Over the last couple of weeks, Cheri Albritton (@ArveyColumbus, blog), Alec Winmill (@Al_Winmill), Kathy Swift (@CowArtandMore, blog) and I have been talking about how cool it would be to have #agnerd jewelry. Well, with the AgChat Foundation’s first anniversary approaching, I decided to make a piece of silver jewelry at a local store that encourages all sorts of artistic endeavors called Seize the Clay (Facebook, website)!
My niece found out they had this new set of projects for us to try by checking their website to see if they had a glass fusion session on the books. The silver is actually more pure than the silver we typically buy. You can see a lot more about it on this page of the website.
Saturday’s Art Project
Designing the piece was a challenge since I’ve never worked with silver before. I sketched out a couple of things and tried to figure out what may work. And I must admit, I wasn’t sure whether I’d end up with but I think I did okay for a first shot at a one-of-a-kind piece. So the process in total is supposed to be about 2 hours but we took a lot longer thinking through the designs! The design I chose is why this is posted to a blog about agriculture but that comes later.
The process is:
- Choose shape, design elements, etc. (I did front & back!)
- Put the softened silver into the forms & smooth them out.
- Press and/or etch designs into the silver.
- Begin drying process and remove from mold.
- Do minor touchups.
- Fire so it gets really hard.
- Burnish the piece.
- Provide antiquing to bring the designs to life.
A one-of-a-kind #agnerd necklace?
This is pretty cool, and the project just costs $40 and gave me a great break from the routine too. In the end, here’s the piece that I ended up with.
If anyone would like to make a nice donation to the AgChat Foundation, I could turn this over to a fellow agnerd who supports empowering more farmers to use social media. If you are interested, just leave a “bid” in the comments or bid anonymously via email to [email protected] (though no money will be collected here as it will be by PayPal directly to the Foundation’s account). I will give periodic updates in the comments in the event anyone bids! The final bids will be taken tomorrow (Thursday, April 7) at noon central.
In case any of you would like to see photos as we went through the process, here’s a slide show of photos Alicia & I took while we worked on the new jewelry.
[slideshow]
I will open the bid at $50 and by the way would proudly wear it.
Thanks Cheri! My niece joked that since I hadn’t told anyone my idea I could just keep it since we both liked it so much! LOL! I told her that I’d stick to the idea & wonder if anyone would bid for it. You have assured me I’ve done the right thing in saying I’m willing to part with it. I may just have to make a different something for keeps though! LOL
I had no idea you made jewelry!! How awesome! Very cute.
Well I don’t make jewelry…. LOL…. I do some handmade things (like store big blocks of clay halfway towards a piece of pottery LOL) but this was a fun change of pace. I may have to make a piece of pottery next…. that’s a bit larger time commitment though!
What a cool idea you had! I think you have discovered a hidden talent! Very nice piece. Sure wishing I was employed right now so I could place a bid too!
Thanks. Bids aren’t necessary. That’s just a fun add on. Just thought you’d like the idea!