Stone-Setting is a Pain in the Neck

[shanmonster]

I finished reading The Black Stallion the other night. Although I still enjoy it, it's lost most of its charm. When I was a kid, I didn't mind that Alec and The Black always won. No horse ever stood a chance against The Black. He was a god among horses. But as I got older, it did begin to irk me. I began preferring Walter Farley's other horse tales: the ones featuring The Island Stallion. Of course, Flame never lost, either. If I remember correctly, Flame and The Black did race in at least one of the books, but I can't recall who won. Probably The Black. He was invincible.

I always wanted horses like The Black or Flame, but instead, I had a motley collection of Standardbreds, Quarterhorses, Morgans, and mutt ponies. I loved them all, but they just weren't the same as Walter Farley's testosterone-filled stallions. His horses weren't normal, mortal horses. Hell, I don't think they even ever farted, and that's one of the things horses do best.

The past few days were spent working on my hollow form bracelet. I was determined to get all of the construction done, and yesterday, I did--sorta. The box clasp worked out quite well, and I even managed to get everything firescale-free, sanded, and polished. However, while polishing one of the segments with rouge, a seam began to open. This means I had to resolder, sand, and polish it all over again.

Today, I finished it, and am I ever glad. Hopefully, I'll soon have some photos of it to share. I'm quite pleased with it, despite its shortcomings. I was very trepidacious about the project from the onset, and having completed it satisfactorily makes me feel much more secure in my fabrication skills. Making a hollow form bracelet is considered an advanced goldsmithing project. Now that I've made this, I think I can make just about any sort of fabricated jewellery. Maybe not perfectly, but, given time and practice, I am confident I can make just about anything I can design.

Except for mokume gane.

Ahem.

I hope to get back onto that this week. Maybe I can salvage my piece if I persevere.

f00dave was with me all day in the studio. He helped me with a few things, and even shaped a new stone-setting tool for me. I have a favourite tool I made at the beginning of the year, but it's a bit bigger than I'd like for setting small stones. So f00 filed and shaped a smaller tool for me, and I polished and tempered it. I'm planning on setting more five-millimeter brilliant cut round stones, and this new tool will be much easier to manage than the other tool which works much better on large cabochons.

In the meanwhile, my neck hurts like a sonofabitch due to the unfortunate posture I must take on while setting stones. I set eight of them. Ouch.

This evening, curtana and forthright came over for a visit, and we played a couple of games of Carcassonne. I'm glad I finally got to see them. We were about to start a game of Trivial Pursuit (which f00 loathes), but the game was called off when Curtana and Forthright received a summons from xypharan. f00 was very relieved at this reprieve.

As a reminder, I'll be dancing tomorrow at the March of Dimes Martial Arts and Multicultural Expo VI. I'll be dancing with snowy_kathryn and littlekeltie (in her debut performance). The show is on Sunday, April 25th at the FHS Tom Morrison Theatre. The show starts at 7:00 pm. Tickets are available at Mazzuca's on York Street or The March of Dimes (65 Brunswick St.), or call 458-8739 for more information. Prices are as follows:

• Children - $3.00
• Students / Seniors - $5.00
• Adults - $7.00

Or, pay $10.00 at the door.

You gotta come! Not only do you get some great entertainment, but money raised also buys wheelchairs for disabled kids.

And now, because I finally received it, here is a picture of the fourth ring I entered in the competition (and no, I didn't place with any of 'em, but like I said, competition was very fierce!):

Totally Tubular. Sterling silver U-ring with two tube-set pink cubic zirconia.

Comments

F00 is a lucky guy!

[montecristo.livejournal.com]

*sigh* I love watching creative women work. When I was in school, I used to take my differential equations work over to the art studios where my future ex and her roommate were working. I could sit and do my work and watch them for hours. Some days, I wonder if that is an activity I will ever have the opportunity to enjoy again. I hope your significant other realizes his good fortune every day. Heh!

