22ct gold decal pendants

Here is my new range of dichroic glass pendants. The images are 22ct gold and are fired into the glass on a second firing cycle. They measure about 4cm across and comes complete with a 40cm stainless steel chain.

These are £30 each plus £3.50 UK postage or £5 postage for outside the UK.

If you would like to order one of these, please contact me via email at stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk

Hope you like the new designs.

Steve

New Tree of Life and Owl pendants

These two pendants flew out of the door quicker than they came out of the kiln. They measure about 35mm across and are set of silver plated bails and stainless steel chain.

The Tree of Life pendant has, as you can see a beautiful dichroic green glass base with 22ct gold image fired into the top glass. The Owl has a more multi-coloured dichroic glass base and is also fired into the top glass.

I saw the Tree of Life pendant worn at the weekend, it looked stunning, catching the sunshine on both the dichroic glass and the gold. If only I could make the picture look as good.

I will definitely  be making a few more of these designs in the future. If you would like to see other designs I make then please take a look at my website 

www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk 

and my facebook page 

www.facebook.com/stevesmithjewellery.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you come back soon.

Steve :-)

Tree of Life hair clip.

The challenge should I choose to accept it was to make a Tree of Life hair clip for a customer in the USA.

Well the challenge was on. There was many possible problems with this, I was not sure if I could actually do it.

First things first, 

choose the glass, 

the customer had already requested streaky green so that was the easy bit.

The idea was to make the approximate shape by using a fibre kiln material

Here is a piece!

Then, cut the desired shape out, as the next picture shows.

Sorry about this but I seem to have a few picture missing. But basically I cut the glass in fit inside them shape. One long strip and two half moons pieces. I then repeated this with the top glass. Fitted all the pieces into the cut out and fired for the first time.

Once the firing cycles had been completed, I removed the glass from the fibre material, cleaned up the edges to reduce de-vitrification on the glass for the second firing. Like I said, I fired this cleaned glass again for the second time.

I now had a flat, streaky correct shaped glass cabochon.

The next stage was to bend the glass.

With a 4" square sheet of copper, curved to fit the curvature of the hair clip. See the following picture, although the picture does not show the 5 coats of kiln wash to stop the glass sticking to the copper.

I then fired the cabochon on a slumping cycle, not as hot as fusing the glass but enough to let the glass fall into to right shape over the copper

Once this had cooled,

 I applied the entwined Tree of Life decal onto the center of the cabochon.And fired it once again.

After leaving the new creation to cool completely. 

The cabochon was glued to the curved hair clip with E6000 glue.

Then totally left alone for 48 hours (glue drying time). 

I presented it in a beautiful heart shaped box, all ready to be posted over to the USA.

Then a few weeks later I receive this picture.

I was so please it all worked out in the end. I have missed a few points out as an alchemist can't give away all his secrets.

A massive thank you to my customer for letting me accept this challenge and for ordering my hand made jewellery.

Thanks for reading.

Steve

PS. if you have an idea of a piece of jewellery made from glass, please contact me via stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk and I will see what I can do, but no promises LOL.......

A Cremation Pendant, Edmund Skellings Florida's Poet Laureate. Part 2

OK. Edmund turned up at the studio about 4 weeks ago. 

A small amount of Edmund's cremains were accepted and welcomed into England and our studio from Diane in the USA.

I felt highly honoured to have the poet laureate of Florida sit before me in a small parcel.

I had already spoken to Diane (the customer) and she had decided on the colour, size and basic design. The rest was left up to me.

Streaky green glass was chosen so I got the cutters out and off we went on a bit of a roller coaster ride. 

Trying to get Edmund to behave in the glass was something of a trial. Putting any inclusion in fused glass can be a bit hit and miss but when ever I do a cremation piece it always goes a bit more a rye. And Edmund did not fall short on this, his rye sense of humour kept me on my toes but after the third attempt the initial stage of the pendant was finished.

Just to let readers know what sort of shenanigans Edmund was playing at. I had cabochons crack and break up and one had a bubble the size of a small party balloon.

