ViaU! Tips for Photographing Silver Jewelry

Jewelry can be so difficult to photograph well, something Etsy and jewelry blogs everywhere can attest to. I know I still have LOTS of room for improvement. So I wanted to share this fantastic article with all of you. While the article focuses on silver, really, the technique can be used to better photograph any kind of jewelry. All you really need is pieces of cardboard and some tin foil. I'm going to try it the next chance I get!


(And, if you haven't seen it yet, I've been compiling a list of helpful articles and tutorials here. Feel free to check it out for more tips and tricks!)

And, just so this is not a text-only post, here's a necklace I don't think I've shared with you yet:

Ah! I almost forgot---this Saturday is also the new reveal date for the mid-monthly challenge hop!

So exciting!!!

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Tutorial: Make faux scrimshaw pendants

"Scrimshaw" was the name given to amateur artforms practiced by sailors on long ocean voyages, usually on whaling hunts. It most commonly refers to carved bone, usually the teeth or other bones harvested from slain whales.

Today there are many restrictions on the use of ivory, even in the most prestigious of arts; this is understandable, since the material requires the death of living animals that share this earth with us. Many of these are endangered species because of centuries of hunting for their bones, teeth, and tusks. We do not want to encourage the killing of these animals or the trading of their parts, so instead we will use polymer clay and some other materials to recreate the look of aged scrimshaw.

Part I - Making Your Scrimshaw

Materials

- Polymer clay (I used FIMO here, but any kind would work), in white, ivory, pearl, or any variation of off-white color. (I used white here.)

- Some kind of sharp tool. I used an awl, but a mechanical pencil, toothpick, pin, or needle would also work.

- Rolling pin or noodle-style press.

- Parchment paper, two sheets.

- Cookie cutters. (It is advised that your tools for polymer clay are not to be used for food preparation.)


How-To Process

 Roll the clay around in your hands until it is warm and pliable. Form it into a rough ball and place it on one piece of parchment paper. Flatten it slightly and place the other piece of parchment paper on top of the flattened clay. Use your rolling pin to thin and further flatten the clay.

If you are using a noodle-style roller press for your clay, roll it until it is approximately a millimeter or two thin.

You do not want your clay to be too thin, because otherwise it may break easily. Flip the clay by simply taking the corners of the parchment paper and turning it over with the clay inside so you can roll the other side. You can peel the paper apart to check on your progress and determine your clay's thickness. This looks pretty good. Just drop the paper back down if it needs to be rolled more.

When the clay is at the desired thickness, use your cutters to make shapes in it. Be sure to press down and twist to make sure the cut piece is released from the rest on all sides. You may be able to get more than one shape from your bit of clay. Just collect the left overs and reroll it and recut it until you have as many pieces as you want or as many as you can make at one time with what you have.

Twirl and brush your sharp implement along the edges of the pieces to give them a beveled, carved look. This will make the piece look more finished. Also used this tool in small swirls to make a hole near (but not too near!) to one of the pendant's edges. This is how you will be able to string the piece.

This pendant is an antique heirloom that really was carved from ivory. However, from the size and shape of the piece, I would venture a guess that it is probably made from a repurposed slice of ivory from an old piano key.

It displays one of the most popular subjects of scrimshaw carvings: a ship. Other popular subjects were historical events (such as important voyages), portraits, commemorative emblems, coats of arms, and sea creatures (such as whales and narwhals) and mythical creatures (such as mermaids).

To get inspiration, just go on Google Images and do a search for "scrimshaw".

For our two experimental pieces, I chose to do a ship and a mermaid.

 The first method we'll cover is using soft clay before it is fired.

Use your sharp tool to lightly draw the outlines of the "carving" you want to make in your pendant. Feel free to add embellishments and simple cross-hatch style shading and details. You don't have to go too deep at all; just enough to make a crevace where the paint will catch later.

Take your pen or pointy tool and roll it gently over the top of the drawing the entire length of the piece to slightly rub out your "carving". Now, this might not make much sense at this time but trust me, it will add much to the finished piece. It will make it look worn with age and polishing.

Just before you are ready to bake the piece, check to see if there are areas that could use some reinforcement. This piece was a little too thin on top above the hole; I strengthened it by adding a little piece of clay to the back and rubbing lightly with my sharpened tool to get a good bond. Don't be too terribly worried about the back, since it is not what people will see and can be covered by paint later. The entire piece will be glazed at the end for added strength and durability.

 

Add any last touches you want. I had a space at the bottom of my piece, so I added "1794"---the year the United States Navy was officially formed. :)

When you are happy with the design, bake the pieces following the instructions on the polymer clay packaging and allow them to cool completely before going on to the next step.

Part II - Painting Your Faux Scrimshaw

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Solstice Moon and Thoughts on Photography

Tonight, for the first time since the 1638, there will be a complete lunar eclipse that will coincide with the winter solstice. It begins around 1 a.m. EST, for anyone interested in watching.

Does anyone else read Jewelry Affaire? I have a near-photographic memory, so when I saw the piece on the cover when I got my copy, I felt like I'd seen it before. Going back through my other magazines, sure enough I found it in an issue of another mag from over the summer; looks like it slipped through the cracks. XD Oh, well. It's a beautiful piece.

Today I found some lens pads and a cleaning cloth for my camera. I've been looking everywhere! And you know where I finally found them? In a vision store for glasses and contact lenses. In the future, that's where I'm going first. There aren't really any camera stores around us and none of the electronics stores seemed to have anything like what we needed. What's nice about the pads is that they can be used on computer screens and other electronic equipment like that, as well as on glasses. Gotta love multi-taskers!

