The culmination of our year’s worth of Silversmith training was a weekend session in which we were expected to create a complex piece which we had previously designed. We had to hand in a rendering, an art drawing, a technical drawing with notes and a set of procedural notes before creating the piece over the space of 15 hours.
I designed this dome lidded ring featuring a grey cat’s eye moonstone cabochon, which can be worn either with the lid on or off. I received a mark of 92.2% for this piece. I’m pleased with it!
The term “drusy” comes from the word “druse”, which refers to a rock surface (usually a cavity) covered with tiny individual crystals, such as are found inside geodes or in larger pockets of mineral deposits.
Drusy crystals take hundreds or even thousands of years to form. They form as molten rock begins to cool with trapped gases inside. The gases cause gaps in the rock. As ground water carrying dissolved silica is forced into a porous area of the rock for century after century, tiny crystals form on the surfaces or in cavities of the rock, forming a blanket of crystals.
These rocks are split open to reveal the crystals within. Cabochons are then cut from the surface of the rock capturing the drusy elements.
The most commonly found drusy is quartz (agate or chalcedony), but many other species can exist in this form.
Naturally colored quartz drusy is found almost exclusively in muted colors such as white, grey, tan and cream. Many quartz pieces, though, are dyed black or other vivid colors such as purple, red, green and blue, and some are coated with titanium or other metallic vapor which creates various iridescent finishes. You can read more about gemstone treatments here.
I love working with drusy, because as well as being incredibly beautiful, no piece is ever the same!
Some of the pieces shown here are available for sale in my online shop. I am currently only working with natural stones, which I am happy to custom-make into rings or pendants similar to the ones shown here if you would like one. Do contact me for a quote, won’t you!!
This pearl ring was a recent commission piece – a nice big Kasumi style pearl in a simple sterling silver setting.
Jade provided the design, and was just lovely to work with!
I learned a lot about pearls while making this ring. The mussel that grows this particular kind of pearl makes pearls with a lot of texture and variations in color. I really like that idea, as I like the “grown by mother nature” feel provided by some bumps and imperfections. A bit like all of us, really!!
This ring was the second last piece I made for my Vocational Course. The design was one provided by the school, as the task was to learn claw/basket setting. I chose the stone though!!
I made the ring particularly for my mum, for her birthday. She’s delighted with it!! Hooray!!
The oldest surviving structure in Queensland is right here in Brisbane, in the City. It is a windmill, built by convicts from the penal settlement at Moreton Bay.
There is an interesting story behind this structure. I think many a convict would have rued the building of it; not only would it have been hard slog to create it, but it was, in part, powered by a treadmill trodden by convicts as punishment!
The Moreton Bay Song, a traditional Australian song from the pen of convict, Frank McNamara, was written in celebration of the death of Captain Patrick Logan, former commander of the Moreton Bay convict settlement, who oversaw this windmill. I remember singing the song in choir in primary school. Little did I know that one day I would be living in the area and seeing this fantastic old building!
So, a thought for those who came before us, and their hardships and trials – especially those pioneers, both intentional and through circumstance, who shaped our country into the great place it is to live today!!
I finally finished making a pendant from the last piece of cuttlefish casting I had from our casting workshop earlier this year.
It’s a bit of a departure from my usual style, but the casting just seemed to need some softness with it!
My teacher gave me a couple of suggestions for how to finish it off – thanks Sue! I love the nature of silversmithing, there’s always some new way to look at things and something new to be learned!!
Back in November 2012, I was happy to be featured in an interview on Lilly’s Life – a blog hosted by the lovely and amusing Lilly.
For a giveaway prize, I offered two gift vouchers to the value of $35 each. Although it’s over, you can read about the giveaway here.
The lucky winners were Abby Lee from Western Australia and Vicky Westra from Minnesota in the USA – congratulations to both!
Abby chose this Seaglass and Sterling Silver Pendant as her prize.
Vicky chose these Sterling Silver and Swarovski Crystal Earrings.
Vicky has a blog, Westra World, which chronicles her daily life as she undergoes treatment for breast cancer. She is a brave and amazing woman. Best and warmest wishes go out to her.