Anyway, I could go on but the one thing you must remember when you read about the failed attempts is, I love doing this work, in fact it's not work at all.

Diane also wanted a twisted tree of life image fired in to the glass. The correct size image was chosen and placed on the Cabochon. 
I was pretty happy with the pre fired look so the glass cabochon complete with Edmund and the twisted tree of life went back in to the kiln for his final firing.
and now for a couple of pictures:

 I also offer a heart design in the rear of the pendant of cremains. this also caused me no end of trouble (Edmund strikes again). But with a bit of jiggery pokery, the end design looked great.

That's about it really, apart from one more little detail to my service for Diane.

Whilst getting to know Edmund and for that matter Diane, it comes about that a lot of his formal training was Shakespearean and as my family only live about 12 miles away from Stratford on Avon. I offered to scatter his last remains near The Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford on Avon. Diane was delighted with this idea so in the new year I will be taking a slight detour when travelling back home from my family.

I hope you have enjoyed reading this update about the Edmund Skellings Cremation Pendant. Having read about Edmund and watched him on you tube, I could go on about his character and his life time  achievements but far better writer and researchers have done that already. If you need to know more then just google his name.

Thanks again and 

R.I.P. Edmund Skellings 

Entwined Tree of Life Pendant. NOW SOLD.

The concept of the tree of life has been used in

science, religion, philosophy and mythology.

It's a common motif in various theologies, mythologies and philosophies.

Alluding to the interactions of all life in many culture.

A sacred tree, adored by many and ever lasting in the thoughts of

people throughout the world.

I love make all my jewellery

but the one that really floats my boat is the

Tree of Life Pendants.

I find this such a powerful symbol and when two are entwined it's even better.

This pendant was made using top quality green glass and the image fired into the

surface of the pendant. The symbology carried this colour glass really well, in my opinion.

To order (£15 plus £2 p&p)   Now sold. please contact me via email at

stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk

or visit and like my page on Facebook at

www.facebook.com/stevesmithjewellery

Thanks for stopping by

Steve

New delivery Post Card Designs for Steve Smith Jewellery

Hi.

Here are just a few of my new delivery post cards for mail order customers. I have tried to find relevant poems to go with them. It took quite a while but I am really happy with what I found. Have a read and take a look and see what you think.

Fairy Decal Pendant jewellery

When next meet in the Fairy dell,

May the silver moon's soft light

Shine then the faces gay as now,

And Elfin hearts as light.

Now spread each wing,for the eastern sky

With sunlight soon will glow.

The morning star shall light us home.

Farewell! for the Elves must go.

Fairy song

By: Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

Tree of Life Pendant Jewellery

The oaks and the pines, and their brethren of the wood, 

have seen so many suns rise and set, 

so many seasons come and go, 

and so many generations pass into silence, 

that we may well wonder what 

"the story of the trees" 

would be to us if they had tongues to tell it, 

or we ears fine enough to understand.

  

~Author Unknown, quoted in Quotations for Special Occasions by Maud van Buren, 1938

Dragon Eye Pendant Jewellery

Gaze into a dragon's eyes

Go with him and sever ties

From tortured reality and a world so plain

Into the world where fiction reigns.

Dragon Eyes

By: Instantramen

Catitude Cat Pendant Jewellery

Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw -

For he's the master criminal who can defy the Law.

He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's despair:

For when they reach the scene of crime - Macavity's not there!

Macavity - the Mystery Cat, by T.S. Eliot

Elemental Dragon Pendant Jewellery

My eyes have bore into the beginnings of time itself

My scales have proven dependable and indestructible 

Through too many conflicts 

Antagonised by man

And yet I lie over you

An Astral Warrior

An elemental protector

I will rush to you when you call

Sairys,Grael,Fafnir,Nailyon

I am all and all are but 

An atom of my greatness and ability

I will survive through the ages

Mighty and immortal

For I am known as serpent

Great conquer and warrior

Over all things

I am

Dragon

Hope you enjoyed the, it was certainly a journey for me LOL

If you would like to see more of these fired decal jewellery designs then please click on our Facebook link above.

Thank you

:o)