Balance Rings

These rings came about from designing for a client, I came up with a similar design to these and decided to forge it from thick wire, when I bent it up to the shape, it was too big to be worn as a ring so I decided to over lap the two meeting loops side by side to decrease the size. This created a really interesting pattern and It took off from there. I made a few variations and created different finishes such as blackening the metal for contrast, glass brushing for a matted look and forging with a polished hammer for a beaten texture. Over and above this I set one of the rings with a Labradorite gemstone and one with a Moonstone. To me these rings represent the Chinese Yin and Yang which describes the interdependance of opposites which create harmony and balance.

Sweet Mozam's

This is a Cast Silver ring set with water Opals, they have a really beautiful colour to them which remind me of the bright blue luminescence of the Ocean in Tofu, Mozambique. I went there in December 2004 and what a beautiful place it was. After a long hot drive from Maputo, we arrived at a Backpackers called Fatima's Nest where we camped at, it had a really relaxed vibe with a beach bar where you can take afternoon naps on the couch, a bon-fire circle and little dried palm tree leaf gazebo's with hammocks strung from it, I thought that this was definately my kind of place, I never wanted to leave and ever since I have been longing to go back. So to anyone reading this post I would strongly recomend taking a visit.

The Conclusion

Through all this wax work and casting I have learnt so much from trial and error, and still have much more to learn. Casting is a whole other skill that goes far more in depth than I had ever thought.

It takes alot of patience and persistance and the outcome can either be frustrating and dissapointing or exciting and rewarding.

I have found that with wax rolling the possibilities are endless and I am enjoying the process of experimenting and although tedious at times the results are often highly satisfactory.

The Search

This is a bracelet that I am currently working on it has taken time because it needs more elements due to a change in construction, instead of using jump rings to attach the elements I am using hinges so that the mechanism for movement can be can be hidden. I find that with certain pieces jump rings can often make a piece look cheap and improfessional so that is why I went with using hinges. I had a few bumps along the way like the once again, mis-cast elements, but I'm sure all the trouble will be worth it.

I am drawn to the Aztec feel of this piece it reminds me of an ancient wisdom that once existed and is now forever lost to the blindness of modern day society.

Evolve

This is the evolution of the once lost but now found Periwinkle earrings, I gave the first ones a rest for a while because they weren't working out the way I wanted and wasn't sure how to take the design further. So through my journey of wax rolling I came across a very special wax extruding instrument, thanks to my lecturer, which is much less time consuming and allows me to make much thinner spirals. Thank goodness for that because this piece takes alot of time to make.

I have found that this earring wraps over too much and is a bit short and stumpy, so I have a new shape for it which I had molded but mis-cast due to my metal not being hot enough when pouring into the flask... Sigh! Live and learn.

Ancient Eternity

This is an element I have retrieved from a prevoius mis-cast phenomena bangle.
I experimentally used a sprue on only one side of the bangle and this was the outcome, the metal cooled down before reaching all the cavities.
I love it because it brings about feelings of mystisism and ancient artefacts.
I'm not sure yet what I will do with it but I'm sure I'll find out in time.

Wind cries Mary

This piece is an improvement of the Phenomena bangle, the first bangle was more of a prototype and a bit clumsily done. I've tried to go more intricate in this piece using thinner spirals and with more thought put into the placement of spirals with regard to the overall shape of the bangle, which is a wavey shape.

This piece has thick sides because it is unfinished and still has its 'sprues' from casting, which assist the flow of molten metal into the piece.

When I feel like my bangle is finally what I'm hoping for It will then be worth setting stones in the middle of certain spirals, mainly Opals, Moonstones or Labradorite, maybe all of the above.