more monoliths!

I don't think words can even tell you how much I love this new ring stack.  seriously GORGEOUS.

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twisted some more.

things have been quiet of late in the jewelry world (at least in mine!) and the office job seems to have gained an edge in the priority list of things.  plus it doesn't help that i can't put down the latest zombie apocalypse book i found.  but it didn't stop me from sneaking in a couple of minutes to play with some awesome 12 gauge twisted sterling wire! this ring is definitely more weighty than the 16 gauge version i already make in my shop, this one is stunning on it's own or a perfect fit with some of my other thick stacking rings. 

i'm seeing a stack of twisted rings in mixed gauge and metals... hmmmmm...

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expensive happy accident?

i don't know what i was thinking when i placed my last supply order, but when it arrived, i realized that i was now the proud owner of some fantastic, albeit super expensive, 4mm wide sterling silver wire.  gorgeously silken and shiny and smooth, the wire is heavier and more substantial than the stock i usually use.  and i haven't worked with silver this thick in width unless i've cut it myself. 

of course i made a plain band with it immediately.  (how could i not?)   and it's beautiful.  molten and almost flawless except for my signature unfinished seam.

the success of the initial band then led to the stamping experiments.  i have not been successful (at least in my mind) with using stamps because i am notoriously crooked and i don't always use even pressure, resulting in - ahem - typos.  i made two rings, one with the word "love" (of course) and the other with the word "evolve".  i oxidized the deep grooves of the letters, then threw them in the tumbler.  i wasn't 100% that i would like the finished product because of course the letters were uneven, slanted and one of the "e"s was backwards.  but when i pulled them out of the water, they were almost heartbreakingly sweet, with a definite rustic handmade feel to them.  which i LOVE.  i'm not sure if i will ever sell them in my shop, but i am almost crazy over these.  the two stamped bands are way too large for me, so i might just wear them on a chain around my neck. 

yup, i already have more wire on order.

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