The making of Harliquin dichroic glass pendant jewellery

Whilst making these round pendants of dragon eyes and cats eyes. To be fixed as pendants and bracelet cabochons. I have lots of very small off cuts from corners. These off cuts can be  very expensive and nothing goes to waste so I decided to use them for a new 

Harlequin design pendant idea I've had for a while.

More about these cats eyes and dragon eyes on a future blog post.

Here you can see the basic pear drop design, very rough but it should smooth out in the kiln.

Lots of corner off cuts placed together to form the basic shape. This dichroic glass in 2mm thick so the top glass had to be 4mm thick. 

The simple glass firing rule is always in the  front of the mind. 

"Glass wants to be 6mm thick and round. "

Well I wanted that thickness but did not want it round so I made sure the firing soak time was not too long. I decided through experience for that to be 4 minutes. (If your interested. lol)

And now, after cooling. The fired cabochon, straight out of the kiln. As I expected, all nice and rounded edged but still in the shape I wanted. A pear drop or tear drop pendant shape.

I then glued a bail on using E6000 glue and did not touch it for 48 hours. A lesson learnt from fiddling with glued items before this time had lapsed which proved unforgiving. As in, it fell off! lol

Here it is in all it's fine glory. 

My first

Dichroic Glass Harlequin Pendant

 

 I am really please with the finished piece. I never quite know what is going to come out of the kiln until it's done it's thing. But as long as enough thought has been put into it, it's usually ok. Although, I do have a small tub with mistakes and designs that just didn't work. 

These, as I have said earlier will be used at some time in the future as I don't like to throw any glass away.

 If you want this unique pear drop harlequin pendant for £15 plus £3 p&p 

then contact me via email: 

stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk

or

My facebook page: www.facebook.com/SteveSmithJewellery

or

leave a comment on this blog post

Thank you

:o)

Win a Dichroic Glass pendant - FREE blog giveaway

Yes, you have read that right.
To be drawn on October 29th 2012 at 9pm BST (inclusive).
I'm offering you the chance to win this  beautiful citrus coloured dichroic glass pendant. Absolutely FREE....

This unique Glass Pendant measure approximately 1"1/2" x 1" plus the silver plated bail. Created and Kiln fired at our studio in Northallerton. This FREE gift will be presented in a bright hot pink presentation box. And this giveaway also includes FREE postage, so there are no catches or hidden charges.
All you have to do is share www.stevesmithsjewellery.blogspot.com on your blog or facebook page and mention my work, become a facebook fan on my page and leave a comment on this blog post to say you have done so. 

(Please read the short rule list)

and that's it.

To see my other creations visit my website www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk

Rules: (all three must be done)
1.Share this www.stevesmithsjewellery.blogspot.co.uk on your your own blog or facebook page and mention me and my creations in your post.
2.Become a facebook fan by liking my page at https://www.facebook.com/SteveSmithJewellery
3.Leave a comment under this blog post.

The winner will be selected by using random.org. The winner will be notified through the comments section and the winning can then email his or hers address for posting. The winning share will be checked to make sure the share has been done before notification.

A unique two sided dichroic glass pendant set in sterling silver band.

A unique two sided dichroic glass pendant. Set inside a solid silver band and hung on a solid silver 16" chain.

The dichroic glass is a gorgeous crinklised turquoise colour and is set in both sides of the silver band. 

 The silver used for this is not stamped but I can assure you it is 925 solid silver. I know this because I soldered and set the band.

You can buy this unique turquoise double sided dichroic glass pendant for 

£60 free p&p 

by contacting me on 

stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk

If you would like any more information on this then please contact through the above email or leave a message on this blog post.

Darlington Sunday Peoples Market

Another great day at the Darlington Sunday Peoples Market. 

Lots of happy smiling people and the Sun shone and shone all day. 

This event is on every first Sunday of the month and is organised by the team at DSPM, brian has been our main contact and we just met Samantha, another key member of the team. Sorry I don't know the rest of the people by name. 

This event has been one of the best advertised and organised event I have done and really look forward to doing more of them, even in the cold winter months!

www.facebook.com/dspmsundays

 Sunshine, people and quality traders, what more is needed.

www.facebook.com/dspmsundays

 It was about late morning and who should turn up. Two lovely friends of ours, Emj and Maz. Such lovely people. Although I got very nervous when Sue, Emj and Maz started to rearrange my pendants in there boxes. It did look better when they finished but I was like a cat on a hot tin roof. I can be quite protective of my creations.

www.facebook.com/dspmsundays

Here's a great picture of the clock tower seen from about half way through the market. I think it show the town as a vibrant, clean and community spirited town.

www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk/

And just because I love showing off my stall here's my best picture of my jewellery display (well in my eye's anyway) from the day.

Thank you again to Sue (my lovely partner), Emj, Maz, DSPM team, the Sun 

and not forgetting our friendly customers, who are always welcome. :o)

Small Dichroic Glass Stud Earring Jewellery

As mentioned in a previous post, 

here are the Small Dichroic Glass Stud Earring Jewellery. 

These pictures were taken straight after firing in the kiln. To keep the cabochons on the small side I fired them without top glass. This gives a new dimension to the colours and designs. With blue's, green's, red's and multi-colours, they are going to look stunning when worn.

 These last four pairs are my favourites, although I really like them all. Its just how the colour and crinkled affect they have. Cant wait to see these on display at a show and see what other people think of them.

