Alloy

Name Change

2011-05-25T10:40:00.001-07:00

Spring lasted all of a day here in the northeast and to celebrate my happiness that we finally have sunny HOT weather, I am changing the name of my design studio...just about to purchase the domain name and will unveil soon...

The idea of changing the name is to make the branding contemporary, edgy and recognizable to the masses.

MassArt

2011-05-24T06:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first day of metals at MassArt...Very excited to have the opportunity to hone my skills over the next couple of months. I felt like a kid in a candy store seeing all of the equipment I'll have access to...first project is to make a 2"x2" sawn self-portrait...this should be interesting. Stay tuned for a photo of the finished piece.

...in other news...

I had a creative spurt over the weekend and made some new pieces. This time, per the recommendations of several people, I am incorporating color in the form of malachite, irregular beads of unknown origin and colored shell.

Deep Freeze

2011-02-02T08:10:00.000-08:00

So it is. It's the middle of winter and we're snowed in ... again. Perfect time for me to upload a pic of my latest commissioned piece...and now, back to work.

Logo

2010-03-21T19:30:00.001-07:00

I am currently in the process of ironing out what I am going to do with this website of mine. A new logo is in the works and hopefully along with that will come a fresh new online space for Mezze pieces. Stay tuned...

Split Seams

2010-01-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

All day I've been working on two projects - the first was a continuation of last week's spinning rings. I split the project into two parts, earlier in the week I made the ring components and saved the sanding, polishing and forming for today. The second project consisted of two pairs of cuff links for a friend. The cuff links are tedious to say the least, but I love the design and imagine how classy they will look on the lucky man who will get to wear them.

The rings have caused me a big headache...after forming, sanding and tumbling them, I started the flaring process. This part is my favorite step because it's when the ring really starts to take shape and look like something other than a simple tube. I began to flare the first ring and as I hit the dapper with my hammer, the solder seam cracked, splitting halfway down the length of the shank. I set it aside, annoyed, picked up another ring and repeated the process. That seam split as well. And on the third try when I noticed a crack beginning to form, I decided it was time for me to put the hammer down and step away from the bench for awhile. I repaired the splits and decided I was done for the day. So tomorrow, I hit the bench again and we'll see if I can get through the forming process without any further mishaps.

Spinning Rings

2010-01-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I cut, sawed, hammered and formed these little lovelies...

Here's a semi step-by-step account of the process:

12 pounds of steel in my carry on

2010-01-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays I took a trip to the Otto Frei retail store in Oakland. I needed to get some supplies and my family was kind enough to indulge my whim and accompany me on a journey into the wild world of jewelry supply stores. I normally order everything online, so you can imagine my excitement at being able to actually see and touch the tools before buying them.

The store is near Jack London Square in a still very industrial part of town. It is housed in an old brick warehouse on 2nd street just off of the freeway. We walked in to the store and were asked to check in before wandering through the cramped, dusty aisles. The store, which looked as if we had stepped back into 1973, was a conglomeration of machinery and hand tools mixed in with cleaning and polishing liquids and miscellaneous packaging containers. There was no rhyme or reason to the arrangement of the products, it was more of a do it yourself scavenger hunt for whatever random item you needed. And I needed dapping tools. I proceeded to wander the aisles, parents and brother in tow, stopping every now & then to admire a flex-shaft or drill press along the way. For the sake of brevity, I will not describe the amount of time it took me to go through everything and decide on what my purchases of the day would be, but let me just say that I found the dapping tools as well as some sheet silver, a bench block, some shears and some packaging material. Thank you to my parents who aided in lessening the pain from the total cost of my toys. I could have spent all day (and a whole paycheck) there but was saved by the fact that I had to catch a flight back home later that evening.

Jewelry making is an expensive hobby. And the tools are heavy. My dappers alone weighed over 12 pounds and it only occurred to me upon packing my suitcase later in the day that these new purchases might put me over the 50 pound weight limit. Well, the 4 bottles of wine may have contributed as well...

I got to the airport and upon checking in, it was confirmed. My suitcase weighed a whopping 58.9 pounds. It was $50 or moving some stuff my already overstuffed carry on. I had no choice but to remove the 12 pounds of steel and hope that security wouldn't stop me as I trudged through the checkpoint. At this point, the bag weighed as much as I do and it was all I could do to drag it through security to the gate. Surprisingly (or maybe not?) I was allowed to carry the tools on after a quick stint in the explosives detector.

