future finds

[gunsil]

A friend expressed a delight in dragonflies so I made these earrings yesterday. Dime is for size reference. Earrings are hollow domed pure silver fronts with sterling backs. I'm fairly sure one will someday be lost and then become a nice little metal detector find.

 

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[pat-tekker-cat]

Oh my gunsil, beautiful work!
Perhaps you could school some of us novices, in what to do with all our silver, as we are watching the prices go on a downhill slide.
I've long wished I knew or had the knowledge to do little things like that. Sometimes, the classes, tools, and equipments and stuffs can be a little pricey or I lack time to immerse in to a new endeavor. All I got is an old dremel, and I need new bits for it.

It would be cool, too, if your friend found that pair while hunting or were you just gonna give as present?
Real nice work! Thank you for sharing it.

 

[gunsil]

Thank you for the compliment Pat! They are a gift, the recipient is not a detector person. Chances are that sooner or later though, one will be lost and become detector fodder. I can't help you with ideas about what to do with silver, I have over 20 lbs of silver coins and they are going down for sure, but they are still way up from when I found them. Buying silver for my jewelry making endeavors is better now, but I am losing a little money on items I made a year ago that haven't yet sold. Most of my profit is in the labor though, but I still had to drop the prices on some of my older pieces including some bracelets that weigh over three ounces. One can actually train oneself using cheaper brass and copper before investing in the silver, and many or most jewelry classes start their students off this way. I was lucky that my mother was an art and craft teacher who made jewelry when I was little and I learned a lot from watching her although she never actually gave me any lessons. She stopped by the time I was twelve, but I never forgot, and started making precious metal items when I was about 29, longer ago than I like to think. Patience is mostly required, sadly it would be hard to school folks from afar, or I wouldn't mind doing so. I basically trained myself in lapidary arts, I just wanted to do it, got some equipment, practiced, and now turn out some nice cut stones for my jewelry work. By the way, I love cats too.

 

[gunsil]

here is a batch of larger earrings I made last summer for a store. I like making the larger ones better than the smaller ones, and the large ones seem to sell well these days. Gotta make some more, most of these have been sold. The cold winter is a fine time for my creative endeavors, it's quite nice to sit in my studio with a fire in the fireplace, keeping warm and cutting stones and working silver and a little gold.

 

[pat-tekker-cat]

Those are really nice and it's good you get to make some extra income. I'd probably be stamping out them little babies, well, as fast as I'm trying to stamp out sea shell ornaments, right now! LOL. You could/should have your own little etsy or ebay store, selling for yourself.

I have been looking at them electroplate pens on ebay. I buy little electroplated seashell pendants and make earrings and necklaces. I think it would be cool to be able to plate stuffs, I've just never done it. I was told, the plating won't stick to the shell, so I'd need a "medium" or something to put on it first. So I been trying to check out youtubes, to help me learn some more. I don't know the correct terminologies for many of the processes and things done,(I know medical coding,ICD9,cpt, and medical terminology stuffs. lol)
I can easily and better do youtube tutorials(in my underwear, if necessary ),
than take 3 to 4 hours getting ready and getting to and from, a 1 hour class.

You're lucky you picked up on your moms crafting/projects/teachings, I do hope it serves you well.
It's not too far of a stretch from machinists, I would think kinda sorta, in that you are making functional things/gifts/jewelry, from raw metal....... anyone should be able to do it, I would think.
Again, beautiful work and thanks for sharing!

 

[BC1969]

Is there a website you list on gunsil ? If so pm me. Read you have some heavy pieces 3 ounces ? I'll pay you last years price, I hate seeing folks lose money, better if the bracelets are male friendly. Though my wife loves silver also.
I could send you some lake superior agates also, I tumble them from time to time, but now I'm doing slicing/polishing, and soon getting a sphere cutting machine for my massive collection of pudding stones.

Mike