Platinum Bangle

I am busy working on a piece for AngloPlat, and the theme of the competition is Aniverssaries. I decided to celebrate the anniversary of New Life and so I wanted my design to have lots of flowing lines, freshness, life, patterns and layers. So I began by designing this pattern...












Because I am working in platinum, I needed to cut the pattern out of steel, which I then roll milled onto the platinum. I was quite surprised at how much the steel distorted and how insipid the pattern came out on the plat! This is the steel piece...














So, I was left with a long strip of very thin, faintly patterned platinum that I had to turn into something beautiful...hmm! After playing around with the piece, folding it and bending it I decided I was going to make a pendant, but after bending it around my wrist I realized it would work well as a bangle.

























So then I worked with introducing layers which I did using a piece of etched silver but was a little stumped at how to attatch the layers together. Originally I thought bout using forged wires soldered to the two plates to connect them, but was worried about the different melting points of the silver and platinum. So I decided to try sewing them together with fine silver wire! This would also introduce another kind of layering, but very subtle. It proved to be a lot harder than I thought but, with alot of patience, it worked out ok.

Ideas

A couple of ideas have been running through my head lately, and I thought it was about time I put some of them to paper. I am trying to engage more with trying to create and enhance an aesthetic in my pieces, and capture more of an essence of the themes that run through them. So here's some sketches of what may come...

Clay Pieces

This is just a bit of fun I had with oxiding the patterns left into the clay pieces I used. I think it has such a nice effect.

Clay -> Wax -> Silver

I've been having so much fun with a new technique I came across. What I like about it is that it allows one the freedom to play and explore the matter they're working with and literally be able to 'draw' your pattern straight onto the metal. I found it quite therapeutic and love the layered affect. I really enjoy the element of surprise at the end because you never know exactly how the outcome is going to turn out...I like that!
You basically press, draw or imprint whatever you like into a piece of rolled out clay. You then pour some melted wax onto the clay and press it across the patters with the palm of your hand, pressing the wax into the dents. Once the patterned wax flakes are all peeled off, they are invested and cast in silver and TA DA!!!













Wax elements to be cast

Testing the waters...

It's about time I tried out some reppousse! After gathering a few pointers from fellow students, I plucked up the courage to finally grab a pitch bowl and get to it. I started with a fly pressed oval dome (as I was thinking about a locket) but realised very quickly that my technique was nowhere near good enough to jump straight to that, so I took a step backwards and began on a flat copper plate. It was very challenging, and the outcome was dreadful to say the least, but I'd started....

A bit dispondant but determined, I tried again on a piece of silver plate, slightly thicker, and the result was far from good enough but most definately an improvement! I would really like to persevere in this and try and develop my reppousse and chasing. I know it's going to be a slow and frustrating path to take but with patience I'm sure I will gain alot of experience and satisfaction in the long run.

First Attempt



















Second Attempt

In looking back at all the pieces I made last year, this brooch is the piece I like the most and was happiest with. I asked myself why, and realized that the overall look, based on the pattern and techniques used to create the pattern, was what I enjoy about it. This was very significant for me because it lead me to the realization that in most of the things I have been drawing inspiration from ( namely old vintage and antique things ) it is either fine intricate pattern or workmanship that I am drawn to the most, and inspired by. It is this realization that has lead me to want to experiment and try out different techniques with which to introduce a form of patterning to my jewellery. At the moment I am focusing on surface decoration, experimenting with techniques such as hand carving in wax, etching and piercing and the use of Rhinoceros3D to create patterns. I would like to learn reppousse and chasing, as well as trying to make press dies for my patterns.














These are wax pieces that I have hand carved and cut in Rhinoceros3D