The attached pictures show the first piece I've made with my new toys...

Cleanup

2009-12-04T14:22:00.000-08:00

This month, I have vowed to clean up the mess that is my studio. This is with the intention to focus my energy on overhauling the website and creating new pieces rather than thinking about how much of a disaster my workbench is and trying to work around the clutter. I just finished a rush of orders and mailed them out this afternoon. One set down, one to go. I've been hunting for another jewelry class to take, but I just can't find the time to squeeze it in just yet. Maybe early next year. Thoughts of doing this on a more full time basis have prompted me to look into programs abroad. Problem: bills and lack of funding. All minor details, really. A girl can dream, can't she?

Next in line for spring...(yes, I know it's only just winter, but I can't bear to think of the cold and snow right now)...a collection based on recent travel. This should prove to be very interesting...there are so many designs that I have drawn out, I am curious to see how they translate into wearable jewelry.

This weekend, more jewelry making with a little graphic design thrown into the mix...

happy friday

Hiatus

2009-11-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Wow...has it really been a year since my last post? How time flies.

Quick 2009 recap:

Traveled a ton this year...London...Amsterdam...Istanbul...each place was fantastic and I met so many wonderful people along the way. I am thankful that I was fortunate enough to be able to take these trips...more planned for 2010.

Each city and region I traveled to gave me a ton of ideas and I am now working to translate my favorite memories of people, places and things into new pieces of jewelry.

Production slowed as I transitioned into a new job that has been taking up most of my time. Things are calming down now that it is the holiday season and I have more time to devote to metal work. I am in the process of redesigning the website and I am hoping to have that complete by spring. Stay tuned...

Yesterday I hit a creative peak and spent all day making earrings. I made a quick trip to home depot and the art store to buy materials to make a light box to photograph the jewelry. After measuring, cutting and taping, I finally put it together and am ready to digitally capture the new pieces. I'll post them shortly. In the meantime, here are some pictures from places across the world...these make me smile every time I look at them.

Gold

2008-11-12T04:50:00.000-08:00

It seems like it's been ages since I've posted here. Unfortunately it is because I haven't been able to do a lot in terms of jewelry-making these days. I've been tied up training for a half marathon and traveling quite a bit. However, it looks like things are finally calming down and in 2 weeks I am taking a private lesson on how to work with gold. The goal is to create 4 rings, one of which will have a stone set on an open-backed bezel. I'm really looking forward to it. Depending on how the lesson goes (and how much of a dent in my pocket the gold makes), I may try to incorporate a little gold into my next few pieces...

Tutoring

2008-10-01T18:06:00.001-07:00

Took a private lesson today at Metalwerx to brush up on some new skills. Excited for next week's session where I'll be making some rings...found out there will be a vendor show in early November. I'm going to buy some new toys :)

Cuff & Ring

2008-08-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Made an awesome 3x7" cuff for Samira and a big ring for myself.

Need to get back into the cutting, soldering & hammering again. I miss it. Now that the price of silver has dropped a couple dollars and ounce, I think I can buy myself some more material and get back to work. I have ideas I need to get out of my head and onto the workbench.

In other news, an artist created a logo for me...here's a mock-up of 2 of her drawings...can you tell the difference between them???

Semi-finished Pieces

2008-06-27T07:13:00.001-07:00

Some pictures of my "fresh out of the investment" silver rings. These were all cast from wax in my class that is now finished :(

This piece was cast from 3 pieces of wax. The texture was created by using a heated dental tool.

A diamond in the rough and an experiment with curves. The three dots need to be drilled out. When the wax was formed they were hollow, but the silver filled the holes when it was cast.

In this shot, you can see what is left of the sprue on the top right corner. This will be sanded smooth and again, the dots will be drilled through.

The "Collection"

More Castings

2008-06-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

More casting pictures...

the inside of the kiln

Heating the metal

Pouring the metal into the flask

The cooling flask

A Torch & Hot Metal

2008-05-29T06:56:00.000-07:00

Last night I cast for the very first time...here are pictures for your viewing enjoyment:

Lighting the torch - GOOG (on: gas, oxygen; off: oxygen, gas)

Heating the crucible before adding the silver. You can see the flame shooting out of the spout on the right. This is where the melted silver will flow out into the mold.

Stirring the molten silver just before pouring into the mold. Silver melts at just over 1700* F. Once the metal was poured, we let the mold sit for about 30 minutes and then quenched it in a bucket of water.

