Thursday 28 April 2011

My New Adventure!

It all started when I was looking for a ring for myself…. I had some idea in my mind of what I wanted… so I started looking on Etsy of course… and there were lots of gorgeous ring… but not exactly what I was looking for… and then I saw that Belinda Saville, who I knew for making really pretty beadwork, had started making metal (silver) jewellery… 

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So I contacted her and asked her if she was interested in making me a custom made silver ring… she said yes! i was so excited because I really love her style!!! So we started e-mailing back and forth… she sent me photos of some of the stones she had and I fell in love with two!!! :-)  One of the stones was already in her possession, the other was on the way to her, so she started sketching some designs featuring this absolutely gorgeous labradorite….  and finally we agreed on one design that I fell in love with and couldn’t wait to see finished!!!  Belinda was an absolute pleasure to do business with!!! Apart from the fact that she is super-talented… she is one of the loveliest people I have “met” (through blogging)!!!

It wasn’t long till the ring was finished and not too long after that (seeing that I live in Israel and she’s in Australia) that the ring arrived!!! and oh my!!! the sketches, photos and not even my imagination could have prepared me for its beauty!!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!!!

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And then came the second one!!! equally stunning!!!

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I love… no, sorry… I LOVE both of them so much I wear them both every day, one on each hand!!! :-)

The whole experience was such a pleasure!!! and at the end of it I’m the proud owner of two stunning pieces of beautifully made jewellery that are so me!!!! :-)

So why am I telling you all this? apart from showing off my new rings and introducing you to a wonderful artist (in case you don’t know her already :-D)… well during the whole process I started talking to Belinda about making metal jewellery…. and she sort of gave me the courage to think that maybe I could try out this new (to me) medium… so I spent the last couple of months ordering tools to start me off… and oh my there are a lot of tools!!!  Bought loads of books on metal jewellery design… I painted my spare room… folded up the futon… I managed to get myself a professional jeweller's bench (second hand)…  and finally, yesterday I received the bulk of my tools from the US (birthday present from my dad, thank you daddy! :-D)… I spent all afternoon and half the night unpacking all my new toys and organizing them on my new desk….

new studio

Now all there is left to do is find the courage to actually turn that torch on!!! :-)  Not an easy thing for me… first I’m petrified of fire and burning down my flat and the whole building (I bought myself a fire extinguisher, not that I know how to use it!)… second my fear is preventing me from thinking of any ideas!!! So I though, as I’m so clueless, I’m going to start working with copper and bronze (so much cheaper to make a mistake on than silver) and rather than jump in with my own designs I’m going to work through some of the projects from the books I bought… hopefully without burning the building down! :-)

I will be posting my progress… but in the meantime go and check out the beautiful work of Belinda Saville who started this mad adventure!!! :-)

Belinda’s blog: http://belindasaville.blogspot.com/
Belinda’s shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/belindasaville
Belinda’s FB page: http://www.facebook.com/BelindaSavilleHandcraftedJewellery

* Photos of Belinda’s rings by Belinda Saville, used with her permission

15 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, Triz...those rings!!! Gorgeous!

    And now I'm super excited to start following your journey into metalwork. I don't doubt that the results will be fabulous. :D Now get going!

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  2. Gorgeous rings! The stones you chose are stunning! Congratulations on your new adventure, you sound so excited you actually got me laughing! Good luck!

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  3. Oh, I love Belinda and her work! She's such a wonderful lady! Your new rings are stunning!!! At the moment I'm waiting for a pair of gorgeous Moroccan earrings made by Belinda to drop in my post box. So, I can totally understand your excitement.
    And I can't wait to see your new metal creations! Good luck! ;)

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  4. Those rings are gorgeous!

    I look forward to seeing where this path takes you. Congratulations - I'm so happy for you! Yay for Triz!

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  5. Your new rings are gorgeous!
    I'm sure you'll be as good with metal jewels as you are with beaded ones!
    In bocca al lupo!

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  6. Those rings are gorgeous - I knew you got the second one but not the first - you lucky girl!

    Belinda has just finished a pendant she has been making for me... so excited!

    I can't wait to see what you create as I know it will be beautiful. She has also inspired me to start this amazing craft - I have gotten as far to buy a few books and some gems - still have to buy my tools!

    Karyn
    Australia

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  7. Oh so it was you who got that gorgeous drusy ring?? I have been drooling over that since Belinda made it. STUNNING!!!

    Congratulations on taking the plunge yourself. I am sure it'll be no time at all before you feel confident with your tools and your ideas, and you'll be inspiring people who see YOUR work to pick up a torch themselves!!

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  8. Fantastic rings, and I look forward to seeing your metal work. But I hope you won't stop beadweaving!

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  9. The rings are gorgeous, Triz! Good luck with your new endeavor! I am not a big fan of fire either, but I'm confident that you won't burn your place down. :)

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  10. I'm very excited to see your work in this new path. When I look at your work I see your creativity, design esthetic, balance, perseverence, sensitivity to the materials and of course, your cleverness. Yay hey for you, have fun.

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  11. Wow, those rings are awesome. Is this the direction you will be going?
    John

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  12. I love the ring as I saw them in person :) BTW- The room looks amazing. You did a great job!! Good Luck on your new adventure!!!!

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  13. Can't wait to see your metalwork exploits! It's something I'd love to try, but I just don't have the space for the equipment I'd need. Maybe one day!

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  14. Just shows how one idea leads to another. Looking forward to examples of your beads!

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  15. I'm convinced that whatever you do it comes out gorgeous!!

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