Hello!

[AmA]

Hi - I'm Am. I'm a newbie to posting on the forum. Been getting lots of useful info from the posts here over the last couple of years so figured I'd register. And then a month after registering I remembered I hadn't even said hi!

I've been making jewellery of various sorts off and on for years and I've started getting serious about it again. I work with silver and copper, some semi precious stones (my soft spots are for turquoise and amber), and beads of all sorts (currently very much into replica ago saxon and viking beads). I did some basic metalworking at school way back when, otherwise I've taught myself from books and the internet.

I will need to get around to actually setting myself up to sell the stuff though (and find people to give it to ;-) ) - I love making jewellery, but am not that fussed about wearing it. Which I know is weird.

[Dennis]

Hello AmA, and welcome. Please don't go back to lurking, but show us what you make.

You will get much more satisfaction seeing it worn by others, or by selling it, so you must develop a customer base if only of sorts.

You will also get satisfaction from upping your game, so that you see a steady improvement in workmanship and design. This means browsing jewellers windows, galleries, craft shops, exhibitions, museums and of course the web.

Most of all, if you can, join a class. There is nothing more salutary than seeing what others at your stage can get up to. Lastly a good teacher will challenge you to go the extra mile and provide projects outside your comfort zone. Dennis.

[ajda]

Welcome - looking forward to hearing more from you. I came to this through glassworking. A few years ago I got quite obsessed with making replica ancient beads, mainly Roman, but also Egyptian, Anglo-Saxon and Viking. I haven't made any for a while, but still have quite a pile of them in a drawer somewhere. I'd love to see anything you've been doing with yours. I also got into making glass beads to mimic amber and (copying the Romans) making them to mimic various other precious and semi-precious stones. Here are a few of mine...
8488 8489 8490
Alan

[ajda]

Oh, and here's one I made for an archaeologist copying an original Roman bead - not an exact copy, but good enough to demonstrate the technique.
8491

[metalsmith]

Welcome to the forum Am

I am the same, making, but not wearing much / any jewellery - not even a watch. I'm sure it won't get in the way.

Alan, I love your beads, especially the light blue (those Emerald beads are so good they're almost deception!) & yes, Am, I am with you on turquoise - and I think it is generally pretty hot and popular right now.

I picked up some Sleeping Beauty recently. In fact I'm spent up and can't afford any metal for findings!

[AmA]

Thank you all for the warm welcome - I shall try not too lurk too much!

Dennis - I'm definitely considering taking a course in the coming year, probably in the basics of silversmithing - I've learnt a fair bit from books, the internet etc, but I feel certain I would benefit greatly from having some structured tuition on it.

Alan - your beads are lovely. Like Metalsmith, I especially love the light blue ones. I'm not going to post any of mine (at least not yet!) - they're basic beginner beads. I'm currently buying beads as I've postponed my own bead making until I get kiln (well, until we get a kiln. We just have to work out exactly what we want to use one for without getting too carried away with all the possibilities) - until now I've been sort-of "annealing" them in a slow cooker full of vermiculite. Fine for practice, not much good for anything else.

Metalsmith - nice to know I'm not alone in making jewellery but not wearing it much or at all.

[ajda]

I've postponed my own bead making until I get kiln (well, until we get a kiln. We just have to work out exactly what we want to use one for without getting too carried away with all the possibilities)
Have you explored the Frit Happens Forum? It's a great place for all things glassy and there are quite often 2nd hand kilns offered there, eg http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=46834.0/. In the short term you might find a member near you who would let you use theirs - this thread is quite old, but it might be worth asking around: http://www.frit-happens.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=1939.90/
Alan