Flourite pendant

I bought this gorgeous Flourite cabochon.  It really is lovely - lots of bands of colour running through the whole stone.  I wanted the stone to be the main focus so I kept the silver setting simple.  There is not much silver at all - I even cut out the back to let the light flood through the stone and show off those bands of colour.  

Pewter

At the weekend I went to a Pewter workshop with Ella McIntosh in Manchester at the Craft and Design Centre.  It was a revelation - I really enjoyed working with Pewter.  A lot of my silversmithing skills did still apply but there were some differences too.  Pewter melts at a much lower temperature than silver so I did end up with a few 'Pewter puddles' until I got used to how much heat I could use - however it does mean that you need a smaller torch (I think it would be more practical to use this smaller torch in my house).  Other advantages are that Pewter doesn't tarnish - and it is also a lot cheaper to buy than Silver.  We were making Pewter beakers during the workshop - here is the one that I made.....

I was pleased with how it came out - particularly because it is the largest metal-working challenge that I've taken on.

Shimmering leaves

I made the silver leaf and branch with silver and then filled them with resin and mother of pearl.  I wasn’t sure how this would work – I thought the mother of pearl might be too subtle up against the neckline.  However, I really like the effect – it really shimmers when it catches the light.  I was so pleased with it that I decided to make a matching clasp.  To finish it off, I found a mixed quartz strand and the colours worked perfectly.  

Sometimes it is good to make mistakes!

Recently, I was throwing a pot on the wheel and really messed up the top.  I chopped the top off and shaped the clay that was left into a rather average small bowl.  I started playing with the rim of the pot and hit upon this wavy edge which I thought had some potential.  So, rather than recycle it into useable clay again, I decided to fire it.

I was rather pleased with the result and decided to do the same again - intentionally this time!!