July 2015 Bezels and Lapidary Theme for SRAJD Jewelry Design Challenge

July 2015 Bezels and Lapidary Theme for SRAJD Jewelry Design Challenge

Before we begin with July, congrats to Marcia Tobolsky for being the randomly chosen winner from the June submissions.

Marcia, here is a list of the prizes accumulated so far.  Select your gift from here.  Just msg or email me with your selection choice.

And now.... Our theme for July 2015 was “Lapidary Theme for SRAJD Jewelry Design Challenge”.  Click on each artist's name to see more of their work.

Here are the beautiful offerings of the SRAJD members… 

Sue Thompson: This is an Australian Boulder opal chip, too small for most jewellery and too lovely to throw away. I hand polished the front side of it with diamond grit polishing pads to bring out the flash and the back is left rough. It's wrapped in sterling silver.

Sue Thompson: A very small opal chip that demanded to be seen. It's hand polished on one side with a rough back and wrapped in Sterling silver. Quite a difficult exercise to get wire around teeny stones but I am happy with the end result.

Linda Pawlowski

Neva Murtha: I decided I wanted to learn how to make freeform bezels so I watched a Bill Fretz video, got the stakes, bezel wires and stones and started playing. This is one of my more recent ones - and the first teardrop shape stone I have worked with. It's a sugilite cab from a cutter in the USA, set in a bezel I fabricated to fit the stone with 14k gold bezel walls on a hammered sterling silver band.

Neva Murtha: My new favourite watermelon tourmaline stacking ring set with a faceted high dome tourmaline, 14k gold bezel walls and 3 hammered sterling silver bands, all fabricate by me...though I got the stone from one of my favourite cutters.

Neva Murtha: A super rare and stunning American turquoise cab I fell in love with in Tucson set in sterling silver. Again all fabricated by me...but I did not cut the stone. I've found it to be a lovely challenge to solder the larger bezels to the back plates...though I have worked out the technique.

Laura Bosch: Beaded Kyanite Cab Bracelet. I wear this more than anything else I've made (except earrings)! Peyote stitch for everything, using size 11s & 15s. The fire polish beads are sewn on after the whole bracelet is finished.

Laura Bosch: I love beading around donuts & it's much less fattening too! I made this a few years ago so it maybe the 2nd one I made. Czech pressed glass beads accent the fringe, the strand, which I really want to re-do, is brown goldstone & blue goldstone.

Laura Bosch: Do you think I like Kyanite?! These are earrings I made for a friend of mine & she loves loves loves them. Cabochons with small Kyanite drop dangles. Must use other stones!

Laura Bracken: This is the first non-round piece I ever set  I have a new respect for people who set square or other odd shape stones.

We hope you’ve enjoyed looking at these wonderful creations. Make sure to check out the other monthly challenges.

If you’d like to get in on the action, join the SRAJD organization. If you’re already an active member, submit your jewelry challenge piece here for the current month. 

May 2015 Enamel and Resin Theme for SRAJD Jewelry Design Challenge

Before we begin with May, congrats to Maxine Booth for being the randomly chosen winner from the April submissions.

Maxine, here is a list of the prizes accumulated so far. Select your gift from here. Just msg or email me with your selection choice.

And now.... Our theme for May 2015 was “Enamel and Resin”. Click on each artist's name to see more of their work.

Here are the beautiful offerings of the SRAJD members…

Molly Butson: This is a torch fired copper enameled bracelet in the sgraffito style. It is slightly domed so it fits nicely around the wrist. I call this one "spring fantasy".

Karen Stahlecker: Last year, I spent several months living in nature and working with my new enameling kiln in a small "workshop" (shed.) I was surrounded by natural beauty, was watching the seasons change, and became very inspired. Later, in the winter, I used the enameled pendants with mixed materials to build necklaces and pendants.

Karen Stahlecker: My primary theme last year, while learning to use my new enameling kiln, was aspects of nature, especially landscapes. I came to call a part of the 2014 work "The American Landscape" series as I am located in the Midwest, where there is a lot of agriculture. In this piece, I was imagining the first snows on the plowed fields. I distilled these images and then, mixed them with other materials to develop finished necklaces.

Karen Stahlecker: Later last fall, as I was getting a little more control over my use of vitreous enamels, I developed a few pendants that were pictorial. This one was more successful, and features a red oak tree in an autumn landscape. I'm preparing now to return to my "summer enameling mode" and I wonder what will happen next! To be continued.....

Tammy Adams: These cufflinks have a turquoise blue background with little schools of fish, and gold tone whales embedded in resin. The background is scrapbook paper and the whales are repurposed earrings with the posts cut off the backs.

