My apologies...

I'm very often working away from my blog and realized that no one knows when that is - it just looks like I'm not responding! I popped in to see if I had any unmoderated comments, was shocked to see I hadn't stopped in since February, and then saw how many comments were sitting in the comment box.

But wait, it gets worse... I read through all the comments (more than I've ever gotten before, of course), and then when I clicked to delete one of them, all of the other approved comments disappeared! Good grief.

Anyway, I am sorry to have been away so long; things can get really busy around here. Since the last show in Columbus I've had a tough time balancing making enough new work for upcoming shows and making several custom pieces along with having kids and life and stuff, etc.

I think it's fair to say that unless I have a special project a client wants to follow or new professional photos I'm probably not going to post - it's just too hard to find the time!

To answer as many comments as I remember: thank you everyone for the sweet compliments! The baby spoon wasn't a commissioned piece, I just really wanted to make one. It was recently accepted into the Ohio Craftsmen Best of 2010 exhibit, and is currently touring different gallery stops throughout the state. It's an honor to have my work chosen for the second year in a row.

The green amethyst ring just sold to a lady who was absolutely crazed over it, which is one of the nicest compliments of all!

And if you're interested in my work, need a custom piece, or want to purchase a piece you've seen, please contact me through the "about me" link and click on my email address - I'm not ignoring you! Artists always need new work and I'm no exception!

Again, sorry to everyone for losing the comments and slipping into a studio-driven coma!!!

~Jeni

Amethyst medallion

Here's a new piece; hand-twisted filigree on sterling. The stone is pavilion set in fine silver with a small cut out through the back of the piece to allow light to slip in and give the stone extra flash. I also diamond etched the background for even more sparkle. I like the contrast in shapes, and my favorite part is the teardrop shaped bail.

Show circuit application time...eww...

Here goes the show circuit application process cycle again... whew - what a mouthful! I've already sent out quite a few apps and have another round coming up.

This year I'm trying something new. I'm applying for more exhibits and fewer out of state shows. The economy's been a little wonky, some large Ohio businesses are still making fresh cuts and laying off employees, and I just don't have a good feeling that things are solid enough yet. I'll bet the rest of the US is experiencing similar issues, too.

Since I'm still young in this medium, my resume is a bit thin, and getting into some exhibits across the country would be good exposure without the cost of travel. I'm also beginning to work with more galleries to create a steadier cash flow. We'll see how it goes!

In the mean time, I've been resting on my laurels a tad. Two weeks ago I participated in a studio clearance sale produced by Ohio Designer Craftsmen, of which I'm a member. I very nearly sold out everything in my booth and was able to pack up in record time since there was so little to pack! A HUGE thank you to all I saw at the show, especially to those new to collecting my work! I have never seen a crowd more ready to buy great art and fine craft at such good prices. Too bad it'll take me another few years to build up excess stock before I can do that show again!

The new photo above is a baby spoon I worked in sterling. It's about 4.5 inches long, and is entirely chased and repoussed by hand. The flowers are a little cascade of forget-me-nots that create a wide textured area for sweet baby hands to grab. Sterling's also a joy for teething tots since the metal stays nice and cool on the gums.

Green amethyst ring

Here's the latest off my bench, in all different stages - pleased to enjoy!

~Jeni

New ring to see

Back on January 11th I posted a picture of a sapphire ring propped up with another ring to take the photo. Here is the process for that ring: a winding vine with hand hammered leaves and a labradorite cabochon. It's been worked off and on for the last couple of weeks in between other projects, and I started to polish it today.

Here are the leaves - hammered and in place next to the vine with solder bits ready for the torch. Next everything is wrapped around the mandrel to form a ring shape.

I like the way the vine undulates and seems to beg for something to

be added for ornamentation where the two ends meet. So, after a few minutes of thought and searching through gemstones, I added a bezel to hold a round labradorite cab, and then set the stone. The blue flash in the stone is a little hard to capture on camera, but I tried! Enjoy the pics. :)

Wedding rings - awesome photo

The photo of the wedding rings just came last week and I finally had time to pull if off the disk. What a beautiful pair of rings!

Enough snow, ok!?

The winter wonderland was really magical... can we have summer now, please? Here's a view from my studio:

The newest thing on my bench is this beautiful sapphire ring with a vine pattern similar to the wedding rings. One picture shows an unusual way to solder the prongs on (I was experimenting). The other shows it fully put together with prongs cut and leveled. The ring is resting on another ring design I'm playing with to see if I can get a more open design.

Then there's the photo of the ring completed and waiting for a final polish. The stone is a unique cut of sapphire, cleaved along the chatoyance, I suspect. In other words, I think it's been cut alongside what would normally be a ray from a star sapphire. The end result is a deep, dark blue with a wonderful flash along the face of the stone that makes you look twice! I really like this one...