As well as my jewellery using 3D Printing technology I also use hand-crafted techniques. Below are some recent examples using Argentium Silver (.935 silver with germanium alloy) which tarnishes much less (if at all) than regular sterling silver.
All available in my shop on Etsy. Fine Silver Jewellery.
Argentium Thin Band
Argentium Brushed Band
Argentium Split Ring
Argentium Large Thin Band
This seems to be a popular design for jewellery and I decided to make one myself. This is solid bronze (not plated) and has a nice “chunky” feel to it, but certainly not too heavy to wear. I made my own mold for this to get the rough shape in bronze metal clay, and then completely hand finished it with carving and smoothing before firing in the kiln and then yet more hand finishing.
Although I will likely make more of these no two will ever be exactly alike.
At the present this is only available from me directly; I’m not sure if I will continue with my Etsy store as of yet. $50 (US and Cdn $) including shipping to anywhere in USA or Canada.
Bronze Bird Skull
Bronze Bird Skull
Bronze Bird Skull
Bronze Bird Skull
Bronze Bird Skull
Okay, so it’s not an ancient artifact, but I created it with that intention; to give it the appearance of a piece of jewellery from a long gone civilization… I was fortunate enough to meet a couple of lapidarists recently who showed me their fantastic collection of rocks and minerals. I was given this piece of quartz that I had never heard of. The pendant I made using it is solid bronze and holds a double-terminated quartz known as a Herkimer Diamond in the arms of the pendant. The bronze arms were made with a small divot in each to hold the points of the quartz and then forced together in a vice to grip it. Over time the bronze will acquire a nice patina (which an “ancient” piece should have) but it could be kept clean with the occasional buffing with cloth. The quartz is firmly held in place by the metal for regular wear, but if you slammed it against a wall it might come out!
This piece measures 25mm wide, 26.6mm top to bottom and 10.9mm thick. It is only available directly from me since I have no plans to add to Etsy at this point. Asking price is $50. Shipping in US or Canada is $7, tracked shipping $20. Contact me directly at gslinger at rogers dot com.
Bronze and Herkimer Diamond Pendant
A young sailor in the 1700’s is homeward bound at the end of his first whaling experience. Haunted by the grotesque sights of mighty whales slaughtered and cut to pieces, he knows he will never return. He would rather grow potatoes on the family farm than sail through blood red waters again… At night, on the rocking ship, the young man works by lamp-light and carves into a piece of whale-bone using needles and his knife. The image burned into his memory is of the first whale spotted at sunrise by his crew and subsequently killed. It is this scene that he attempts to preserve on the small piece of bone. Once complete he will encase the edges in copper scraps that he found on the ship and, finally, will present it to his mother when he tells her he will never again return to the sea…
Faux Scrimshaw
Faux Scrimshaw back
Before Greenpeace comes a’knockin’ – no, this is not whale-bone, or tooth, or part of any animal. It is, in fact, tagua nut, an extremely hard nut used by woodcarvers for miniature pieces. I made this myself to try and recreate something a little different. I wanted to make something that looked like it was an antique and something with a story behind it. I cut and shaped the nut (no mean feat in itself) and then set to work using micro chisels to carve some of the design. It isn’t 100% carved, I want to make that plain, and I then took my Micron Pigma pens and inked into the carved lines and the rest of the image around them. With help from blades used in scratchboarding I then scratched into the design to create cross-hatching and, thus, more depth.
Once that was done I took some copper, heat and beat the hell out of it and formed it around the back of the piece, finally joining the pieces with copper wire (and a bit of glue). Finally, I polished it and then coated the surface in resin for that extra shine…
Signed and dated (2012) on the back, the piece is for sale directly from me. It measures 48mm in width and height and is 20mm deep (approx 1.75×1.75x.75 inches).
Cdn/US $125 includes shipping and Certificate of Authenticity. One of a kind and I won’t be making another…
This is a Mystic Knot pendant I created at the suggestion of my wife. To quote from Wikipedia, the mystic knot, or endless knot, “…has been described as ‘an ancient symbol representing the interweaving of the Spiritual Path, the flowing of Time and Movement within That Which is Eternal. All existence, it says, is bound by time and change, yet ultimately rests serenely within the Divine and the Eternal.’ “
It measures 4.1cm and in White Detail acrylic costs $13. A Stainless Steel version would cost approx $39.
Edited 25 July, 2010: I have added another picture to the below after I coloured the item with red dye. Click on image to see larger view.
Endless Knot - Red
