What I see out my Window New Zealand Deer Earrings and Brooch

Courtesy of our neighbours whose deer have big rolling paddocks, gullys and trees to live in, yet their curiosity draws them to the fences for a chat each day. Over the years Stag Number One has shown a special interest in human observation and interaction.
http://artjewellerybymarianb.blogspot.com

These earrings are made with some great purchased components from New Zealand's www.craftrunner.co.nz  Jewellery supplier,  some stone beads I purchased at a Rock and Mineral Show and  a few handmade fittings.  


Old Number One

My Inspiration                    

 

 

and of course there are Mum's and fawns too

 

New Zealand Spirit Brooch Original

 

The Human Spirit just keeps on  keeping on.....Remember that when things get tough!

 

 

 

 I'm refreshing my spirit by looking through old techniques recalling past achievements (and disasters )  What seems a disaster or insurmountable at the time can often turn out to be helpful in the future.
This is the first one of the series If you look closely you will see a small crack in the Paua (tail) and a hole drilled right through (top left) I  made the holes in the Paua the same size as the holes in the copper and when  riveting it was too tight. The holes in the Paua need to be  at least .5 (half) a hole bigger than the metal to allow for the expansion of the silver rivets.(Experimentation) The other hole well that was just a mistake in the planning. It could have filled it with a rivet but I quite like the way the colour of whatever the brooch is pinned on just shows through.
Sticky backed genuine Paua sheet has advantages, can't "move" around when riveting but that makes it fairly unforgiving. I never found a successful way of drilling Paua and metal sheet together, using a Drill Press they always had to be drilled seperately.
This failure became the protype for a lovely brooch series.

Fingernails?? or rings ?? or earrings??

 These were originally offcuts from one of my Dunedin Art School projects "out of the Box"  possibilities. However the shape and its  possibilities so fascinated me that  using a shield shaped template I cut, annealled and shaped (with a rawhide mallet) on a metal mandrel these little objects. Thanks go to all those at Art School  who played with them discovering new dimensions for their wearability and acting as models.

Stone Drilling is tinme consuming but fun and combined with recycled woven plastic bags creates some unique jewellery

And then there grew a little Dragon pendant...

Actually it is a plant inside here not a baby dragon but with a few touches of china enamel.....
you can see the 'littl fella" start to appear...