Simplyfying the findings- Earrings!

We have loads to do, so pull back your sleeves and let's dive into more Jewellery making theory- earrings!

Findings are basically all the little bits and bobs you need to make beads or collection of beads into Jewellery.  They can really be itty bitty to really humongous things.Findings help not only to create a piece, but at most times is essential to the over all look of the jewellery. So excluding beads you will see a lot of information, and for ease of understanding I have split them into parts, starting with earrings.

knotted headpin
Image source : google

PINS/ WIRE

Pins form the spine to any design, so it can be bent-straight, long-short.
The Pins can be thick, thin depending on the gauge (scale of measurement) of the wire used. The gauge number decreases as the thickness of the wire increases. It can be expensive or cheap, again depending on the metal used. The colour of the finish also changes according to the metal, For example: silver finish pins need not necessarily be made from silver metal, it is a silver coloured metal or are sprayed with a silver metallic finish. Usually we coordinate the colour/ finish with the rest of the design.

l-r : Eye pins, Headpins
Image source : google

1. Heads Pins: They are like the name says, they have a head at one end just like a nail, and the other end is open. The most easy to find and widely used are flat heads.However, to kick things up a notch designers also use ball shaped and or decorative heads, you can even bend wire into knots and make it into a head pin. This is one of the basic elements that one would require to invest in. They are largely used in earrings or closed end danglers. The usage may dictate what kind of Head pins you buy.

2. Eye Pins: Again as the name suggests, it has a eye like loop at one end and open at the other to help you slide beads into place. This is usually used in making links. So an Eye pin can be used to make a really long dangler earring or a necklace which is linked together!


EARRING HOOKS

While its easy enough to make the earring the simplest earring hook found is the fish hook. It can be made with winding wire adding a few beads to even customise it according to colour of the rest of the earring. It is simple question mark shaped hook. We also find other earring hooks lever back ( closed earring hook ), studs (with or without dangling components ), hoops, kidney hoops, clip-on and lastly handmade/ decorative hooks.

types of earring hooks
Image source : google/ self

EARRING NUTS/ BACKING
Studs and Open ended earring hooks are prone to falling out of the ear if not secured properly, earring nuts are used to keep them in place from behind the ear. Sometimes Earring nuts can be part of the design of the earring to make it look long with added support to the links so that it is not heavy for the ear.

Sometimes we can use some findings like Wire/ Pins in earring as well as necklaces. The world is your oyster , be creative about your findings to create new and unique things!!!

~ Learning to teach/ preach/ train
Richa

Health and Salads, learning to cook, I am!

Google is such a good source of information these days. It lets you find in an instant anything, be it how to do a certain thing or what are the contents of a certain other thing. Similarly I have found it

rewarding sometimes to search for recipes and then tweak it to make my taste buds happy. There was a time when I was hooked on to Jamie Oliver’s cooing style. I found it very raw and natural, it felt like he always went with the flow and the tastes just mingled with each other. At other times there was Nigella Lawson who was the focus of my attention especially when it came to desserts, she seemed real. Today I have been hounding Cupcake Jemma, she is spirited and has such fancy tools which I can drool over and ofcourse, my new found love for baking!  

There was a time when I had restricted my diet to only eating Salads, It was as month of pure hell for me! I had promised my father to stick to vegetarian food along with him since he had recently been detected with Diabetes, and he was asked to control his diet. My mom at the time was based out of Mumbai and I had just returned from the UK. My dad has just retired and had accompanied me back to Pune (I fear it was to not to let his young unmarried daughter to live alone! J ) In the beginning me and my dad would cook together, but I am a clumsy chef when I have to share the space with someone else, I like the kitchen all to myself. I am not below accepting help when it comes to vegetable cutting, so that became my father’s job. I was unemployed for the first few months, but when I secured employment my schedule was very tight. I had to cook before 8 am for both times of the day, as I returned home only around 8 after battling traffic and almost no energy . I found it very challenging I had never balanced a “homelife” ahead of work before, but with my Father’s diabetes, food was an important part of his schedule.

