Tuesday, January 19, 2016

deep in the black forest

Along with collecting things like tickets and receipts for souvenir projects while I'm traveling, I also like to find interesting rocks for memento jewelry. 

I've written about memento rock jewelry a few times now and have had opportunities to work with local customers at my seasonal market booth with their own rocks and other mementos, and I think it's definitely one of my favorite types of jewelry to make.

Before I show my latest memento rock pieces, I wanted to show the location shots of my other favorite personal pieces, because along with the rocks themselves, I have to get a few shots of where I gathered my findings...



February 2015 - near Bon Fir Cabin on the Zig Zag River, outside Portland, Oregon:






April 2015 - Snodgrass Hill at the Chickamauga Battlefield, Georgia:





April 2015 - at Robco Lake, near Memphis, Tennessee:





And the latest set of rocks for the current pieces...

December 2015 - Black Forest in Germany, near the French border:







Along the lines of the last post, I've been motivated to find new ways to make cabochon jewelry, specifically with stones. After the go with the wire wrapping, my fingers were appreciative of learning new techniques with some softer material. This how-to macrame video was the perfect thing:


Slightly tricky at first but fairly easy by the third try. This is another technique which could easily be elaborated for different, intricate pieces and simple macrame has been on the list for a while for incorporation into future work. 






The centerpiece of the current necklace is an old wooden handle I found randomly laying on a table at a local antique store. 



I wanted the set to have continuity with the natural material elements of wood and stone. To imagine you could have found the pieces in any wooded area and put it together. Colors and themes found in nature, etc. 









It's special pieces like these that I treasure the most for myself, and enjoy making the most for others when they have pieces they would love to see turned into memento jewelry. 

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