Speaking of camera lenses, that reminds me of this web site I ran across today: Joseph Rossbach's Photography Tips. His work is wonderful. And, while he uses Adobe Photoshop and I use the free program GIMP, I learned a lot from his videos.

These techniques are also useful in photographing jewelry. I've already redone several of my darker and unclear pictures. My work on learning the technical stuff of grammar and linguistics continues as well. You are never too old to learn! Is it sad that I spend my vacations this way? XD


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Project: Make a Beader's Friend!

You know how it goes, especially you bead weavers out there. Those long hours of sitting, hunched over a table, your fingers twisted around strings and needles, your eyes burning with the amount of light and concentration required to do this sort of work. And it doesn't matter how much you love it; "it" does not love your neck or back, your muscles or your eyes.

There can be some relief, however! It can be found in a small, hot poultice resting against the back of your neck. My sister taught me how to make these, and I don't know where I'd be without mine! It's really easy to make one for yourself, and you won't believe how nice it feels on your sore, work-worn muscles.

All you need is the following...




1-2 cups of dry, uncooked rice, any kind
1 CLEAN, hardly worn ankle sock (you don't want one with holes in it or thin spots; the sock I used I only ever wore twice, so I didn't feel too bad parting with it.)
1 tablespoon dried herbs or flowers or loose leaf tea or two tea bags (optional)

The more rice you use in your sock, the thicker and firmer it will be. I prefer mine with a little less rice because it tends to stay in place easier. If you want some nice aromatics, pour your rice into a big bowl and add a tablespoon of dried herbs, flowers, or loose leaf tea, or tear open two tea bags and dump the contents in (I used a green tea and lemongrass blend here!). Mix it all up with your hands, then use a spouted measuring cup to help pour the rice into your sock. Tie the ankle off, and you're done!

Here is a finished one made with a toe-sock:




To warm your poultice, place it in the microwave for 45 seconds to a minute. Be careful taking it out, as it could be very hot! You might want to wait a minute or two before applying the poultice. You can drape it over the back of your neck, lie down and place it on your forehead or over your closed eyes, sit on the couch and place it between your lower back and the cushions. It will soothe any bead (or any craft) worn muscles!

This is a great way to use up mismatched socks. If you don't have a mismatched sock, and you don't know what to do with the second one, make two! Place the second one in your freezer in case you ever need a cold pack for anything.

Hope this proves helpful!


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Free tutorial: Make your own headpins!

Making your own headpins is not only economical in these hard times, it's also design-savvy because you can make them to fit the look and style of your own jewelry work. This tutorial will show you three basic styles of headpin that you can make very easily using a small number of tools and wire that you have on hand. Some of you folks probably already know how to make these headpins, but the web is wide and this guide might prove helpful to others out there. I hope that is the case!

 What you will need:

* Wire. You'll want to use a gauge that will fit your beads, but you'll also want the wire to be of a good thickness so that it will be sturdy enough to support your beads as well. Today I am using dead soft 20 gauge wire. It's large enough that you can see what I'm doing, but small enough to fit through bead holes without having to resort to a reamer.

* Round-nose or round needle-nose pliers, one set.

* Clippers to cut your wire.

* Beads, preferrably with holes large enough for your wire to fit through. If your beads have larger holes, you can either make adjustments with your headpin or add a second bead. More on this later.

I am using generous lengths of wire today so that my fingers don't get in the way of what I'm trying to show you. The nice thing about making your own headpins is that you can make them any length you want. I recommend practicing on longer lengths of cheaper wire, then you can move on to finer metals.

Take the wire in your finger and hold it while grasping as close to the other end with your pliers as you can.

Use your fingers to gently pull the wire toward you while holding the end firmly with your pliers. This will create a half loop on the end of the wire.





 Take the half loop in your pliers again and gently rotate the wire end back toward itself to complete the loop. This is your first headpin. You can add your bead and make a loop on the other end, after you've trimmed it to size, and link many together. Or you can add a bead or focal to dangle, as in earrings or for the centerpiece of a necklace.








Or you can go on to make a second style of headpin by using the base of your pliers to squeeze the loop together.



You have completed a second style of headpin!

If you want a more whimsical look for your jewelry, there is a third style of headpin we can show you how to make. The first few steps in making this headpin remain the same as the first two headpins; it's how you finish it that changes the look.

This time we're using a gold-colored wire. It is also 20 gauge and dead soft wire. Follow the first two steps above but don't squeeze the loop together.

Take the wire in the flat part at the base of your pliers (or you can use a pair of regular needle-nose pliers for this step) and gently rotate the wire toward itself using your fingers while holding the loop steady. You will begin to see that you are creating a swirl with the wire. You can repeat this step until the swirl is as large as you require.

This style of headpin is great for beads with larger holes because you have complete control over how large your swirl will be. It lends a playful, whimsical look to your project for sure! It can add a mystical feel as well, since it resembles an old Celtic symbol of infinity.

You now know how to make three different styles of headpins. Simply straighten your wires, add your beads, and you're good to go! Or you can lightly hammer the ends for added strength and durability. When you've put your beads on your pins, you can also choose to fold the ends up against the bead or leave them as they are.






Nothing says "this is handmade jewelry" like handmade headpins!

Hope this guide is helpful! Happy beading. :)


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