At this point Junk food was not an option, and for me there was also a sudden change from Tesco in the UK to Local “Kirana” (grocery store) and vegetable markets. Luckily my father took over those things for me, and I never had to worry except to give him a list of things we need, or to name a few vegetables. I am so lucky in the sense that my mother was a no nonsense woman in my childhood and that my grandmom was a mega awesome cook. My mother trained me to eat whatever was put on my plate (that is not to say that I did not have likes and dislikes) and it always pleasured my taste buds to no end! That has my grand mom’s cooking skills written all over it. If you ask any of my aunts, cousins on my dad’s side, everyone will agree that cooking comes to them naturally from my grandmom and her side of the family. So I proved to be her grand-daughter too. I love food, and I would like to say that I am sensitive to tastes as well. Since my stint in the UK, I pretty much eat anything happily, as long as it tastes good. On a trip to Spain, I had actually closed my eyes, run my fingers up and down the menu card and yelled stop at a point and chose my food randomly. It ended up being an octopus, extremely bland and cold. I managed to eat at-least 3/4^th of it before I exchanged it with my friend. In France we even had a thinly sliced beef with olive oil, salt and capers for garnish and it was heavenly (it was such a thin slice, not even close enough for a meal). Once for a conference in Johannesburg, South Africa, I ended up trying out local cuisine in the shape of crocodile meat, deer meat and rabbit meat! So you see, I have had my fair share of eating trials.

Chicken Pasta- Marinated the chicken
 overnight in my Lime honey dressing! 

Coming back to salads, it was little tough for me in the beginning.  I would say my sojourn with salads began in the UK itself. I love pork (bacon) and I would make crispy bacon and then pour the leftover oils on the pan into my salads and oh I was left licking my fingers by the end.  When I started work (in India), my schedule was hectic and to save on time I started to make only salads. The first few days I stuck to cucumbers and tomatoes, but they get boring really fast. After less than a week I was craving normal food again. The biggest drawback of not being in the UK was lettuce. I used to chomp on it like a cow!  Here lettuce was rare and the one we found was a little bitter too. God, how I missed being in the UK then. It wasn’t just the lettuce; there was olive oil, fresh herbs, exotic fruits that I missed! That’s when I decided to try and work out a new salad dressing palate for myself! I am firm believer of lemons in food. So I started making dressings with a lemon base. Then slowly I convinced my family that, although Olive oil was expensive it was a good addition in salads. I pretty much started experimenting with different tastes that I felt could go together. I had by this time tried lemon + garlic combination with a hint of cardamom, Lemon +rock salt +sugar (at times I replaced the sugar with honey, maple syrup or cane sugar), Lemon +pepper + ginger, honey+ mayo, lemon+ honey+ basil ( this was one of the fresh herbs very readily available in my house). Someone once said to me, while changing a recipe only change one component at a time and believe me this advice has helped me time and again. Once my dressings were chosen, I started adding dry fruits like walnuts, Pistachios, soaked almonds, raisins (which at some point I also substituted for fresh grapes cut into halves). Sometimes, when the fancy took me I added ground nuts as well. I even made salads from apples, pears and guavas. Oranges were squeezed once in a while to replace lemon juice. By now I have experimented with Pastas, Cinnamon, dried Cilantro, fresh Coriander, Parmesan cheese, Feta Cheese, sautéed Fenugreek, blanched French beans, various sprouts, Pomegranates, Chicken sausages ( for me and my dad), boiled egg in salads.       

As I am writing this, I realise there are so many more flavours still waiting to be tried! And someone said salads were boring. There is so much more it than meets the eye or reaches the taste buds.

 Foodie at heart

~Richa

The End of a year... 2015- Overview of Jewelry tools.

I started into the jewelry making purely from very exploratory view. I had no inkling that it would one day come to be my crutch. Things were not easy and each lesson at the beginning seemed to teach me to be more cautious. It wouldn't be wrong to say that it now becomes 'a time when I knew nothing phase'. When I made up my mind to be serious about it, I had to learn the basics, a lot at the beginning through google and soon through experience as well. As this year ends and I see myself moving in a new direction (from a jewellery making perspective and otherwise) I am hoping to unburden some of my knowledge onto you unsuspecting folks.

