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.

Darlington Sundays Peoples Market 2nd Sept 2012

Hi to all my readers. Just to let you know that if you are in Darlington on the 2nd September 2012. I will be selling my creations of dichroic jewellery and up-cycled jewellery. So come along and have a look at my work and many others.

More information from:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=277427709030145&set=o.246954155410834&type=3&theater

Dragon Eye and Cats Eye Designed Bracelets

A few more designs from my Dragon Eyes and Cats Eyes Bracelet range. The bracelet is silver plate on copper (nickel and lead free) and the eyes are Dichroic Glass designed and fired in the kiln. 

Great fun to make these and every one is unique. You never see two alike. 

You can order via my website by clicking here or contact me directly via my e-mail: stevesmithjewellery@yahoo.co.uk

My way of firing multiple cabochons.

Well you've seen the home made glass cutting tool, the kiln and the finished creations. I thought I should show you how I layer very small, 1/4" pieces of dichroic glass on the kiln tile prior to the firing process. 

But first a bit about the kiln tile. You can see they look a bit pink, and they are. This is the kiln wash or shelf primer, a powder that is mixed with water and then brushed onto the tile. You need a minimum of four coats of this stuff and I usually do about five to six. Over doing some would say but when glass is fired and there is'nt enough kiln wash it sticks to the tile and damages it beyond repair. This pink colour will turn a creamish white after a firing. I usually get about 3 firings before the tiles need sanding down and the kiln wash re-applied.

That's enough of tile preperation for now but I will come back to it in the near future and give you my experiences of Thinfire paper, an alternative.

Now back to what I am posting about.

As you can see, when I do a firing I make sure its worth while. One hundred on the upper tile and about sixty on the lower tile. Fewer on the lower for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there has to be room for a ceramic tile spacer and secondly the lower layer cabochons fire slightly different to the upper layer. 

I don't know if you have noticed in the above picture but not all have a top clear Tekta Glass. About fifty (well fifty one, because there was a gap) small squares or glass are bare upper dichroic with a plain black base glass. This has to be done to get the thickness right. You always have to remember glass wants to be round and about 6mm thick. Keep that in mind when firing and the rest mostly follows. Oh yes, also don't forget glass sometimes just has a mind of its own and does something completely unexpected. Good and Bad!

A lot of these cabochons are ear marked (excuse the pun) for stud earrings. And on that note here is a finished pair of dichroic glass stud earrings set on solid silver posts and solid silver butterfly backs.

You can find these and many more of my jewellery creations at 

www.stevesmithjewellery.co.uk and also by clicking the shop button at the top of this page.

Hope you enjoyed reading my way of making dichroic glass cabochons. I am sure others will have there own ways of doing the same but this works for me.

Dichroic Glass Fashion Hair Clips

Unique Sparkling Dichroic Cabochon Fashion Hair Clips are a new design range from 

Steve Smith Jewellery. These come in loads of colours and are an affordable gift. 

Click here to see a range of these new fashion ideas. Normally sold in pairs but occasionally in singles.

Sparkling Hair Clips

Find these Hair Clips and many more gift ideas by clicking the shop button above. Prices to suit all pockets and gifts to suit ladies and gents of all ages. 

50 Shades of Grey

Well that title got your attention LOL. 
You have probably read or are about to read or know someone who has read this mentioned best selling book, 50 Shades Of Grey. On my last kiln firing I decided to make a streaky grey background pendant. I haven't got round to seeing if there is 50 shades but it wouldn't be far off LOL. ooops sorry for the disappointment :o(

The bright and vibrant colours have been kiln fired onto a streaky grey background glass (hence the connection) and looks quite stunning.

These three picture are all slightly different pictures of the same Pendant. I am trying to show how the colours change with differing lights (not succeeding very well I here you say, photography lesson needed. LOL). As you can see it has three inclusions of dichroic glass and these inclusions are made up in a mosaic style.

If you would like to see more of my sparkling creations, take a look at my website or click the shop button above. Hope you see something you like but if not then please return occasionally as I design and make every week and always have jewellery to list.

Thanks for reading and I hope the enjoyed my 50 Shades of grey pendant.

Dichroic Pendants with Decals

Quite a while ago I bought a few decals to be fired onto my dichroic glass pendants. I have just got around to having a go with them. After a few experimental attempts I managed to do just two that I was happy with (I expect there will be more to follow :o))

This picture shows a beautiful tree of life fired onto a multi-coloured background.

The colours are a lot brighter in real life, it was taken like this to show off the decal.

You can see this and more of my jewellery creations at Steve Smith Jewellery

Hope to post again with new design soon.