unicornmeat

I didn’t post during the weekend so I guess that means I had a good weekend.
We left off at that ring with the green cabachon.
Well those rings I posted were fun times but next we had a project with more specific direction.. had to have “moveable parts.”
That is when I made this ring:


That flower part spins. Kind of a cop-out for moveable parts. I found that bee in my mailbox and figured it was destiny.
But now.. look how crappy and bubbly that resin cab looks! I really hadn’t gotten too far into making thicker 3-D-ass resin castings yet.
I also didn’t actually know how to do a prong setting on a soft “stone”.. AND that is nickle which is not too malleable or appropriate for prongs.
So really this spinny bee ring is a train wreck, is what I’m saying…..

If that ring is a train WRECK, this one is like two shoeless cartoon guys riding that little push-car-thingy down the tracks:

First ever metal casting. From a carving. I am just terrible at that… especially in wax. This thing is so.. feeble.
Luckily I have an awesome family who likes things that I do.. so instead of melting my very first casting this became a gift to someone who complimented it.
The thing seen to the right of it was a ring made of square wire and blah blah blah.
Lastly.. I forget what we had to make but that is when I came up with this corsage ring, that was to be another favorite of mine. Though again feebly crafted – and largely in nickel- I like the concept and the size and the feeling of wearing it.

later I found a pushpin with a white tip but that purple one was in my sewing box

I made a tiny spiculum that is the walls of that hole

I wore it out on the town now and then, with a flower in it. Or an herb, for sniffing. Visual-olfactory enjoyment for me.
Later on I saw the jewelry of Jennifer Kellogg, who also incorporates real flowers as an interchangeable object. Of course I knew it had to be out there.
That is one thing I feel is important… while I find it pretty crappy when people knowingly copy stuff, or just seriously seem to lack any attempt at inspiration-reflection, I also think that the emphatic strive for originality is just not worth it.
If I see an idea too similar to something of mine I end up scrapping the idea. But within confines.. I think there is a lot of potential to be opened up when something becomes a category onto itself. Eg “the world of interchangeable botanical jewelry”
Like it would suck if the first person to wear a thing on their finger got in a tiff with the second person to try it… and discouraged them and then no-one ever wore finger adornments after that.
Ugh what am I saying. None of this stuff relates to me yet, since I have so few ideas executed… let alone anything someone else would copy.
So these rings comprised my body of work during the three months when I became aware of my ring obsession.
On the internet I discovered the carrotbox, etsy metal team blog, and a few other ring-related sites I still enjoy.
But most importantly I found a craft that musters enough inner drive to keep me interested.. from trial to failure to the occasional pretty ring.

oh hello happy Friday.
I’ve been working on a better website for my jewelry.
It’s at my old url karamae.com.
It’s certainly not complete by any means but so far it has made it to its current incarnation from this:

So thanks be to friends who have lent sage design critique.
I’m having some php problems in relation to photo captions, and still considering ways to go about the “archive,” should I actually make a sale somehow.
More on that later.
A professional jeweler acquaintence recently gave me some advice – most notably that rings are a pain since they require sizing and they’re hard to sell compared to earrings, necklaces, etc.
I do plan on making some earrings in time for a craft fair this fall but overall I realized I should stick with my impractical passion. Making jewelry in general is pretty impractical so I might as well get the most enjoyment out of it.

Rings.
I’ve always been a fan of hands and fond of my own hands – they are the part of me that I see the most afterall. I’ve been attracted to various pieces of jewelry over the years but most heavily gravitated towards rings.
As a fan of hands, it’s my favorite place to adorn. As a fan of jewelry, it is the best placement for enjoying a piece.
I really came to realize my obsession with rings in spring of ’08 when I took a class specifically devoted to them.
I think it was my 3rd metalsmithing class.
The first project was to make some rings out of scraps. I made these two – one from a tiny spiculum and some silver wire, and the other from copper sheet and all of copper stamped “z”s I found on the floor of the studio.

sorry about the terrible terrible photos in this entry

Neither are particularly wearable but I guess they got me rolling along with the whole ring thing..
next I made this quick little dude:

I guess I have gotten a little better at jewelry photography
It was so easy and yet satisfying. I wore this around for quite some time. I don’t know what kind of $3 stone that is in there..