Basic Jewellery Tools Part 1- Pliers

You will need the bare basics, which are available in your local tool store.
 Generally you do not use more than 3 basic pliers, unless you are using it for wire bending jewelry. So make sure you know the usage of the pliers you are buying before making the final purchase. Listed below are the most commonly used pliers in Jewelry. Most of the time they have a specific use, the first three are the most essential to possess.

clockwise from Yellow- round nosed pliers, straight cutter, diagonal cutters, Crimping pliers, Needle nosed plier ( smaller and finer tip size) , Needle nosed pliers bigger size. 

1.  Needle nosed Pliers ( Sometimes we refer to them as flat nosed pliers as well, but know that there is also a different Flat nosed pliers in the market)
This is the most essential of tools, it is but our hand in this profession. I would recommend investing in a good, strong one.

2. Round nosed pliers
Used to make perfect round shaped bends in the wires used for binding jewelry together. The size of the loop depends upon where the wire is placed. The tip has the tiniest circumference and as you go alone the nose the circumference increases..

3.Diagonal Cutter/ flush cutters
Its used to cut wires. The cut is diagonal to aid cutting the wires even in small crevices. I personally use a Nail cutter for most things, except where the metal is harder to cut. It's inexpensive, so I don't mind replacing it when it goes blunt ( which it will quicker than a cutter).

4.Chain-nosed Pliers

long nosed pliers- image source google

It has slightly serrated edges and a lot of times also includes a cutter notch at the end of the pliers. It is used to hold wires, such that they do not move. Drawback is sometimes the wires get damaged or scratched because of its edges.
 
5. Long nosed pliers: It is a variation of the needle nosed pliers, with a longer nose to reach difficult to reach places and a slimmer tip. What I noticed however is, because of the long nose, I find it difficult to use , unless specifically needed.

Bent nosed pliers, image source google

6. Bent nosed pliers: As the name suggests the pliers have a bent tip to enable the plier to reach at a particular angle.

7. Looping Pliers/ concave Pliers
One prong is a concave surface and the other is a round nose to give proper round loops.

flat nosed pliers,
this one also has serrated edges
like a chain nosed pliers.
- image source google

8. Flat Nosed Pliers
They have a broad tip and have surface, used usually to flatten surfaces or wires.

9. Crimping Pliers
They have small holes to be able to press the crimp on the wires. They utilise a specific technique to make the crimps look like beads and takes practice to handle. Personally I have only used a Needle nose plier for crimps to flatten my crimps.

Certain things to look out for in a pair of pliers

The Spring :

pronged spring

Firstly the spring loaded Pliers are more easily available and usually less expensive, give them a miss. Over a period of time the spring itself starts losing its springiness or worse yet, it comes out all together.I have personally faced both and since it's a tool we use almost everywhere, it makes more sense to invest in a Pliers once, but a good one. I suggest you buy the pronged type of pliers. There are also pliers available without the springs at all, may be a tad difficult to use but have other advantages.





The Metal:
The second thing to look for is the metal used. Currently I have two pliers I use myself, one is stainless steel and the other I bought after showing the first one, so I am guessing that too is the same. You get the more rudimentary ones, which in India are liable to rusting. The second advantage to good quality pliers is that they scratch less and have much smoother surfaces so the wires have less to no damage.

The tip:
A lot of times we need to make cuts or bends in a wire which require a very minimal tip to the pliers. After a lot of handicap I realised, having a fine the tip can be fragile at the same time very useful. In India I have found, the Pliers without a spring has a fine tip and most jewelers who deal in gold and silver jewelry also use it. But they may rust, so store them in a plastic box or a bag after use. It may also take some oiling once in a while.

The grip:
Its very important for the Pliers to not slip, there is a good chance you may injure your jewelry or worse yet, yourself. Rubber grips are the best or the ones with anti slip surfaces.
     
The cost of the pliers range anywhere from Rs 50/- up-to Rs 5000/-. Of-course the more expensive ones are largely not made (read sold) in India. Do not follow the misnomer, if they are from abroad they will be good, buy locally it is easier to procure another one if necessary without paying bucket-loads of money.  To recap, always keep two needle nosed pliers and a round nosed pliers in your tools box.

~ Reaching for my toolkit

Richa

P.S : If you have any questions regarding these tools or any other jewelry tools and if I am able to I will do my best to answer them. Post your queries in the comments below. 

