Welcome and Happy March!

I hope you enjoy today's newsletter. Before we get started, I would like to ask for your input. What would you like to see in these newsletters? What behind-the-scenes view or process do you have questions about, or would you like to learn more about? I plan to feature a new stone every other issue - are there specific types of stones you'd like to know about? If you are a "hope-to-be" or beginning metalsmith - or even a more advanced metalsmith - are there things you'd like me to spend some time on in my Metalsmithing tips? I would love to hear from you - send me an email to barbara@barbarakayjewelry.com.

.Barbara Kay Jewelry News

A couple of issues ago, I shared a design for a pendant I was just starting. I have now finished it and thought I’d share the finished piece, along with a little description of my process.

Sometimes my designs are very specific and precise; those do not change during the process. This design was pretty vague. As you can see, it was simply a bunch of dots representing little silver balls above the stone. The idea was to echo the crystals in the druzy pockets of the stone.

Once I actually began working on it, and looked more closely at the patterning of the stone, I made a few changes. One was to add a little textured strip of silver right above the stone to mirror the white pattern along the top of the stone. Then I decided to melt a thin layer of silver dust on the rest of the back plate, under the silver balls. I had two reasons for this: one aesthetic and one technical.

Silver dust (which I collect when I file and sometimes when I saw) can be melted just enough so it fuses to the silver sheet but still retains some of its texture. This creates a soft glitter that I thought would add to the “druzy” look above the stone. That’s the aesthetic.

Technically, I wanted to make adding the very small silver balls as easy as possible. Soldering them would mean melting a tiny bit of solder to the back of each ball and then soldering them to the back plate. This is a time consuming – and somewhat stressful – process. So instead, I sprinkled the silver dust and placed the balls on top of that. As the dust melted and fused to the back plate, it also fused the little balls without having to use solder. So – a win-win for me! For those who metalsmith: although flux is not needed to fuse, I did put flux under the silver dust to help keep both the dust and the little balls in place.

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Getting Through Creative Slump

I mentioned in the last issue that I had been going through a “creative slump.” This seems to happen every year after Christmas, and occasionally at other times as well. It can be frustrating; I’ll sit at my desk and try to design, and nothing really “works”. I might have projects that are started, but I can’t seem to get motivated to do anything with them – and if I force it, I am usually not happy with the results.

I have over the years developed some strategies to help me get through this period and back into a motivated creative place again. I thought I’d share them; maybe you can modify them to fit your own creative endeavors.

Usually I start out in denial and try to push through. At some point I realize that is just not going to work. Then I make myself stay out of the studio completely for a day or two. I may do things totally unrelated to making jewelry, or I may work on something jewelry related, but outside of creating. At this time of year, the perfect task was preparing for taxes. This was a TOTALLY uncreative thing to do, which was good! See how I put a positive spin on something that is not exactly fun?

After a day or so outside the studio, I might let myself go back in but only to do something like cleaning. Along with opening up space on my desk and removing the clutter that happens while working on projects, cleaning off my work areas seems to open and de-clutter my mind a bit as well, readying it for that creation bug to hit.

I may still not be in that creative mode even after cleaning; I sure wasn’t this time! So, on to my next strategy. It was time to take out the cabochons.

I have “collected” cabochons since about 2013, soon after I learned how to metalsmith. I was pretty indiscriminate at first and so I have a LOT of cabochons that will likely never get used. But over the years, I’ve added many that are just waiting for the right moment. Sometimes going through them, picking some of them up and really examining their patterns and shapes, can get the creative juices flowing. That didn’t quite happen this time, but it did move me towards another idea. I realized that I have quite a few symmetrical tear drop stones - and a few ovals - that I tend to not choose when I want to design a pendant. It’s more difficult for me to design around a symmetrical stone, and I don’t like just setting the stone without a design around it. But seeing all of these difficult-to-design-for stones, sent me to my final strategy.

I got out my beads and stringing supplies. Before I started metalsmithing, I made jewelry with beads and sometimes wire. I still enjoy doing that on occasion, and definitely when I’m not moving forward with my metalsmithing. Playing with colors and patterns is soothing, and also can be a great way to jump start the creative energy.

This time, not only did I have fun putting beads together, but it gave me an idea of what I could do with my symmetrical cabochons. And thus a new collection was born: necklaces that combine beads with a simple cabochon pendant. We’ll see how it goes, but I’m having fun making them. The idea also got me back into metalsmithing in order to set the cabochons - and to make hand made toggle clasps. Even though the pendants are simple, I still try to do a little bit extra (I just can’t stop myself), such as cut-outs behind the stone (more about that in the next issue!). And my creative juices are once again flowing!

These are the first two in my new collection of beaded necklaces with metalsmithed pendants. The clasps are hand made as well. The one on the left is larimar, silver and apatite. The one on the right is turquoise, silver and copper. These are in my shop; click on the picture to see more.

Metalsmithing Tips: Taking Care of Your Body

A few issues ago I talked about safety in the studio and the importance of using protective equipment. I thought I’d talk a little bit in this issue about the importance of taking care of your body in general – and in particular your spine and joints.

We metalsmiths do a lot of sitting in one place. It’s really important to sit properly, and in particular to sit at the proper height. Most jeweler’s benches are taller than regular desks and tables. This is so you can do your sawing and soldering with your work closer to eye level. That way you’re not working hunched over all the time.

If you are like me, and use a desk or table, you can raise it very easily with bed risers. The ones I am using raised my desk about 5 or 6 inches and it’s perfect.

Using a chair that raises and lowers is also a must. When I solder there are times I want to see what I’m doing from above. At other times I want more of a side view. By raising and lowering my chair I have that option without having to hunch or stretch my neck.

Because we do a lot of sitting, it’s important to remember to move occasionally. I am lucky to have a big enough studio for multiple work stations. I wasn’t sure how I’d like that at first; I have to get up and walk from one to the other, unlike in my last studio where I did all of my work in one spot. However, I have realized that this is a good thing. It forces me to move instead of sitting in one place for hours at a time. If you do all of your work at one desk or table, consider setting an alarm to remind you to get up and move around.

I also use music to get myself out of the chair. I love having music on in my studio. I use Pandora, which lets me shuffle my music stations, and which also introduces me to new (to me) bands. Usually when I’m focusing on my work, I like music that can stay somewhat in the background. For fun, I decided to add some more “dancy” music into my shuffle. I’ve been enjoying modern swing and a little hip-hop as well as some interesting music by bands I had never heard of before (like Katzenjammer and Tape 5). The great thing about having some of this music shuffled into my background music is that when it comes on, I really want to get up and dance. And unless I’m in the middle of soldering, that’s just what I do. What gets you up and moving?

The last thing I want to mention is that old repetitive movement issue. It’s easy to get into a rhythm of doing something like a lot of hammering, and not wanting to stop. Then the next morning, or a few days from now, there’s pain and sometimes that pain ends up as tendonitis or bursitis. Just as with sitting for long periods of time, it’s important to stop those repetitive actions every once in a while, take a short break, and stretch before getting back into it.

I hope these tips help you consider your body and take care of it as you move forward in your metalsmithing journey – really, in any creative journey. Do you have strategies you use? Share them with me!

I would love to hear from you. Let me know what you think, and what you’d like to see in future newsletters. Email barbara@barbarakayjewelry.com

See my jewelry at Barbara Kay Jewelry​

I am currently accepting students in my Beginning Metalsmithing course. Click to read more and enroll.