And so my ring obsession had begun..

Instead of saving this post and going back later I’m going to publish and do a part 2 tomorrow or some day soon. I have like 5 more formative rings to ramble about….

The ResonanceToronto etsy shop is a relatively recent discovery for me, but I’d say it’s already in my top favorites for ogling resin rings.
Confession: I actually had A DREAM about the Saturn ring, where I found it in a gutter and got to keep it. Needless to say I was disappointed to wake up and find no new ring on my hand. Yes I really am obsessed with rings.
Some of these items are similar to things I try to do. The interview made me notice the similarities don’t end there. (Most notably the last question!) So it’s no wonder these awesome rings are invading my dreams.

How did you get started working with resin?
I only started working with resin just over a year ago. I began by making small dog breed charms to sell at a Toronto Dog Fest for canines and their owners called “woofstock”. From there I started my first Etsy store named “Zougeebean”. All of my Zougeebean products are animal inspired and a portion of the sales go to helping animals in need. I taught myself to make silicone molds for rings and other resin creations. When I started to get into more time consuming and intricate pieces I open my second Etsy store called ResonanceToronto. All the Pieces in this store take hours to make and come at a higher cost. Honestly, I taught myself everything I know by surfing the web….and learning from my mistakes.

Do you turn to anything in particular for design concept ideas?
Well, as I said, my Zougeebean store is completely animal inspired. Animals are my passion, so it is easy to find inspiration from these products. For My Resonance store I find my inspiration mainly from photography and colour. I love snapping shots of random and abstract objects and preserving them in a wearable art piece. I also love playing with colour…mixing and matching. Finding inspiration is easy! If you have a passion you have an inspiration. All you have to do is Ask yourself: what is my favorite food? What is my favorite season? Where is my favourite place? What is my favorite activity/hobby? What is your favorite film? I have made resin jewelry inspired by watermelons, bocce balls, my pets, snowballs, Sunday morning breakfasts, vampires, Oz, favorite vacation spots and much, MUCH more. Inspiration is found in any feeling or memory. If you can think it, you can create it. I am actually in the process of writing a resin art book to spread inspiration and allow people to learns from my mistakes and mishaps:) .

You mention that you use a number of different resins in your pieces. What are some of the specific properties that lead you to choose? I’m curious about urethane resin because I don’t see it used as much. Does it have a strong odor like polyester?
Well…All of my Zougeebean products are made with epoxy resin. It is easy to mix, readily available, and safer to use indoors. Unfortunately, it may yellow with age and softens with body heat. Urethane is very solid when cured, more scratch resistant, won’t yellow, but has more toxic vapours and has to be purchased at a specialty shop. The odour is not strong, but it does produce fumes and a respirator should be worn (they are surprisingly easy to find at any hardware store). Polyester is stinky and sticky, but polishes to a beautiful shine.

Are there any other specific types of materials you do work with, jewelry or otherwise? (eg woodworking, paper, sewing, etc)
The list is on going! I make wedding cakes, sew dresses, stained glass, silk screening, soap making, oil painting…pretty much anything I can teach myself to do on the internet! haha

Any jewelers who were or are inspirational to you?
I actually don’t know any, but I can say I was inspired by my late Aunt’s love for opulent costume jewellery.

Do you listen to music while you work? (if so, what lately?)
Good question!…I do. My favourite thing to listen to is Jazz Standards (1920′s-1940′s), but lately I purchased the Jeff Healy CD “Adventures in Jazzland”. It is a really fun and upbeat dixieland/new orleans type music….really cool.

I went up to Hampden today and made purchases.
I fiiiinally picked up the Post Typography “artist music journal” edition at Atomic Books.

I like having lots of visual influences and plus I have been such a fan of these guys for years.
Post Typography has been decorating the walls of Baltimore with some of the best fliers for about as long as I’ve been here.

Hopefully before too long I can acquire some print to hang on my desolate reading room wall.

photos from Soundscreen Design site

I also picked up a whole album of Party Records at True Vine.. and even MORE 78s at a different antique shop.
So I’ll be back soon with some audio updates of note.