Unique

One of the joys I find with making jewelry is trying to make something completely unique and handmade. Of course I make jewelry with components I buy, but I enjoy making as much of my jewelry myself as is possible. I like how that idea pushes me to learn new techniques and keeps things exciting and new.

I was recently asked to design a necklace for my nephew who had earned his Eagle Award in the Boy Scouts. Being a guy's necklace, I wanted it to be simple... just an eagle on a leather cord. Sometimes I use rubber stamps to impress a design into Precious Metal Clay. It's a simple way to add texture or a picture to a piece of jewelry. So I started looking for a small rubber stamp that had a simple and masculine image of an eagle on it. I didn't have any luck. Most of the stamps I found were too large for a necklace... at least for the simple necklace I had in mind. The only one I found that was small enough was rather cartoony, more something for a child.

So... I decided to make my own! I didn't actually make the rubber stamp (which some people carve by hand, I found! Like Corrabelle in her Etsy shop The Mayberry Sparrow) but I drew an eagle that was exactly what I had in mind, and had it made into a rubber stamp. I was really pleased with the way it turned out, and with the fact that it was truly unique. I think my nephew liked it too! :)

This is my drawing. It has to be fairly simple, because too much detail ends up getting lost in the clay. Especially when it's going to be a small stamp.

 I took a picture of the stamp, but it is the clear kind and didn't show up well....

...but this is the completed necklace.

I'm so excited about this new method for making jewelry that won't be found anywhere else, I can't even tell you! I've had a couple more stamps made, and this time I ordered them from an Etsy shop called Dragonfly Buzz. She makes laser cut custom stamps. I do like to buy handmade when I can!

I drew the shark for a key chain I made for my husband. He likes sharks because they don't stop swimming. They have to keep moving forward, even when they sleep, or they will drown... That's just how their gills work. That pretty much describes my husbands outlook on life!

This is inspired by my mom. Not only does she collect lighthouses, but she is a constant, guiding beam of light.

And this dove represents my best friend. Every time I go to her in a frenzy, which is often, she listens patiently and calms me with her practical wisdom. She brings me peace!

This is the clasp for a bracelet in progress. :)

Alisa