ETSYMETAL'S OTHER APRIL PROJECT

Here's my entry for etsymetal's "found objects" April theme. It is my Dragon pool ring. It has these little shells and sand from an island on the barrier reef...

ETCHING!

I have decided to do some 'safe' etching on silver, if possible...
I didn't want to use nitric acid...
So far I have tried using this PnP paper, which works really well if you want to speed up the 'resist' process. It seems to work quite well (the transfer of design). Irons on WOW. I used to use a paint on pitch which used to take forever to dry and if it was too dry, you could rip your design by scratching it out too hard & fast.

So I have tried AMMONIUM PERSULFATE which didn't work with silver only with copper and I also think it was a bit toxic as far as fumes because you had to use hot water. So I didn't like that one.

Tomorrow I will try a mixture of ferrous chloride and citric acid. i am hoping that will work.

If anyone has any suggestions about solutions to etch silver with, please leave me a comment.

I JUST LOVE BEING IN THE STUDIO & MAKING THINGS!

I made this last night for a customer and i must say that the green is really lovely against the silver!

my armbelts are very popular and really fun to make.

on another note, today i received a disc and this beautiful heart bead from tosca teran at hybryd nanopod studios who lives in canada. i sent her some australian pods. i will also be sending some soil from byron and bondi beach!

have a look at the beautiful bead and our little cat sparkle trying to gently touch it...

THE VERONICA EARRINGS

The way some of my work comes about is through making a piece for someone that I know, like for example THE VERONICA EARINGS. I made these specially for my friend Veronica. She was having some surgery and I thought that it would be a nice little surprize.

These enabled me to come up with with my new hoop/hook, which I'm sure it wont be long befor other jewellers will be doing the same as it always happens in my industry...

My daughter and I just got back from Veronica's (& family) house where they were entertaining friends & family. Certainly looked like a fun time was had by all.

INSPIRATION IS EVERYWHERE

Spent the Easter school Holidays down the South Coast Of New South Wales at the family's holiday house in Broulee (a teeny village by the sea). We got up early (6 am!) every morning and walked the dogs down to the bay at the other end of the beach and back (took about an hour!).

Found a lot of inspiration on my walks. I photographed what I liked and what caught my eye on my walks. Things that inspired me....

i saw necklaces in the beaded seaweed that had washed ashore and components for earring and rings in the shells and sand that we walked on...

ETSYMETAL GROUP'S APRIL THEMES

This month we seemed to have ended up with two themes. One is for a great cause. To stop the killing of baby seals...
Well, what can I say... it's been going on longer than I can remember...

I do recall as a child being terribly uset ( I think I was about 9 years old) when I happened to find out that baby seals were being slaughtered for fur! and they were just clubbed to death/or they were still alive but left to die....

It breaks my heart to think about this...
So I am going to put a fairly high price on the badge as I am hoping that it will sell quickly so that I can generate another ,and another, etc.. (the proceeds will go to the seals via victoria takahashi)