Malus domestica

What do you know about Malus domestica. About what? The apple! I'm not talking about the company, not about Apple Records, I'm also not talking about the Big Apple New York, what I mean is the "pomaceous fruit of the apple tree", one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits.
I found out a few things about the apple.

7500 varieties are grown throughout the world (anyone here who has tried them all?).

A medium apple has about 80 calories.

Chrysoprase and Sterling silver bypass ring by Distinction Jewelry

Apples are a member of the rose family (Rosaceae). (Dear men, don't think you can come home with a bunch of apples instead of roses now!)

The largest apple picked weighed three pounds (I wonder how many calories that one had?)

The "Flower of Kent" is a large green skinned apple variety, and is thought to have been the variety that struck Sir Isaac Newton (thank you, "Flower of Kent" ;-)).

Granny Smiths green apple earrings by Erika Price Designs

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" is an old Welsh saying, but really one apple is not enough. Make it three.

Women eat more apples than men (not me, I'm afraid).

If you cross Golden Delicious and Ingrid Marie, you get Elstar, one of the most loved apples. (Funny, the "father sort" was Ingrid Marie ...)

Brazilian peridot chain necklace by Elegance and Sparkles

Two pounds of apples make one 9-inch pie (great, now I am craving pie).

Apples come in all shades of green, reds and yellows, but for this post I chose some adorable apple green pieces! (What do you mean, you noticed??)

Apple quartz Sterling silver ring by RioRita

By Cat's Wire

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Interview with the artist - Kathy Johnson from Feathered Gems Jewelry

By N Valentine Studio

Featured artist - Kathy Johnson from Feathered Gems Jewelry, Detroit, MI

Kathy has some wonderful unique pieces for dog lovers, check out her rings!!


My personal favorites are these skull and cross bone earrings!


How long have you been working in your medium?
I became interested in making jewelry when I was a kid. When I was 9, I got a rock tumbling kit for Christmas from "Santa". My dad wouldn't let me play with it because it had "dangerous chemicals" :)
So he played with it, and I got to help make things from the tumbled stones by gluing on findings. From there I moved on to stringing beads while dad went on to learn how to cut cabochons from stones. It always made me crazy to see him set his beautiful cabochons in boring commercially purchased settings. 40+ years and a much longer story later I can finally make custom settings for cabochons.
I just wish dad was still around to cut the stones. He taught me how to cut cabochons when I was a teen. I inherited his lapidary shop equipment and a huge stash of rough stones when he passed away. But I'll never be as good at it as he was.

What drew you to this medium?
I like sparkly things.
I've always loved to create things with my hands, and I enjoy showing off what I've made. Jewelry is easy to show to people wherever you are, unlike less portable crafts like stained glass.

What is your favorite thing about your art?
There's always something new to learn if I begin to get bored with a technique.

What's your favorite piece?
Without hesitation, that would be "Butterfly", a piece I made during a college metal working class I took last winter. It's a copper greyhound pendant made using a hydraulic press and repoussé and chasing techniques. It has an ornate multi-layered sterling silver collar decorated with tiny 3 mm malachite stones, and a 3-d silver butterfly perches on the dog's back. The reverse side has a heart-shaped opening that lets the viewer peek in to see a sterling silver heart charm inside. It hangs from a hand-made rosette chain maille sterling silver chain. There are over 50 hours of work in that piece and I'm extremely proud of it. Butterfly is now in a private collection, so I'm glad I took lots of photos while I was making it.


What's the hardest piece you've ever made?
That would also be "Butterfly". While making it I used several techniques I had just learned. There were several times I didn't think it was going to work, and a few times I was sure I was going to ruin it. I did some of the soldering with an enormous acetylene torch that scared me half to death because I thought it would melt the whole piece. I'm proud to say that I'm the only student in the class who completely finished my class project before the semester ended.


What's the one favorite tool you cannot live without?
That's hard to say; I have a lot of favorite tools. If I have to pick just one, I'd have to say a particular pair of box-joint chain-nosed pliers that I've had for over 40 years. I don't know who made them so I can't get another pair - all they say is "Germany" on one side. But they come to an extremely sharp flush point, the faces meet accurately, they're sturdy and the grips fit my hand perfectly. I reach for those every time I need pliers for very small pieces. I panic a little if I misplace them.

