I’m working on a custom ring for a repeat client. He’s a musician, and loves big flashy rings for performing. He provided the stones- tanzanite, amethyst, sphene, and two lab rubies. This will be cast in gold when the wax is all done.

#gemstones #rings #handmadejewelry #customjewelry #jeweler

Working on some new skills! #engraving #handpushengraving

Cast for a local dentist 🦷

#lostwaxcasting #grilz

Bowie is not actually allowed on the sofa 😂

Finished a few new pieces this week- all cast in sterling silver in my studio ❤️

#jewelrysky #handmadejewelry #skulljewelry #organicjewelry #ooakjewelry #silversmith #lostwaxcasting #jewelrydesigner

Two new bronze bracelets: Peperomia and Pilea. I molded the leaves first to duplicate in wax, and then cast in metal.

#houseplants #handmadejewelry #organicjewelry #bracelets #plants #plantjewelry #ooakjewelry #jewelry #jeweler #lostwaxcasting

Made a sample bracelet to prep for a student’s project. She’s making a long necklace in the same sailor’s chain style. Fused fine silver links, each formed and hammered before shaping into a chain.

#jewelry #jewelrysky #handmade #silverjewelry #ooakjewelry #metalsmith #jewelrymaking

Pilea leaf pendant! These leaves have a very “plain” side, and a really gorgeous underside, showing off their texture.

This one is in bronze, with a fabricated silver bail.

#pilea #houseplants #plants #moneyplant #organicjewelry #handmadejewelry #organicjewelry #bayarea

🐍 so cute!

#jewelry #handmadejewelry #snake #snakesky #reptiles #snakecharm #silverjewelry #lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking

This little snake is something you could make in my Lost Wax Casting class. I have two dates this fall; both on my website now.

#lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking #jewelrycasting #snakes #snakejeweley #snakecharm #snakesky #jeweler #bayarea

It’s fun to try, but definitely not my preferred way of working. I’ll always go for fabrication or casting over clay. It’s just very limited.

Last time I tried #PMC was.. 15 years ago? It’s about the same- fun, but crumbly and kinda tricky to work with. Parts broke off after firing, and it’s hard to solder bc of how porous it is.

I have a few students that want to try it though, so I’m making some sample pieces.

#jewleymaking #jeweler

Here’s a Dusty Miller leaf, in silver. I made a silicone mold with ICE rtv, and then cast the wax.

My goal is to be able to cast my favorite organic reliably, and casting directly from organic is wildly unpredictable.

#lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking #handmadejewelry #gardening #dustymiller

Casting today, still waiting for the bronze to melt but my silver pieces came out great! Peperomia and dusty miller leaves. Plus a student piece; she carved the ring in wax, and we cast it today.

#lostwaxcasting #jewelrymaking #jeweler #handmadejewelry #peperomia #houseplants

Here’s a pliea leaf in bronze, with a silver fabricated bail.

I had cracks on a few of my last bronze casts, caused by the metal shrinking as it cools. Hopefully alleviated by adding a gate right at the center of the leaf on the “boring” side.

#pliea #houseplants #lostwaxcasting #handmadejewelry

This little bee was die-struck; I hammered metal into a steel mold, and then hand fabricated the circle and setting. Fire opal, peridot, ruby and a faceted pyrite, along with a tourmaline gemstone strand necklace.

#bees #handmadejewelry #jeweler #fireopal #opal #silverjewelry #ooakjewelry #bayarea

Garden skull, in silver. I used a cicada wing on this one, along with a Rollie pollie bug, flowers and a bee.

#handmadejewelry #mementomori #skulls #cicada #bugsky #isopods #insects #bayareaart #contemporaryjewelry #artjewelry #skulljewelry #finejewelry

Here’s how I made this silver Peperomia bracelet!

#lostwaxcasting #handmadejewelry #plantjewelry #houseplants #indoorplants #peperomia #jewelrydesigner #jeweler

Amazing mold putty is fun! It’s a two part putty, so only good for things you can press the putty around. It doesn’t work well for really delicate, dimensional objects.

I use rio’s ice rtv silicone for most things.

Thank you! I used amazing mold putty- the wing is an open pour mold, not an injection mold. I am going to try another one with the clear rtv silicone Rio has (Ice?) too.

I cast a few cicada wings in bronze. I made a mold of the wing first, before duplicating it first in wax and then metal through Lost Wax Casting.

#handmadejewelry #jewelry #jewelrysky #ooakjewelry #bugsky #insects #cicada #organicjewelry

Casting progress- here’s a maple seed pod cast in sterling silver, with a hessonite garnet strand. It’s listed on my website now, and will bring it to the San Mateo Art and Culture fest on September 28, unless you snag it first!

#handmadejewelry #plantjewelry #maple #silverjewelry #jeweler

Thank you!!

Castings from yesterday, all finishes up!

#lostwaxcasting #silverjewelry #jewelrysky #houseplants #bees #skulls #ooakjewelry #handmadejewelry #bayarea #sanfransiscoart

A little moon ring 🌙

#jewelry #ooakjewelry #handmadejewelry #silverring #moon #moonjewelry #silverrings #silversmith #jeweler #jeweleydesigner #shopsmall

Thank you!! I love coordinating the beads for each piece 🤍

Cicada pendant, cast in sterling silver. I molded a cicada my mom collected in North Carolina, injected wax into that mold, and then used lost wax casting to duplicate it in silver.

#insect #cicada #bugsky #bugfeed #silversmith #lostwaxcasting #jewerly #handmadejewelry #jeweler #jewelryforsale

New Hippuris pendant; brass and silver. $60, listed in my shop now

#jewelryforsale #handmadejewelry #houseplants #gardening #horticulture #gardener #organicjewelry

Teaching a summer camp this week at Woodland School. So far we’ve done marbled paper, 2d mixed media, and polymer clay miniatures.

#bayareaart #bayareaartclasses #artteacher #marbledpaper #bayarea #redwoodcity