Three

All is done and these three do look like shields, if I do say so myself. The picture shows the light reflecting so well but I think that I should take a picture with someone wearing my jewellery as in the mags that I firist looked at (photo shoot). Maybe I should be the model, what do you think? :-)

Earring shoot

I was impressed with the way that they are polished, so I took picz from different sides. what do you think?

Blackened earrings

I like the way these earrings look blackened, the blackening solution helps brings diamantion.

I decided to make long postes or hooks for them so as to keep away from the earlobe. These are not going slow at all but I want to make more.

Work, work. work

I'm not trying to be an over achiever but I want to push my designs to a level that will satisfy me, a level that will make me look at my jewellery and want to show everyone that walks by. Unlike the slash piece I'm a bit impressed about the outcome of these beads. So I am making earrings to match.o

These earrings didn't take long to make or fly press because I had already prepared metal that was the right thickness. It helps to have everything ready to be used.

Bold and beautiful

I wanted to add a bit of colour using glass beads but for some reason I didn't know how to do that without messing with the clean cut of the ring. So I blackened the inside of it so as to make the shape of it stand out a bit more.

We had to make this fashion piece in a week and I have already finished making it. Hmmmm, what next? It is not like any of the beaded jewellery that I have been making but it is a Bead ring. It is as bold as I wanted it to be but I want to make more of these silver beads and try to create some that will use silver and glass beads together.

One on one

I always knew that making a shield was no walk in the park but I got to see it one on one. There is a place at Dalton where they make almost everything that is traditional and involves cow or other animal skin. I had to find this place and make sure that I wasn't wearing anything that would offend anyone. It took me a while to explain why I was there and that I wasn't there to learn or still ideas for my own business use.

I was taken to a room at the back where the shields where being made, this room didn't smell like flowers. Well this is what I remember from the demonstration. A cow or animal is skinned and that skin is put out to dry, away from water, rain and salt because that would slow down the drying. The drying takes about a week or more but everyday the skin has to be turned around so that it could dry evenly. When it is dry enough it is then washed so as to get rid of anything that might have started living on it. Cut to the shape wanted or needed and then hammered flat at any points or parts that are not even. Then the pattern or design is added, as part of the finishing touches.
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Step by step

I haven't moved away from the idea of making my own beads, this is one of them, in a big form though. I am really taking my time with this ring, I want it to be neat and I want it to be a piece that I can be proud to wear on a daily basis. I plan to blacken the inside of that bead so that the dimention would stand out more. I love colour in every item of jewellery that I make but I'm just not so sure of how and where the colours would be on this ring. Hopefully all will work out for the best.

Problem

As much as I have been a jewellery student for the past four years now, I forgot one of the most important rules about soldering something that is fly pressed and that rule is to never ever use spring twissers because once you apply heat, the metal softens and the twissers flatten it. I wanted to kick myself but that would have wasted my time, so I remelted and made thinner plate.

This looks way better, don't you think?

Fly pressing

The shield or the shape of the shield is very flat, so I decided to make a fly press mold of a shield so as to make it more three dimensional. The mold works well but I realised that my metal was a bit to thick and as you can see, the bottom shape is shallow then the one at the top.

Drawing of the final piece

This is the top veiw
This is the side veiw, not the greatest and neatest but I promise to replace them with better ones.

Out of all the bold things or jewellery that I have seen or come cross in the magz that I have been reading, I realise that I want to make a ring, I want it to be bold and neat and have a hint or colour. This ring is in the shape of a shield and hopefully it will come out way better then the drawing.

Ihawu

http://www.craftunbound.net/country/south-africa/zulu-bead-mail

This is ihawu also known as a shield, ihawu is made out of cow skin that is treated and then dried so as to fit the worrier need. It was used in wars to shield them from their enemies. A lot of beadwork have been known to have the shape of the shield as it is a very well known symbol of protection.

Some bead ideas

I have been drawing some bead ideas and the more I draw, the more I get jewellery ideas. I don't know weather I should translate it to jewellery now or to just draw more so as to create a range. The shield shape keeps coming up as I draw, it is known as a sign of protection hance it keeps being beaded in traditional beaded jewellery. Now that I have been drawing, I wish I was at tech so as to start making something. Its funny how when I'm at tech I don't get ideas that make me want to make jewellery but when I'm at work, I wish I was at tech making something. I guess its true what the they say, "you don't appriciate what you have until you don't have it."
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Something Bold

As I have been looking throw these magz I've found out that bold jewellery is still style, for some strange reason people are going bigger, brighter and bolder. The seasons may change and therefor the colours might tone down but the boldness and the size remainz. I love bold and colourful jewellery and I try to make jewellery that is noticable in colour. The next piece that I'm planning to make, I hope is bold and maybe bright. I do want to take the advise of my classmates and make the beads myself, they may not be glass beads at the moment but I have to start somewhere.
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Nine West

When I went to Gateway I walked into the Nine West shop and noticed this bag on the shelf but little did I know that the next five magz that I was going to read would have it. Its clear that Nine West has the money to advertise and the more the people see your brand or your goods, the more people want to buy.With the next piece that I will make,I want it to be big and bold,almost like the design that is on the bag.
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Trend setter

This months theme for our jewellery piece is FASHION.I don't think that im that fashionable inclined so I bought a couple of magazine that I know to be trend setters. Magazines like Glamour, Cosmpolitan, True Love, Elle and O. These magz are bought by women that want to know what's hot and fashionable. By buying them,im hoping to find out what is hot or what the magz say is in fashion.
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