Artzire ++ Nakshatram ++ Nama:II

Our newest Polymer clay designs begin with the ideas - Indian Traditional, wedding (occasion) and GRAND!!!

The ins and outs of the Nakshatram piece can be found at 

http://artzire.blogspot.in/2015/12/pouring-our-blood-into-polymer-clay.html

The number two grand piece Nama:|| 

When the idea was formulating, again, with a traditional main theme, we contemplated mixing it with paper at first! Then came the idea of creating a third dimension in a pendant, and then we added symmetry to it!
Next came the few trials for making the Ganesha as the central piece, it took me at-least 3 tries before I was satisfied with the figurine. We baked it separately so as to avoid distorting it. Then painstakingly we outlined the flower in the 2nd layer of clay with a flower, so as to make it look like the Ganesha, sat in the centre of a Lotus. The matching Sari had the colours: Yellow-gold and Magenta, Since we could not include yellow in the pendant and earring ( because it lacked the contrast with the gold base), we incorporated it into the stringing with citrines and agates, which complimented each other completely!!! I decided to blend Magenta, Pearl and Purple clay together, to get a colour changing effect ( just like a Sari, that changes colour with the light). Once the outlines of the flower were in place, we filled in the channel created with minute clay balls, all cut to the measurement of 2mm each!!! Remember to do it, only when you are up for some brain numbing cutting and rolling! Trust me it takes hours! Once that was in place, we baked the 2nd part. The final layer, which included our veins for attaching the bead strings to the pendant came last. Once the base was created, we joined it together with the 2nd layer and an outline of clay and then merging the outline, such that it looked seamless! The biggest advantage of Polymer clay is that it can be baked as many times as you need  as long as it is within its core baking temperature.

Personal Note

I am lucky that Art'zire ropes me in for some juicy work. These projects I have never even considered doing, mainly because I doubt my own skills, but Pritesh is always there to help and give honest feedback. She sometimes thinks she is being very picky, and sometimes I think so too, and that's what makes all the difference between grand and "Grandeur". It's the exact measurement, mathematical precision and ideas that make the results worth everything. Sometimes it is mistaken for 'digitally printed designs'. In a manner of speaking we are glad for it! When people mistake our work for digital copies, it's a huge compliment to us!

So please let the love pour in! 

~Richa  

A Debate with myself!

And on to Part 2,

I am rewriting this part because I, like a klutz deleted this entire part, one whole hour wasted! You may be wondering if the second part will introduce techniques, the answer is no! Those can be acquired in time, I am trying to find my own reasons for Polymer clay other than the fact that it gives me immense pleasure!

Taking it forward from the last article about Polymer clay, if you haven't read it... here is the link.
http://richarps.blogspot.in/2015/11/oven-craft.html

Since I extensively delve in Paper, beaded and Polymer clay Jewellery, I am going to try and find my sweet spot. Polymer clay and Paper in this instance have much more similarities than beaded, I am going to go into my reasons for those.

Paper VS Polymer clay

Both these mediums have their advantages and disadvantages.

1. Flexibility :  PC lends into to very curvaceous patterns for the base, where as paper has limited ability as stand alone curves. For example: PC can be used for Bracelets with ease, paper is restricted in that aspect to charms. Figurines have better finishes with PC if made sturdy enough. We can at times just sculpt out clay when in need of a depression, or add clay to give mounds, alternatively we can use 3D bakeable surfaces like glass bowls to make a rounded surface. Although paper, quilling lends itself to be made into curved surfaces, the shapes and sizes possible are limited. However we can use 3D outliners, embossing inks to create 3D patterns on paper. Where you need to make a provision for hooks , pins etc in paper pendants and earring pieces while laying the layers of the paper, one can drill a hole in PC ( preferably pre baking). Post baking, the strength of the piece may be compromised in the process, where paper once layered is a solid unbreakable piece!

2. Minute detailed work:  Going in the favour of paper, it lends itself to finer work as compared to PC. While you can use an extruder for the fine details in PC, it still cannot compare to the finesse of work possible with Paper. Picture transfer onto PC is possible, but is a painstaking process with expensive additional accessories. 

  

3. Longevity: PC comes in a range of ready colours, which are long lasting. Paper can hold its own with the use of acrylics/ Oil/ distress inks etc for colour, but it needs some help. PC can withstand aging better without much post processing, where as paper would ideally need something like varnish, glass or resin to protect it.

