A Jewelry Artist in Art jewelry

Many years ago I was asked to submit some photos to Art Jewelry, I no longer remember why. Well, they never used any of the photos I sent along. Until the July 2013 issue. Color me gobmsmacked. And delighted!

I originally made the copper focal element in a hydraulic forming workshop with Cynthia Eid many years ago, and it sat on my bench for a long while until I finally got the bright idea to use it in a class sample illustrating how to set an unusually shaped cabochon for the Level Three certification project. While this isn't a cabochon per se, it is an irregularly shaped object with a flat back - and that is all that is really needed.

This project is successful in many ways. Not only do the partial bezels and clay prongs function to hold the copper piece in place securely (which is the crux of the project), but the whole setting compliments the focal and repeats decorative elements, which reinforces the design. Notice how the spirals (made by curling a piece of wire and pressing it into the copper sheet) are repeated with metal clay syringe on the top of the silver setting, how the scalloped edges of the camera left side of the copper (perhaps obscured by prongs) are repeated in the scalloped edges of the bezels, and the scalloped edge of the backing piece, and a syringe squiggle is repeated three times on the upper right, upper left, and bottom center of the backing. On the back, I left a window in the silver, covered by a piece of thin glass, that reveals the underside of the hydraulic form.

All these repetitions create an inviting sense of rhythm and encourage the viewer's eye to travel around the piece. The longer someone's eyes linger on a piece, the more interesting they find it, the more they are drawn to it, and in the case of a potential collector, the more they may be inclined to want to buy it.

Using the principles of design in your work - balance, proportion, rhythm, and emphasis - will help you to create strong, dynamic pieces.