Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Silver Clay - Great for personalized jewelry!




I took a Silver Clay course in March, but I've been too chicken to use it... until this last week. I needed to learn it to fill a client's order. So... I did. Once I started, it was hard to stop! I had two 3:00 a.m. nights creating. Why, oh why can't I get creative until midnight? (Rather ironic that my name is Dawn & I'm a nighthawk, hmmm?)

Back to the silver clay. This is wonderful stuff. It's recycled bits of silver from x-rays mixed with clay binders. It dries very quickly, so you need to have your space prepped and have an idea what you are making ahead of time. (Those of you who know me well know that I'm not good at either, but I'm learning.) Once the clay binders are burnt away with a torch or kiln, the result is 99% silver called Fine Silver. Sterling silver is about 92.5% and is usually mixed with other metals such as copper, which is why it tarnishes in time. Fine Silver is strong and doesn't tarnish like sterling. I'm hooked.

Here's what I've made so far:

*a baby shower gift for my friend, Christine:








His birthstone is peridot, so I included one in the design.


*a special order Mommy necklace for another client:



She wanted an asymmetrical design. The stones incorporated are garnets, as both her son & daughter were born in January. Robyn is older than Matt, so her circle is larger.






...and the Sunshine Ind. necklace at the top for me! I love the starfish. As a bonus, when I dipped this one into the liver of sulphur to darken the lettering and starfish, it darkened them in a teal & reddish colour instead of black! The liver of sulphur was weak. It gave the pendent a very cool look.

With this new technique, the possibilities are endless. I.D. /medi bracelets, inspirational jewelry, Mommy Bling... I have a bizillion ideas!!

For your special order silver clay jewelry, email me at sunshineindustries@shaw.ca.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Mix n' Match Earrings! Oh yah.


Remember mixing and matching tops & bottoms to create a bikini? Well... this is just like that - pick a top - an ear wire:


and a bottom - a stone or glass drop:
And TA DA! You have your very own personalized earrings.

All of the ear wires are handcrafted in 20 gauge sterling silver wire. No plated metal here!! All of the drops are stones or glass on sterling headpins with sterling accents.

Make YOUR earrings today at http://www.sunshineindustries.ca.


Blog Archive