The Devil's Workshop

Acid Etched Warhol Banana

A customer asked for a banana pendant as a gift for the 1 year anniversary of his friends website called Steel Banana. I etched the Warhol screen print onto the silver using tar as a resist and put it in a mordant of nitric acid for a while.

This one was actually my second attempt as the first one sat in the acid a bit too long and became but of a ghost of the banana that it once was.  I hope Warhol doesn’t mind that I hung the piece upside down as it was the only way I could do it without it looking too phallic.

Enamelling for Beginners

This weekends Enamelling for Beginners class this past weekend went great! Thanks again Catherine!

The students got to work with glass on metal to create these great pieces using scrafitti, painting and cloisonne. One of the Artists that we represent at The Devil’s Workshop, Mary Frances took the class this weekend and made the cutest little tea pot set in cloisonné, I cant wait to see how she applies this new application to her work. Some day I will have to take this class.

Our next Enamelling for Beginners workshop is scheduled for November 7th and 8th.

Diamond Alternatives? Good Question!

Anonymous writes:

Hello Sarah,

I came across your workshop online as I perused a location close to where we live where my fiancée and I could take part in the process of creating our wedding bands.

We are both outdoors, ethical, and sustainably-minded individuals, and thus having a difficult time in selecting a stone/material that would fit the path we have are trying to live in our lives (i.e.. making wise/green choices when the opportunity arises). I’m hoping that with this email and your experience in the jewellery business, you might provide your own insights to us. Perhaps you’ve been faced with similar questions in the past. I know that more individuals are aware of “blood diamonds” and the Canadian north diamonds are an alternative, but I’ve worked in the Arctic for many years, and unfortunately have seen the irreparable damage a diamond mine is. As is the majority of stone/gem mines.

With some guilt, I admit that I am an admirer of shiny stones/gems (shocking my fiancé) and I tend to wear silver for my day-to-day attire. Are there any particular stones/gems that you would recommend for an engagement ring that matches our philosophies? Do you have sources that you have used in the past?

Your thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Desperately seeking alternatives

My response…

Hi Desperately seeking alternatives,

Have you ever heard of moissanite (they are natural but i think that you would be interested in the more common synthetic variety) or Lab-grown Diamonds? I have often had sentimental (practically no value) stones cut like diamonds and then set them into Engagement Rings like this stone (see here) found on the streets of Bolivia while my client was visiting with his fiancée to be.

But if it must be the “real thing” then I always advise my clients to buy an Antique Diamond, something that predates “conflict stones” and mass mining practices, these may be hard to find but the chase is half the fun ;)

Happy hunting!
Sarah

Do you know the Muffin Man?

Eric is the Muffin Man and I was honoured to make baker themed cufflinks for Eric’s wedding, I really love them and everything is always better when miniaturized. I hope Eric and Sarah will have a wonderful wedding this weekend and it was great having both of them in The Wedding Band Workshop a few weeks ago.

Take a look at Eric’s baking blog, Do You Know The Muffin Man next time you feel like making a mess of your kitchen, the photos are and inspiration to my inner chef and my belly rumbles as I write this post!  I am ever in search of the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe, they must be chewy and a little crispy on the outside and this recipe from Cooks Illustrated recommended by Eric looks just right but I am sure the secret ingredient is the baker who bakes them ;)

Rob and Formidable Silver Horse

Yay to Rob! After 2 years Rob has finished his Pull String Horse and it was well worth the wait!

…Ok, it didn’t take the entire 2 years to finish but Rob did start it two years ago and finished it just recently. This sterling horse with moving legs was quite a challenge for a first time Silversmith (& Lost Wax) student, it is always easy to imagine a complicated project but execution is another thing all together. Rob must have tried to put this horse together at least 5 time before he decided to go with square pins instead of round, what a breakthrough that was. Hopefully Rob will make more of these little gems ;)

Your perseverance paid off, congratulations Rob!

Custom Engagement Ring

I want to thank my recent enagement ring customer for giving me so much time to perfect his ring. I started over 5 times! I wanted to get it just right and a little something seemed to go wrong with every attempt but the finished piece looks great. So happy to have a customer that values craftsmanship as much as I do. This ring is called the “Weave Ring” it is in 14k White gold and has 6 Blue Sapphires of varied sizes. Cant wait to hear how the proposal goes!!!