4. Time: Once PC pieces are made and additionally it is baked within 30 minutes to an hour. The post processing like sanding, buffing, glazing will maybe take another half an hour. The time taken to make the piece is not constant and depends on the kind of work required..PC piece can be ready within X+ 1 hr.  In paper one can require anywhere from 1 hour to 24 hours for post processing. Paper unfortunately has the uncertainty depending on the type of post processing we are doing, resin ( at-least 24 hrs recommended 72hrs) / Mod-podge ( hard finish- 72 hrs), varnish ( 30 minutes-1 hour). Paper sometimes may need part by part work which may extend the worktime. PC may need multiple baking steps too. 

 5. Sturdiness : Paper is sturdy by itself when layered right! To protect the design, we need to include resin and we are set. PC unfortunately can be broken and is prone to chipping where there are delicate pieces involved. PC has its own version of resin which hardens when baked, but it  does not work as effectively as resin does for paper. 

   

6. Cost:  The main difference that could make or break an order is, and always will be cost. Where PC races ahead for most of the aspects, Paper wins this one hands down. PC needs a lot of tools and accessories, even with basics, the initial cost of investment is higher than that of Paper. With extras it is even more so.  

                                                 Mixing Mediums: PC and Paper

PC on Paper

Paper on PC

Since I compared the two mediums individually, I was further curious to see if they work well together. Can the weaknesses of one be turned to an advantage,? 

As it turns out yes. 

On one side it will be profitable for the paper based jewellery to use PC as cabochons as a center piece, which gives it a 3D effect too. This is a value addition for fraction of the cost of a full fledged PC piece. This works well for customised pieces, with a tight budget. Another way to cash in on the finesse aspect, is to encase paper with a design on it with liquid polymer clay and bake it or make a polymer clay decorative base with the dimensions of the designated design on paper , bake the base separately and then insert the design paper into the PC casing and use resin to seal it off.

When you are narrowing down on the design selection, make sure you touch all the points above or a combination of them, as per your clients wishes, to make the final call. 

If you can think of any additional concerns, do leave them in the comments. :)

Polyclay in love

~Richa

Oven craft....

Welcome back!

I have a very well meaning craft benefactor !
I got into Polymer clay only because I got the final push by bartering an oven for work during the Seattle project. ( link: http://richarps.blogspot.in/2014/05/paper-seattle-and-working-with-best.html)
I jumped headlong into using it for something. Although the oven hung around my workroom for almost 3 months before I finally procured some Polymer Clay (referred to PC hence forth).
Having had no previous knowledge of the PC, its chemistry or how to utilize it except the pictures available on the internet, I got down to reading about it. I choose it because it was used in Jewellery and would add a new skill to my own profile. I knew I would explore it, even if it meant to start off on my own. So believe you in me, all the lessons were learnt the hard way.

first trial with air dry clay

I started first and foremost with reading various blogs about PC. After working alongside Pritesh as an 'artist' for almost 2.5 years, I had learnt to research any art form before starting any work on it.  Just like we read warning labels on packaging, it is important to accumulate all the information about the contents to take preventive steps while working. Knowledge is the key! What is PC? It is a variation of PVC- Polyvinyl Chloride, with clay-like properties. It's encompasses the use of an oven ( not microwave) baking for hardening. You can find out more from google, but here is a PC supplies website, with more information to get you started.  http://www.sculpey.com/

my first trial at polymer clay figurine.

There are lots of PC brands and sub-brands to choose from- FIMO, Sculpey, Kato, Pardo to name a few. I started with Sculpey as it is much more easily available in India. It is important to choose a brand of clay where repeat buying is possible once you decide to go into it professionally ( and that holds true for any art form you want to do). Then came the humongous task of a work-surface. While working with paper, I just needed a little spot to start working, where as here, I needed a more dedicated space to work on. So came the staggering task of clearing out part of my work table for it. I had bought an A4 sized acrylic sheet to use as the surface on my table. ( If you read about PC, you will know that a wooden surface is not recommended to work on), since then I have now moved to a Ceramic surface.
I had done a small terracotta making course and a mud work workshop a year or so ago, and it helped me tremendously to make my first polymer clay figurine. I actually first tried making things with air dry clay, since it is a cheaper option to practice. Your hand will set in, once you get used to clay molding, in this case practice does make perfect.

