Attention Sellers - New Online Venue for Artisans

I'm feeling very optimistic about this new online shopping site. They are very organized and right now they are offering a limited amount of initial memberships. Click this link for more information and please use my name silverlight as the person who referred you. Good Luck and see you there!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, it's here again. Seems to come around very quickly! It's crispy cold out now and the leaves are off the trees. Everyone is getting ready for the feast and may not be thinking of holiday shopping.....yet!

In celebration of Fall I designed a necklace out of an interesting material.....anodized aluminum. Working with it is strange because it is as soft as butter. You can't bend it very much or solder it. I put my torch to it and it turned into a grey puddle almost immediately.

Here's a picture of the necklace. It's a nice, everyday piece to brighten and polish your look. It's available in my Etsy shop:

Autumn Leaf Necklace

My Journey with Ohm

The sound of Ohm is the vibration that comes from chanting and corresponds to the original vibration of the earth at the time of creation. The sound of Ohm is also called Pranava.

I've seen versions of these beautiful symbols and always wanted to try making my own. Then, a client commissioned one and I was psyched!

First, I found an illustration of an Ohm that had nice proportions for working in silver. You'd be amazed at how many interpretations and versions there are!

Next, I brought the image into Photoshop and kept resizing it until I arrived at the size that I thought would work for the piece. I made a high contrast version and printed it out, then taped it to my workbench.

For the bottom tip of the Ohm I balled up 18 gauge sterling silver wire. Annealed the whole piece of wire and then shaped it over my drawing. I used smaller gauge wire for the other two parts. When I was happy with the shapes they were soldered together and then forged with a forging hammer to flatten certain areas for emphasis.

A simple ring was added as a bail so as not to distract from the main piece.

I've sold quite a few of these now and each one is slightly different, which is the beauty of a hand fabricated piece. The one above is available at:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=16489418

Next I would like to try it in gold with a diamond accent! I'll have to sell a few more of these first!

INTERVIEW WITH LYNN THOMAS

I was fortunate in the fact that Lynn found me online and got in touch with me. I loved her jewelry and her interesting way of combining stones to create unique, bold, unusual pieces. Here is my interview with her and some examples of her work:

Tell us a little about your jewelry business. How did you get started?

I have been a jewelry designer for over 35 years. Straight out of High School I followed in my family business. My Dad was a diamond importer and jewelry designer. I received my formal training through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).

What is your specialty?

My specialty is designing unique one-of-a-kind gemstone jewelry with unusual semi-precious gemstones. Bold designs not for the faint of heart; but for the Diva inside each of us.

How you market your jewelry?

I have two websites

www.ladylynnsboutique.com and

www.ladylynnsgiftboutique.com

I also exhibit at gem and jewelry shows and local craft shows.

What marketing /business suggestions do you have for us?
Perseverance, never give up on your dream! Create a solid business plan. It’s not going to happen overnight, so stick to your plan. Slow and steady wins the race to the top!

What is your favorite aspect of jewelry making?
My favorite is designing jewelry to match the colors of the season and to bring out one’s best features. I love to re-invent wardrobes by using jewelry to change the look of each outfit.

How would you describe your style?

Bold, unique designs

What advice do you have for beginners?

Hummm…well the old rule of thumb is what has kept my customers coming back for many, many years…I always treat customers how I would want to be treated and 100% total honesty in all things.

What else would you like to say to us?

I have weekly giveaways on my blog: www.ladylynnsboutique.blogspot.com

Lady Lynn’s Boutique

Lady Lynn’s Gift Boutique

Lady Lynn’s Blog

Thank you Lynn for giving us such a nice glimpse of your work and talents!

Blog Action Day Against Poverty

As I sit here thinking about what I can write for Blog Action Day I realize that so much can be accomplished by each of us doing even a little every day to fight poverty.

I'm thinking about how poverty affects the health of women. Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and thought my topic would do something to help women who cannot afford a yearly Mammogram to get their Mammogram. There is a site that claims that each click helps someone get a Mammogram who can't afford one:

http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/clickToGive/home.faces?siteId=2

I do hope I'm not straying too far away from the main topic but I truly believe that all women should have access to Mammograms. This is something I can do every day to help fight it. Please join me in the fight against poverty and the fight against Breast Cancer.