What's your favorite thing about your workspace or studio?
I recently annexed another part of our basement so I could separate the "dirty work" metal casting and metal grinding area from "clean work" such as wax carving and bead work. Now I have a new, well-lit space with a large work bench where I can work without metal shavings in my wax carvings or getting casting investment dust all over finished pieces.

What is your other craft?
I think I've tried just about every craft at some point. I can sew pretty well; for a while I made all my own clothes, including jeans. I used to crochet a lot until repetitive motion injury wrist problems forced me to quit. I did counted-cross-stitch for years, until I got serious about making jewelry. It's too time consuming now, takes too much time away from the jewelry.
I also did stained glass and glass fusing until a family member had to move in with us for a while. The only place we could put an extra bed was in the room where the glass bench was. So I packed all the glass and tools away and haven't gotten it out since. I really need to, though - I have a ton of ideas about how to work glass into my jewelry designs.
Oh, and I carve awesome Halloween pumpkins using a Dremel :)

Who or what inspires you?
When I first got into casting silver, I found a niche market made up of owners of retired racing greyhounds. My main inspiration for my designs in wax carvings and metal casting is my greyhounds. I love the dogs. They're the perfect subject for jewelry. They can be depicted in so many design styles - classic Art Deco, realistic, cute, athletic. I don't think I'll ever run out of greyhound-inspired ideas for jewelry piecees.
Aside from greyhounds, I love organic designs and get a lot of inspiration from nature; textures and colors of stones spark ideas all the time.

What's your favorite inspirational saying?
"You must do the thing you think you cannot do." Eleanor Roosevelt

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?
I have always wanted to go to Australia and Hawaii. Oh wait, you probably meant jewelry related, didn't you?
I would really like to go to the upcoming Rio Grande in Motion event at their headquarters in New Mexico. The classes on the schedule are taught by people who are the best in their fields in the jewelry industry, and there are several classes I would love to take.

Don't forget - it's the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway and you can win a fabulous charm bracelet if you enter until November 28th!
Click here for more info!

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

SATeam Blog Carnival - November 2010

It's blog carnival time again. The topic for November is book reviews. Let's see what books this month's participants have chosen and what they have to say about them.

Are you wondering what is a blog carnival? A blog carnival is when several people post to their blogs at the same time about the same topic. You can follow the chain of blog posts from one blog to the next.

The FamiLee Jewels

Danagonia

Galadryl Designs

Northern Girl Jewelry

Bead Sophisticate

Island Girl


On another note: Today is the last day to enter the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway. The deadline is 11:59 pm EST tonight. If you haven't yet entered and want to know all the details about how you can enter the draw for this fantastic flower filled charm bracelet, please see this post.



Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists Jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

The Home Stretch

It's the final weekend to enter the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway. That's right, the deadline for entry is Sunday November 28th at 11:59 pm EST. Don't miss out on the opportunity to be entered into the draw to win this beautiful flower-themed charm bracelet.

The bracelet is the result of a collaboration of several members of the Starving Artists Team and features handmade lampwork glass flowers, seedbead flowers, polymer clay flowers, sterling silver flowers and more. All these flowers dangle from a sterling silver chain.


Winning this beauty would help banish the winter blues, don't you think? All the information about how to enter the draw can be found here.


Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists Jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Special Black Friday Edition

Tune in later, or maybe tomorrow for pictures of Sue and other fun things at various Museums around Chicago :) I suspect this post might be about fossils.

I'm going shopping on ArtFire and Etsy and avoiding the malls this year. Happy Black Friday, everyone!

November Challenge

Written by Bonnie from The FamiLee Jewels

November's challenge was one that encouraged us to stretch as artists by using colors that we did not like as the feature in a piece of jewelry.

Many of us already knew which colors we didn't like, some were quite passionate about it. Others had a hard time finding a "bad" color.

Take a look at the wonderful things we have created.

We learned that Cat hates the color library carpet green. The color is so bad (really! she provided photographic evidence) that no one dared make beads to match it.

Cat chose a similar shade of green and created a beautiful rain forest tree, an entry that set the bar high for the rest of us.

Camilla and Julie both dislike orange, but look what they can do with it.

Julie dressed up carnelian beads in oxidized sterling silver and now they are ready for a party.

Camilla shared one of her filigree stars that paired orange with purple in a whimsical and romantic style.

Dawn is a fan of all colors and she proved by using red and purple in close proximity. She showed us that the addition of copper wire makes them work together.