Don't forget to look at my website for my other designs www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk

and dont forget to drop in and see us at the studio in Northallerton or my next show at Darlingtons Sunday Peoples Market on the 7th October 2012.

https://www.facebook.com/dspmsundays

Where you will find all those special gifts. Price's to suit all and great people to chat to.

Large 1" + Dichroic Glass Cabochon Bracelets

Here are just a few of my latest designs. They are a silver plated bracelet set with a large dichroic glass cabochon. The glass measures over 1" in diameter. 

 I have been very busy in the studio this past week and have designed and made quite a few new pieces. Many of these will be listed on my website. And if you are in the Darlington area on the 7th October 2012 then come and see what the colours really look like in natural light.

Hope to see loads of people on the day, all getting the Christmas presents sorted.

Unique small stud earrings, a problem solved.

Over the past few years I have been asked on many occasions for smaller stud earrings than that of what I already make.

I haven't got around to doing this until the other day when a young girl came into the studio and really loved my jewellery but wanted something smaller to wear at school. I asked, can you give me about half an hour and I will see what I can come up with.

After scratching my head again (ooops that's a bit more on the hair loss lol). I got out the required coloured glass, cutting board and gas torch. I found that a 1/4" square of 3mm dichroic melted into a nice round shape.

And here is the finished pair, quite nice if I say so myself and the customer was over the moon with them. And all for a fiver!

Anyway back to the problem solving.

This weekend I decided to do some more of these small stud earrings, as I had just bought some special small posts for them (that's another story).  The first step was to cut quite a few 1/4" square diachroic glass pieces in different colours and set them on the firing tile along with a repair job on some devitrified bracelet cabochons I had made last week. I will have a chat about devitrification at some other point but most glass workers know about it. Set the kiln going and waited for the heating cycle to finish.

This was my view, well at least it warmed the studio up......

As you can see, small cabochons at the front and the large bracelet cabochons at the back. When these had annealed and cooled it was time for gluing the posts on. 

I normally glue and then stand dichroic side down until dry but with these they kept falling over. So, after some more head scratching. I came up with a very quick and easy solution (to me anyway). A tray of sand to sit the small dichroic glass stud earring on there head in. Here's another picture to show you what I mean

As you can see, all lined up with the posts glued on and I wont be able to touch them for at least 48 hours because I use E6000 glue. This glue is amazing but don't even think about touching the glued item for this 48 hours period as it wont be stuck. One issue with this method of drying time storage is DON'T knock or budge the tray, because they will fall over and you will have to spent the next hour or so standing them upright again. If any sand grains get stuck on the glue they should come off once dried (I hope).

Anyway, problem solved, dichroic glass stud earring the would stand up to dry, now sits in a bed of sand to dry. Job done.

Once these have dried I will be listing a few of them on my this blog and my facebook page at 

https://www.facebook.com/SteveSmithJewellery

and eventually on my website:

http://www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk/

Bracelets set with a unique Dichroic Glass Cabochon.

Unique, one of a kind, or what ever you would like to call them. 

All my jewellery creations are individual. No two are the same and that goes for these bracelets as well. 

Each glass cabochon is designed and created to fit the bracelet.

If you would like to see more of my creations then please visit my website at

www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk

Or if you are in the Darlington area on the 7th October 2012 I will be selling from a stall at 

Darlington, Sundays People Market 11am to 4pm. 

Come along and see my jewellery stall, food stalls, clothe stalls and much more at this amazing Sunday market.

I hope to to see you at the Market.

Green Dragons Eye Bracelet. A unique gift!

One of my latest creations is this Green Dragons Eye Bracelet. The Dichroic Cabochon measure about 1" and is set on a silver plated bracelet.

I have included lots of pictures from different angles to try and show the different colours and design. The pictures were taken on a mirror to increase light so dont get confused, it is only one eye. lol

This Green Dragons Eye Bracelet is £15 plus £3 p&p

This bracelet can be bought by simply emailing me at stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk alternatively you can take a look at my other work on my web site at www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk.

Really looking forward to getting the kiln started again to make some more.

Dichroic Glass Cremation Pendant.

I recently had what I thought was a strange request at the time. 

A Dichroic Glass Cremation Pendant.

But after googling the idea I realised that this was not a unique request and after a bit more head scratching I worked out how it could be done.

I worked out the price's and contacted Karen, the customer with the news. 

Karen is such a lovely woman, really friendly and smiley. She told me all about Brian, her late father and that she would love to have a pendant made to hold close to her at all times.

A few days later Karen, armed with a small heart shaped box of ashes turned up at the studio. It was a bit weird to think "I have a box of ashes in my hands" but once Karen explained how close she was with him and how much of a jocker he was. The weird feeling soon left me and I took a small amount of Brian's ashes for the pendant.

Karen had chosen the colours and size for the finished piece and she left me to it.

A few days later I had fired Brian on some gorgeous Dichroic Blue/green glass and for an extra bit (that I had not mentioned before) I had ground out a small heart shape in the back to put a little bit of the ashes there too.

As you can see from the following photos. The colours are stunning, the bail looks lovely and Brian sits well in his new home.  

There was a twist in the making of this cremation pendant. 

As I said before Brian was a bit of a jocker and as you can see. He is still working his magic. I have made hundreds of pendants over the last few years and have never before had this strange dimple on the edge, almost like Brian's up to his old jocks again, even in the afterlife. 

I will let you decide on that one.......

If you would like a Dichroic Glass Cremation Pendant of a loved one then please contact me on 

stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk 

and I will see what can be done. Price's start from as little as £25 and go upwards. It just depends on what you want.