I created these earrings for Danni, who must be Liverpool Football Club’s number one fan! Danni wanted some dangling LFC earrings to be as ‘bling!’ and noticeable as possible.
I designed these sterling silver earrings using the initials of the club, and added a silver Czech glass bead at the bottom.
I hope they bring your team luck Danni!! š
I was all set this month to write about what I was taught is called an Archimedes drill. While researching it online, I discovered that this tool is actually called a pump drill and an Archimedes drill is something different!Ā So, no interesting information on Archimedes to be found here today. He was pretty amazing, though, worth researching if you can find the time.
The pump drill is composed of a long drill shaft with a collet on one end, a handle with a hole through the centre, a weighted flywheel, and a length of cord. The flywheel is attached near the bottom of the shaft and the handle slides over the top. The cord is run through a hole near the top of the shaft and affixed to either end of the handle so that it hangs just above the flywheel.Ā To use it, the correct size drill bit is inserted in the collet, one hand is placed on the handle while the other hand turns the shaft to wind the cord around its length, raising the handle near to the top of the shaft, where the cord becomes tight. Holding the drill upright and placing the drill tip against the material to be drilled, a smooth downward pressure is exerted on the handle causing the drill to rapidly spin. Once the bottom is reached, the weight is relieved and the drill allowed to rebound re-winding the cord around the shaft and the process is repeated. It is a simple concept but a skill that takes practice to master.
The pump drill is a variation of the bow drill, which has been in use for at least seven thousand years. As well as drilling holes, the bow drill can be used to start a fire using friction. My occasionally burnt fingers can attest to the heat that can be generated by a drill spinning – silver is a great conductor of heat, and I have not only heated my fingers but made burn marks in my bench peg by drilling a piece of silver before now!Ā As well as my pump drill, I sometimes use my flex-drive with a drill bit attached for drilling holes – there is something far more satisfying about usingĀ the lovely, simple, ancient pump drill though!
I made these annuli shaped pendants for a lovely customer. She is going to have them engraved with some dates that have a very special meaning to her, as part of a healing process.
I was so glad to play a small part in this story!
Amy is visiting a couple of her dear friends in London very soon, and it will be their 30th birthdays while she is there. Amy wanted to give them something special! Together we designed a ring for each of them.Ā A shared trip to the Andes was the inspiration for this ring:
and a love of cats is behind this one!
As quite often happens when I’m creating rings as presents, it was a challenge for Amy to find out ring sizes without anyone guessing what she was up to.. in the end she managed to get them though!
Thanks, Amy, and I hope the girls enjoy their new rings!
Whoo hoo! The Silver Forge is off to market!
Do come along and check out all the divine handcrafted goodness, and make sure you stop by The Silver Forge stand and say hello. Saturday 12th October from 9am to 3pm at the Brisbane City Hall, Ann Street, Brisbane. A beautiful venue, too!
I was pleased to be contacted by the lovely Margaret, who asked if I would be able to create her a pendant from a symbol she had in mind.
She is an artist, and this coherent wave symbol has become an important piece of her creative process.
I created this piece for Margaret to wear to the opening of her latest exhibition, ‘Bliss’, at theĀ Lethbridge GalleryĀ in Brisbane.
Surrender – Margaret Ingles
Margaret was kind enough to invite me to the opening, and I am in awe of her powerful, vibrant, beautiful works! If you’re anywhere near Paddington, it’s well worth stopping in to see these gorgeous paintings. Thank you so much, Margaret!
The divine chrysocolla gemstone cabochon shown here is 30mm long.
Like malachite, chrysocolla has a high copper content, which is what gives it that fabulous blue/green colouring.Ā The name comes from the Greek chrysos, (gold), and kolla, (glue).
It is believed to have a calming influence, and also to attract love. It is supposed to help heal burns, fever, and detoxify the liver.
I used this cabochon to create this custom piece:
My dear friend Carmen asked me to create a malachite bracelet for her husband, Vaji.
Malachite is believed to assist with success in business.
Good luck, Vaji, and thank you, Carmen.
If you’re in the market for a new mortgage, let me know – Vaji is your man!
( African Daisy – photo credit to c. creativity)
The Endeavour FoundationĀ is one of Queensland’s oldest charities, founded in 1951. ItĀ is one of the largest non-government disability service providers in Australia. They support more than 3,400 people with a disability, from 230 locations in Queensland and New South Wales.
This year, the Endeavour Foundation are holding aĀ Melbourne Cup LuncheonĀ on 5th November, and I was recently contacted by them to see if I could assist with a donation for this fundraising effort.
In a serendipitous twist, I had just that day been at the park with my younger son, and had made friends with a woman who was out walking with her disability support worker and a friend. My new friend and I chatted for ages about the knitting she was doing, her love of ‘The Bold and The Beautiful’, and what else she’d been up to.Ā I could see that the support worker was a very encouraging and understanding of the two women she was caring for, and she was able to translate for us when I had a couple of moments difficulty understanding what my new friend was saying.
It is good to know that in our wide and varied community, those who face the challenges in their daily lives that living with a disability presents are able to be supported and nurtured; advocated for and given opportunities to learn and grow and have their varying needs met. I have donated a raffle prize to assist theĀ with Endeavour’s fundraising effort, andĀ I look forward to seeing what the prize winner chooses from The Silver Forge shop!
It was lovely to be emailed by Kel, who had a request for a custom made ring to start off her bespoke jewellery collection.
I just love the idea of that! (As an aside, my small son found me this leaf just as I was photographing Kel’s ring – I think they look great together. š )
Using a freshwater pearl, I created a sterling silver dome for it to sit in.
It’s really quite difficult to photograph highly polished curved surfaces, but you get the general idea. I like the shine coupled with the soft pearl! Thanks, Kel!