Bonnie has an unreasonable dislike of the color purple. Here she used it with her vintage brass wire and hardware to make a salvage necklace that celebrates purple without making her cringe.

It was a good challenge, one that made us stretch our minds and embrace something a little bit uncomfortable like all good dares should. Thank you to everyone who participated.

I am leaving you with the link to a video about making inspiration color boards so that you may enjoy exploring your own feeling about color.

Have you heard about the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway? There are only a few days left to enter. To find out how you could win a fantastic handmade flower-themed charm bracelet, see here for all the details. But don't wait too long - the final day for entering is Sunday November 28th!


Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists Jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Last Week! Supplies for Wrist Candy!

Check out these recent SATeam listings for lampwork beads and jewelry components, featuring SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway participating shops! The giveaway ends this Sunday, so don't delay!

Heart Pendant Beads by ForYouDesigns

Blues Lover - handmade lampwork set of 11 beads by beadupastorm

22 Gauge Oxidized Copper Wire (20 feet) by MilenaS

Handmade Glass Focal Lampwork Bead - Didicas by Melissabeads

Lampwork Focal Bead Pendant - Digitalis by NValentineStudio

Handmade Oxidized Copper Elongated Loop Earwires (5 pairs) by MilenaS

Don't forget - the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway ends this Sunday! You can win a fabulous charm bracelet if you enter by November 28th! Click here for more info!

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Jewelry Artists team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current Etsy shop members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com

Fly away ....

Do you sometimes have one of these days when you want to leave everything behind you and if it's for an hour only? You want to cut the strings that hold you down on earth, leading to your household chores, to your work, sometimes even your family - your duties? It's not as if you don't want to come back, you just need that little bit of "you time".

I have had these moments, in the middle of everything, wishing I could say "It's enough now, see you later, guys" and taking off into the skies, flying to my own rhythm and feel the freedom ...

- flying like these kites in the shop of AMDesigns by Angela (let's hope they never have an encounter with Charlie Brown's kite-eating tree!)


- flying like these cotton candy clouds by La Valleygirly


- flying like these butterflies in the beautiful woodland princess tiara you find in The Blue Dress' shop


- flying like this fun hot air balloon and bird that MC Stoneworks made


There is a German song from 1974 whose refrain starts with "Above the clouds freedom must be without limits" If we can't take off as a whole, we should at least let our minds and souls take off from time to time to enjoy that freedom .........

By Cat's Wire

Don't forget - it's the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway and you can still win a fabulous charm bracelet if you enter until November 28th!
Click here for more info!

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Interview with the artist - Tim from TJR Jewellery

By N Valentine Studio

Featured artist - Tim from TJR Jewellery near Toronto

Clean classic lines make my mouth water every time I see this artist's work. I've always been a bit of a crow when it comes to stones. Something sparkly with gorgeous color always catches my eye. The lovely lines of these pieces show the stones off in each and every piece.

My current favorite is this London Blue Topaz ring.


How long have you been working in your medium?
I have been involved with lapidary and jewellery making since 2003.

What drew you to this medium?
Opals. I have always loved the colours and patterns found in opals, so I bought some opal rough and joined a lapidary club. I then realized I needed to learn jewellery making to make use of all the beautiful opal cabochons I had made!


What is your favorite thing about your art?
That I am able to create. I was never very artistic growing up - I was more on the analytical side of things (ended up becoming a professional engineer, go figure!). I have found making jewellery to be very therapeutic to my soul.


What's your favorite piece?
I really don't have a single favourite piece - I love the items I have made for my family, and I love any piece that I successfully complete when trying a new technique.


What's the hardest piece you've ever made?
Any custom order piece I make for someone - I always find them difficult to make (so concerned about interpreting a customer's expectations properly). I would much rather just make what I desire and hopefully sell it to someone who can appreciate it.

What’s the one favorite tool you cannot live without?
One tool?!? Impossible to be just one - I need my saw, I need my torch, I need my flex shaft, I need my...


What’s your favorite thing about your workspace or studio?
That it's mine and that it is a dedicated space for jewellery making.


What is your other craft?
Lapidary.

Who or what inspires you?
My two favourite jewellery artists/authors have to be Tim McCreight and Jinks McGrath. Their work is very inspiring to me.