Tammy Adams: The color on these earrings is from Iced Enamels, which is sealed under resin. I coated brass blanks with red, purple, and turquoise. The round beads are polymer clay base coated in purple.

Trish Gray: Butterfly brooch, made using recycled silver, cast and then rolled. Enamelled using wet laying enamel techniques. I love to try using a colour merge, such as the two shades of blue in the wings.

Cyreathia Reyer: I do a lot of these picture resin cabs and wrapped for the Bullysrule Bulldog Rescue. I donate them for their fundraising events. Once the auction is over, the winner then sends me a picture of their bully baby and I create a custom necklace for them. These have been very well received and usually bring in good amount for the benefit of the rescue.

Mowse Doyle: Hand done inkwork on polymer clay cabachon with resin finish. Was done as an experimental piece for a shelter fundraiser.

Mowse Doyle: Another experiment this time using dog sticker and polymer clay flower canes on a polymer clay cabachon. I often make items for the animal shelter fundraisers. I try to keep a variety of items on hand.

Mary Hargrave: I love to combine old and new - in these resin earrings, I have inserted many different recycled rhinestone chains. The earrings were then spruced up even more with the reused rhinestone studs. I get large jars of recycled jewelry bits and use them wherever I am inspired to put some "old" into new configurations.

Lindsay Philipson: These earrings are built around pearlised enamelled vintage tin connectors by Kimberly Rogers. I have wire wrapped amethyst drops to echo the lilac in the connectors. Part of my new series inspired by Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience - No. 11, The Blossom.

Linda Anderson: I made these sweet little earrings with some faux enamel connectors I made. They feature lampwork beads with hand painted, hand resined wood components that I've started making. They remind me of summer, bright sunshine and the vibrancy of the Caribbean.

Darlene Orlowski: A brass bezel with a black cat image embedded in resin. A copper stamped charm with MEOW, paw prints, and scratches is wire wrapped to the bezel. Oxidized copper links that are made to look like knotted twine are connected with fire agate beads.

Laura Bracken: For this enamel piece, I saw pierced some copper sheet in a quasi-Kokopeli design then made a cage out of the pieces by soldering spacers along the edges. I then enameled different colors on two sides of another piece of copper that I slipped into the “cage”. The jumpring bail keeps the enameled insert from falling out.

Laura Bracken: For this ocean themed bracelet I combined both enamel and resin. After forming the copper bowls with a dapping set, I enameled the interior then added a few “beachy” items to be held in place with resin. I completed the bracelet by adding charms of silver, stone, and pearls.

We hope you’ve enjoyed looking at these wonderful creations. Make sure to check out the other monthly challenges.

If you’d like to get in on the action, join the SRAJD organization. If you’re already an active member, submit your jewelry challenge piece here for the current month.

AIR April Week 3 Elements Theme SRAJD Jewelry Challenge

Our design challenge theme for April is “ELEMENTS” and the third set of entries for this month took inspiration from the weekly theme of “AIR”.

To read more about our challenges and/or to get in on the action, click here.

Here are the entries for this week's challenge (AIR):

Nohline L'Ecuyer of Nohline L'Ecuyer

I taught myself to wire crochet. Very airy, and the pearls are the clouds. Cuff in fine silver with freshwater pearls.

Kim Forrer of Kim Forrer Designs

Copper pendant that I cut and oxidized then drilled different size holes for air.

Kim Forrer of Kim Forrer Designs

The holes I drilled in this copper cuff represent air......this cuff is very light and airy.

Tammy Adams of Paisley Lizard

I made these swirling polymer clay beads in yellow because the air element is often represent by that color. And because while you can't see air, you can see its influence in the swirling movement of clouds and other objects caught in air currents.

Debra Jeffries of Debra’s DivineDesigns

This black and white butterfly is in the same family as a monarch, but the name is unknown by me. I only know that it is rare. This came from the broken specimen box at my insect supplier's. I set this on a fine silver 14gauge wire torc. It looks though it is flying around ones neck!

Nathalie Lesage of Nathalie Lesage Jewelry

When I think of Air, I think of clear bright blue skies in the open country... These Sterling Silver and Leather earrings represent that vision for me. A ranch, with horses roaming freely, a gentle breeze caressing my face and that bright clear blue sky.

JeriEllyn Holt Ross of Images By Jer

This butterfly is made with a dyed geod slice and non tarnish Inspire Wire. Crystals were incorporated to add some sparkle! This was a fun piece!!

Check the previous blog posts to see all the weekly challenge designs to date.  And keep an eye out for the upcoming challenges.

Please enter your challenge designs by clicking here.

And/or read the original blog post about the challenges here.