The project is free to registered users, so check it out! Download the free project here.

Have a great weekend!

—Katie

Templates for hollow-form lily brooch and Arts & Crafts metal clay necklace

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:53:00 GMT

If you're interested in re-creating the lily brooch project or the Arts & Crafts metal clay necklace project from the November 2008 issue of Art Jewelry, having the templates might make your life a bit easier.

To find the template for the hollow-form lily brooch ("From Flat to Flower"), click here.

To find the template for the metal clay necklace ("Construct an Arts & Crafts Necklace"), click here. Remember, you can use the blank panel template to draw your own designs.

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.

Send in the results from your creative jewelry experiments with fine silver flakes!

Addie Kidd — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 21:03:00 GMT

On page 25 of the July issue of Art Jewelry magazine, I reviewed a product intended for metal clay —fine silver flakes.

You can read my review here. In it, I asked our readers to send me photos of any pieces they've created using the flakes. These photos are being collected for a special online gallery section of our Web site designed to inspire other readers' creativity.

I've gotten a number of fantastic responses so far. I had no idea there were so many unique ways to use simple fine silver flakes!

But here's where you come in. I'd love even more photos. So delve into your creativity a bit and see what you can come up with. Then email me photos of your designs and tell me a bit about them. My email address is akidd@artjewelrymag.com.

I look forward to seeing what you make!

~Addie~

Pop-Out Jewelry by Melissa Borrell Design: prefab jewelry that gets the wearer involved

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:57:00 GMT

I generally avoid buying anything that needs to be assembled — not because I doubt my ability to assemble things, but because I associate "needs assembly" with "made cheaply in a faraway land." Of course, that's not always the case. But since I already have a propensity for antique/vintage/timeless/handcrafted things, I rarely buy big box.

But, I think, mass-produced items can have a soul, too. I'm intrigued by well-designed, well-made items that are successful on a large scale because they were so well thought out that a large number of people find them both useful and beautiful. In that way, there seems to be a connection between designer and consumer that we don't generally associate with mass production.

Melissa Borrell's Pop Out Jewelry is an example of a designer consciously trying to connect with the consumer. As her Web site describes, "the shapes come still attached to the metal from which they are cut. Just pop the shape out and hang it on the enclosed chain or ear hooks to make it into a piece of wearable art." So, while a piece arrives looking mass produced, it requires a personal touch from the wearer in order to be useful. It's an interesting way to try to share in the creation of an art object. But is it that different from buying and having to assemble, say, a coffee table? Does it all rest on the designer's intention?

Do you intend for your work to connect with the people who wear it? How do you achieve that connection?

—Kristin

How to care for your jewelry this summer (hint: watch out for saltwater and chlorine)

Kristin Sutter — Fri, 30 May 2008 18:34:00 GMT

For some of you in warmer climes, it may already feel like summer. But here in Wisconsin, it's unseasonably cold. We've had a depressing lack of 60–70-degree days in the last three months. So when I came across a blog post from Spectrum Art & Jewelry, a gallery located in Wilmington, N.C., about caring for jewelry in summertime, I was happily caught off guard. Not just because the thought of feeling warm without donning a sweater is still a distant daydream, but because the information in their post was news to me. Being one of the resident editorial people on staff (rather than a resident jewelry maker), I didn't know that saltwater and chlorine can affect certain metals. To learn more, click here to read Spectrum Art & Jewelry's blog post. They also provide some practical tips on how to vacation (or not) with your jewelry. I, for one, will be more careful with my jewelry when I finally FINALLY get to take a dip in a pool.

Have any of you ever had a bad experience with common summer chemicals reacting with jewelry? Saltwater, chlorine, sunscreen, etc.? I'd love to know if there's something else I should be keeping in mind!

—Kristin

Calling all Jewelers, Metalsmiths and Metal Sculptors for a Juried Digital Exhibition

Addie Kidd — Fri, 16 May 2008 14:04:00 GMT

The Society for Midwest Metalsmiths is putting together an international juried digital exhibition called "METAL Inclinations."

Think of it as a yearlong art gallery show online, with international exposure, and cash prizes totalling $3,500.
Plus you don't need to risk shipping your fragile works of art anywhere!

If you'd like to participate, you need to send in digital photos of your original and one-of-a-kind metal creations by the deadline on June 30, 2008.

Visit The Society for Midwest Metalsmiths' Web site for more information and all the rules and regulations:

http://www.smm-metalinclinations.org/

Best of luck!

~Addie~