What's your favorite inspirational saying?
"To succeed, we must first believe that we can" - Michael Korda Given that many of us artisans are self taught, we must believe in ourselves, and our abilities.

What's one thing you've never done you always wanted to do?
I want to learn how to pavé set gemstones one day.


Don't forget - it's the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway and you can win a fabulous charm bracelet if you enter until November 28th! Click here for more info!

The SATeam blog features artisan handmade creations by the etsy starving artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Citrine

In ancient times, people carried citrine as protection against snake venom and to ward off evil thoughts.

It is only in the 19th century that citrine started to be used in jewelry. It has gained popularity in jewelry as it is one of the most affordable stones available in earth tones.

Citrine is a variety of quartz that ranges from yellow to red-orange to brown in colour.

Quartz is the second most abundant mineral on earth, but naturally occurring citrine is rather rare. Most citrine available on the market today is heat treated amethyst or smoky quartz. Some of the heat treated material can change colour over time if left out in bright sunlight therefore it is best to store this stone away from light when not being worn.

Citrine is sometimes misleadingly called topaz or quartz topaz. Topaz is a completely different mineral that has a higher value than citrine.

There is a lot of citrine available on the market, which makes it a rather inexpensive gemstone. It is also available in large sizes.

Citrine is the birthstone for those born in November.

Members of the Starving Artists team enjoy working with this pretty gemstone.

Citrine necklace with sterling silver beads and pendant by Riorita

Citrine Agate Druzy Gemstone Necklace by Jenni Leigh Creations

Cosmic Circle Necklace by Danagonia

Modern Golden Yellow Citrine Disc Ring by TJRJewellery


A strike of gold. Pendant by Colla

Have you heard about SATeam's Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway? To find out all the details and the complete list of participating shops, have a look here. There is only one week left as the deadline for entry is November 28th, 2010.

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current Etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

My Favorite Things, the final instalment

Today brings us to the final instalment of our journey through the shops participating in the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway 2010. We've seen many beautiful things so far, and the diversity continues with this week's selections.


Isn't this just the sweetest little turtle you have ever seen? Sam Toitle is an original wire crochet creation by Cat's Wire. I can tell that he has tons of personality. I am in awe of Cat's skill with a crochet needle and of her imagination.

This peridot and sterling silver necklace by Elegance and Sparkles is simply elegant. Its sparkle and shine is really appealing and I really like the soft green colour of the stones.

The FamiLee Jewels brings us this unique trumpet flower necklace. I love the shape of this piece and the combination of mother of pearl with copper. It's a little unexpected and it works really well.

Black and silver - a classic combination from Bead Sophisticate. I love the shape of the onyx beads in this piece - they have just a little twist - and the little dangles on the oval sterling silver links add just a little extra to an already beautiful piece.

We've now visited all of the shops participating in the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway. I'm sure you have found some favorites of your own in these wonderful shops. Every purchase from a participating shop made by November 28th will automatically enter you in the draw to win the amazing flower themed charm bracelet. You can find all the details of the giveaway here. Make your selections soon as the entry deadline is just over a week away!

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists Jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found at SATEAM.etsy.com.

Agate

Agate is, with a few exceptions, a banded chalcedony. What, exactly, does that all mean? Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline quartz in aggregate form, which means that it is a mass of itty-bitty, teeny-tiny quartz crystals. Cryptocrystalline means that these crystals are so small that you need more than a mere optical microscope to see them. The banded bit should be self explanatory.

The ancients loved agate, and so do we. It comes in many colors and, in the hands of a skilled craftsman, can yield stunning objects.



The Ancients loved their carvings, especially intaglio and cameo pieces. A cameo happens when one carves through the colored layers of agate. Customarily, carvers choose a white top layer and a dark back layer. Shading can be achieved with careful use of layer thickness. This cameo is from an 8th century reliquary:



As a chalcedony, agates readily accept dye. Varying porosity can determine the saturation of color from band to band.



And now, some agates from our talented Starving Artists:

By alatvian:



Made by Angie:



A little something from ForYouDesigns:






To find out all the details about the SATeam Wrist Candy Holiday Giveaway 2010 check out this post. Remember, the deadline for entry is November 28th.

Featuring artisan handmade creations by the Etsy Starving Artists Jewelry team. SATeam members create handcrafted jewelry and beads. More information about our team and its current etsy shop owner members can be found atSATEAM.etsy.com.