Once you are serious about using PC you will want to invest in tools as well. I have found the initial investment for Polymer clay is higher than other forms, including clay, oven & tools.

first jewellery trial - PC

I started with making small pieces of jewellery and by the time I had worked with PC for 6 months, I had only managed to touch the numerous number of techniques.My first piece of jewellery, 11 DEC 2014. This was when I was trying to get a hang of Applique technique! What a walk down memory lane. Since then I have tried out other techniques, but for me nothing holds a candle to this simplicity! There is absolutely no need of any PC specific tools, just a craft knife and a ruler and a toothpick!
The rest is all about hand work and letting your creativity roam freehand.

WHAT I LEARNT 

It all boils down to finesse not the number of techniques! Practice one technique if you must, but do it like no other! Every little millimeter counts! Every little smudge looks like a failed attempt, every little wasted piece is a drain on your resources!

DONOT invest in anything but the basic- clay, acrylic roller, craft knife, blade, toothpick / needle, oven, baking and bond glue and a work-surface. Atleast not until you are sure about your PC making future. In India it is a very expensive hobby.Most of the secondary and tertiary tools are not available easily in India, or if available are expensive. Buying clay itself if quite a drain on your resources and requires repeated investment once the orders start pouring in.

Follow instructions on the packaging of the clay, tools etc. It takes only something small as a nick with a knife to ruin something. Follow strict cleaning procedures both for your hands and your tools. A stray piece of clay can ruin a perfectly good design.
Make sure you protect your hands, they are you most expensive tool. There are toxins in Polymer clay and if you do not clean your hands well, it will have an adverse effect on your health, when ingested. Wear gloves if you have cuts and bruises.  Same warning goes for fumes, they are toxic, hence make sure your work room/ baking room is well ventilated.

NO CHILDREN. 
NOT FOR PREGNANT WOMEN and NEW MOTHERS. 

Pricing PC products takes a extra thinking and calculating. I needed to find the golden balance for pricing because I have to include clay price, tools, time, electricity. No clay is ever wasted, you can use and reuse scraps of unbaked clay. Workshops also cost a lot. Work smart, it will save you a lot of money and time!

Lastly and most importantly, I cannot stress on this point enough, there are millions of images out there, lots of video tutorials to explore from. Please make sure you give proper credit where it is due. Try not to make replica's for sale purposes. It is unethical and takes away from your creativity.

So to sum it up research, practice and create!

In the end I will leave you with some of the pieces I made as a freelance designer at Art'zire! 

You can also follow the link below to one of the pieces I as involved with. 

http://artzire.blogspot.in/2015/09/thumbelina-evolves.html

Off to have my coffee,

~Richa

A little ethnic turn for the modern!

I have always found it challenging  to hand draw or paint, and when the surface is reduced it get's that much more harder. I gave it a try while conducting a paper jewellery workshop. I was explaining how Tanjore looks ( until i realised I didn't have any embellishments, which are an integral part of Tanjore type of painting) as well as, how to encase Paper work in resin. ( You can click on the earlier resin post for more information)

 The Tanjore-like design I have tried here, is based on a bird as the central design, with contrasting flowers and leaves thrown in to complete the picture. Although this effort was nothing like traditional looking Tanjore design,it became my own twist.

  The earrings had a matching floral design, in mirror effect. This is extremely important when it comes to making earrings. It's also one of the toughest things to do. When I draw my designs, I am quite satisfied with one, the mirror image I leave to forces beyond my kin. As you can see the design only focuses on the designs of the pendant and earrings.

I tried it on for good measure. 

 

I always find it a bit much, to wear both the neck piece and earring together. Interestingly, I choose to wear one of my own creations only for special occasions. Which led to me to think, there will be other youngsters out there with the same problem. 

With one difference already in place, I took it a step ahead and used very minimal accessories to go with the actual pendant and earrings. This not only reduced the jazz of the over all set, but also gave it a modern look by using the metal choker. The economical aspect was a value addition!

Officially back from a stupor!!!

~Rich