The finished castings! The three rings are all attached to a large "button" (the center ring) which will be recycled and used in another cast. The silver is dirty due to the firing process and needs to be cleaned up. The sparex in the pot will remove most of the oxidation, but these rings will still need a little TLC before they are wearable. Next steps: clean, buff and polish...

Sprue

2008-05-22T13:36:00.000-07:00

Last night, I learned how to sprue. What a funny little word. No, I am not talking about the tropical disease that ravages the gi tract, rather I'm referring to the piece of wax that when attached to a carved piece, acts as an umbilical cord of sorts, giving life to my jewelry. It sticks out from the carved wax like the hair on Alfalfa's head and acts as a funnel for the molten metal that will be poured into the investment.

I attached 4 sprues to 4 different pieces (I now consider myself an expert spruer) and will hopefully be able to cast them next week. They are all rings, three of which will be cast in silver, and one heavier piece, will be cast in bronze (my first sculpture - watch out michelangelo). I will post pictures of the pieces soon.

If you are inclined to read more about it, I found this website: http://www.peninsula.wednet.edu/classroom/hummelj/Jewelry/Jewelry%20Assignments/casting.htm which gives a great explanation of the lost wax casting process (and of course, spruing).

Support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

2008-05-13T11:55:00.000-07:00

As a part of my fund raising effort, I have decided to donate $50 for each 'Recuerdo' bracelet sold through my Mezze store. I created this petite sterling bangle as a personal reminder of the reason I am running this half marathon. I put it on the day I pledged to run and I will not take it off until I cross the finish line.

For each bracelet sold, I will donate 100% of the proceeds to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Proceeds will be submitted in the buyer's name or in the name of a person they wish to honor and are entirely tax deductible.The bracelet is entirely handmade by me out of sterling (.925) silver. The thin bangle is highlighted with a string of 5 Japanese seed beads and a 1/2" diameter hammered circle.Materials: Sterling silver, Japanese seed beads (available in purple or blue)

Size: 2 1/4" diameter

Please contact me directly to order or visit http://www.mezzedesigns.com/

Metal Casting

2008-04-18T07:44:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be taking a metals casting class through Metalwerx (www.metalwerx.org). I am completely HOOKED. I am hoping to use the pieces that come out of this endeavor to join the Cambridge Artist's Association.

I am also currently working on a couple of custom orders. It feels great to get back into a creative mode after having to pause because of the high supply costs.

Rising prices of silver

2008-03-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

For the last month or so, I've had to put my creative work on hold because of the rising costs of precious metals. When I first picked this up as a hobby back in 2006, I paid about $11 an ounce. As of last week, prices were nearly double that at just over $20 an ounce! This week, it looks like prices are slowly declining and that means I'll soon be able to place a materials order and begin working again. Good news since I have a ton of ideas that are sitting patiently in my notebook ready to be brought to life. The chart below demonstrates the climb in prices of silver over the last several years.

SPRING SALE

2008-03-12T13:48:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the extra hours of sunlight we're getting, I am having a sale!
15% off ALL earrings. Enter coupon code 'springsale' at checkout.
Valid through April 1, 2008.
www.mezzedesigns.com

Bringing it Back to the Basics

2008-02-20T07:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend, as I started designing my Argentine-inspired pieces, I thought about how the shapes seemed so simple and basic. Uncomplicated, yes, perhaps even rudimentary. Yet they have a subtle sophistication that never seems to go out of style. My "Primitive Chic" approach to jewelry. The roots of these designs can be traced back to ancient Peruvian and Bolivian metallurgy where form followed function and mysticism manifested meaning. In other words, fundamental beliefs and elementary mores that drive a culture.

This morning I looked up the words 'fundamental' and 'elementary' in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary. The definitions screamed out to me: of or relating to essential structure, function, or facts…one of the minimum constituents without which a thing or a system would not be what it is.

Primitive Chic: Elementary.Fundamental.Minimalism

A new jewelry line…my thoughts exactly.

The rush is over and now...

2008-02-12T07:56:00.000-08:00

the creativity begins again...all of my Valentine's Day orders are complete, packaged and en route to their lucky recipients. I now have a little more time to focus on creating pieces inspired by my trip to Argentina. These will require me to brush up on my piercing (handsawing) and drawing skills (help!! I've never been any good at drawing anything more than stick figures!!).

