Saturday, September 10, 2011

challenges

mary jane dodd


'opportunities to find deeper powers within ourselves
come when life seems most challenging.'
~ joseph campbell

big or small, imposed upon us or self-imposed... all hold lessons... 

i was feeling the need to make a cold connection bezel - i love izzy's work... and i adore the soft curves that enfold a stone when you set them this way... my neighbor happened to stop by the other day with some bags of cabs - she thought i might like to use them... was she ever right - i had been meaning to order some ... and am so grateful for the gift... 

did you know that a 1/16" drill bit fits 16 gauge wire?
and that a 5/64" bit can accommodate crimps to use as eyelets?
it's true!


and if you haven't seen it yet, barbara lewis has a really interesting solderless bezel design in her new book 'torch fired enamel jewelry'...




11 comments:

Izzy said...

Oh my, you are putting my stuff to shame... =) It's gorgeous! Is it onyx? Great stone for stress. I just love it!

stacilouise said...

do you guys glue your cabs in there as well? or is it contained enough to hold on its own?

mary jane- love the necklace!

Spirited Earth said...

gorgeous..love this piece.
thanks for sharing about the cold connection bezels..i'd like to try some.

Izzy said...

No glue for me. I make sure my metal completely conforms to the stone so that it's a tight fit once I add the eyelets or rivets.

Artisan Beads Plus said...

Absolutely, stunning.... the piece and the words!
MaryAnn

mairedodd said...

same, no glue... but one could if they liked...

TesoriTrovati said...

You make me long for a power drill. I love this! I would love to set stones and play more with metal... if I didn't have a bazillion other things I was juggling at the same time. Barbara's book is indeed a delight. I am loving the eye candy and looking forward to the day when I can apply these great techniques! Enjoy the day!
Erin

Alice said...

Just gorgeous!!!

I've seen these in books and always thought the had to have been soldered. Where can I learn to do the cold connection technique?

Thanks for a wonderful post!

Juliette said...

absolutely beautiful! Inspiration has struck yet again - so much to learn!

DArsie Manzella said...

beautiful! I would love to learn more about this technique~

Anonymous said...

STUNNING! I now have to run to the bead table and break out the cabs! Thanks for the inspiration!

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