Re: F00 is a lucky guy!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I don't know how lucky he was, since I got him to do some drudge work for me. He sanded my piece of mokume gane while I was putting the finishing touches on my bracelet. Sanding is very tedious. It's an excellent opportunity for listening to audio books.

I was horse CRAZY

[pumagirl.livejournal.com]

I read all the Black Stallion books.
In fact, my friend and I used set up 'jumps' and gallop around on my lawn - horseless - just wishing we had the REAL thing to ride!
My most serious injury - just a sprained ankle - happened at the peak of my horsey exuberance when I 'landed' (very awkwardly) a 'jump' I'd made too high!
Ahh, the good ol' days.
:)
By the way, I like your U-ring. Do you make make body jewellery too?

Re: I was horse CRAZY

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I used to read horse books while riding a horse. How horse crazy is that? Heh....

I haven't tried making body jewellery yet, although I could do so, easily enough. I've designed a pierceless labia clip, but haven't made it yet. I have no interest in wearing one myself, but a friend was interested in them, and I may yet make some. They look very simple.

Re: I was horse CRAZY

[pumagirl.livejournal.com]

I would think that navel rings would be the most fun for you to attempt - although perhaps a tad tedious - with all the dangly baubles you could make for them.
Now, a pierceless labia clip ?!? Sounds fascinating... please post a pic if you ever make it?

[fiachra.livejournal.com]

Design an earring for me :^)

[prolixfootle.livejournal.com]

Me too!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

I plan on doing a lot more design and creation once I'm through my schoolwork. I hope to be using the studio all summer for just these things....

[slutbunwalla.livejournal.com]

that ring is so pretty!
I read all the Balck Stallion books and all the marguerite Henry books and any other horse books I could find.
Lucky you, though, at least you got to be around some horses even if they weren't as godlike as the Black.
People always question the common occurence of young girls liking big horses, like it was some freudian thing. That may be, fo some, but I think, for myself at least, that during a time when I felt my ugliest, my most clumsy and awkward, horses represented the epitome of grace and strength and of course brushable flowing locks....

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Which ones did Marguerite Henry write? The name rings a bell, but I don't think I could have read many of her books.

One of the reasons I liked horses was because they were much better friends than any people I knew at the time.

[slutbunwalla.livejournal.com]

yeah, I lived in NY so I wasn't able to hang out as much with horses as I wanted to. I tried to just be one, which didn't win me any friends either.
she wrote Misty of Chincoteague, King of the Wind all those. They always had beautiful illustrations too.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Ah yes! Now I remember. I must find copies of those and read them again. It's been far too long.

[slutbunwalla.livejournal.com]

I remember that was when I first learned about Ramadan.
In "King of the Wind" I mean.

I got to go to Chincoteague for Pony Penning Day one year, too.

Yeah I should start collecting them for my friend's kids....

[goth-hobbit.livejournal.com]

I really liked all of the rings you posted photos for, but the design of this one really tickles my fancy. The competition must've been fierce, because you've really got a good eye for design.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, the competition was fierce, indeed. Two of the winning rings were gorgeous, and the first place winner was very much a concept piece.

Amongst the metal students, we expect the competition would have ended up quite differently had it been judged by jewellers, rather than Craft School students and the public.

[nymphie.livejournal.com]

WOW! That ring is absolutely GORGEOUS!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It's a theme I want to continue working with. I see a lot of room for experimentation with this basic design. I tried doing a similar one with moonstone cabochons, but it just doesn't have oomph. I should finish it up, anyway. I'm sure someone will like it.

[nymphie.livejournal.com]

Do you ever sell your rings? *nudge nudge* heh heh. I love rings that are different, like not just one stone hanging out in the middle.

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Yes, I will sell my rings. I still have to figure out costs for them, and they wouldn't be available for another week or two (when they're through being marked).

I'll list prices and sizes (or size ranges, in the cases of the strangely-shaped rings) for them when I have 'em figured out.

[nymphie.livejournal.com]

Really? Oh yay! I love rings, sometimes I wish I was plydactal (sp?) like my kitty so I could have extra fingers for more rings :).