A constant challenge I seem to be running into recently is the 'naming' of the categories and pieces. I want the names to reflect something about the piece, have some underlying meaning or just sound plain cool. Usually I can come up with something that just seems to fit, but I often wonder if the names distract from the pieces, especially if they are a bit out of the ordinary. I'd love to hear thoughts on this. Would you like to see explanations in the descriptions for the meaning behind the names? Let me know.

Something I've been toying around with as well is having a 'launch' party to promote my work. I'd love to hear thoughts on this as well!

Custom Orders

2008-01-31T13:27:00.001-08:00

Recently I've had many requests for custom orders. I love to do these, as they allow me to work with someone else's idea and put it into a tangible, shiny piece they (or someone they know) can wear. But custom work doesn't come without challenges. I need to make sure that I take into consideration the requestor's personality and taste without compromising my own creative spirit. A recent request was for a pair of bracelets (male/female) as a Valentine's Day gift. The idea was to create two pieces out of the same piece of metal and make them 'fit' into one another. After drafting a few designs, the requestor chose a design and I got to work. Below are photos of the pieces in progress...

Stone Setting

2008-01-22T07:01:00.000-08:00

This weekend I set my sights on finishing a project for a friend of mine. I had put it off for awhile because it included setting 3 stones into a pendant that I had yet to design. So far, this has been one of the more challenging pieces I've made. I've only set one stone prior to this (shhh, don't tell my friend) and was pretty nervous that I'd mess it up. 5 hours later with 3 semi-precious stones partially set into the pendant, I'm pretty happy with the results. I now have to complete the setting, polish it up and I'll be ready to mail the necklace off!

My car door was frozen shut this morning

2008-01-16T08:22:00.000-08:00

Why I hate New England winters: reason # 2345

Last week it was in the 50's, today it's in the 20's and my driver's side door is frozen shut.

I yanked, I pulled, I jumped up and down in frustration, I asked nicely, but nothing, really - nothing, would open my driver's side door this morning. So I had to go Dukes of Hazard style through the passenger side, over the center console, knocking my knee on my stick shift, leaving a salty, muddy footprint on my dashboard just to put myself in the driver's seat...all while some guy in a van across the parking lot watched me.

In other news:
I've made 8 of the 10 pieces I will be sending to OAK next week. A photoshoot is taking place on the 27th and I'm hoping that a few of these pieces will be featured.

Woooo hooo

2008-01-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

Let me say it again - waaaaaahooooo! I just found out that some of my pieces will be carried at a store on Newbury street. I am so excited to have an opportunity like this to show off my jewelry! Now I just have to make everything...

Ok, I did it...

2008-01-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

My patience flew away in the bitter arctic wind, I set my sense to the side and my fingers hit the keys on my keyboard with a fervor that only comes with wasting time at work. I just bought a kiln. Yeah, that's right. An oven. But not just any oven. This is an oven that heats up to over 1500 degrees. Now I can FINALLY practice my enamelling and granulation work. Watch out world, color is coming your way. I just hope I don't burn my apartment down in the process.

Finding Inspiration in Argentina

2007-12-31T11:54:00.000-08:00

I closed my eyes and heard the bouncing, screeching sound of rubber against asphalt as the wheels of the plane made contact with the runway. I closed my eyes and thought - am I really back? It was a bittersweet arrival. I was completely exhausted and in desperate need of clean clothes but I had just spent ten inspirational, friendship renewing days in a country I never thought I would ever step foot in. The people we met in Argentina were kind, helpful and accomodating and I was sad to leave the experience and people 10,000 miles behind me. But experience enables perspective and my ceaseless canon powershot gave me 872 pictures I will always have to replenish my memories. And to top it all off, I came back full of ideas for new jewelry. Over the next several weeks, I hope to have some beautiful Argentinian-inspired pieces. Stay tuned...

Ok, I am here...so now what?

2007-12-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

I posed the question to some of my etsy.com comrades as to whether or not it was a good thing for business to start blogging. The overwhelmong response surprised me - just about everyone who responded had a blog. Have I been living under a rock? I mean, really. I like to think of myself as hip and up on the latest trends. I didn't know it was so popular. So here goes...I intend to use this for my jewelry escapades (hence the title Alloy). But my apologies if I go astray from time to time...

For starters, you can check out my website:

www.mezzedesigns.com

or my etsy shop:

www.sauterelle.etsy.com