Vintage touch

As a designer I've been struggling for years between admiring vintage and brocante while being involved in the development of new products on a daily basis.
On one hand developing new products add interest to our eyes and lives and hopefully improves it and on the other hand old stuff has it charms and the weight of time.

My hubby that is a designer as well solved his inner conflict by collecting vintage tools and small objects (I do not approve for large ones that will block the house, which is already packed as it is).

I'm still looking for mine....
In the spirit of vintage I decided to launch a line of oxidized silver jewelry, I started with my hoops, sunflowers and drops but will continue with more with time. The oxidization gives the silver depth thanks to the different shades of gray and visual weight.
Tell me what you think, I'm curious to hear....

My tuts now also in French

It's no secret to anyone who knows me that I LOVE French.... who doesn't?
A couple of years ago I wouldn't even dream to be able to speak or understand this super enchanting language, BUT as life often make the plans for us better then we would have done ourselves, I found myself on a relocation period in the French speaking part of Switzerland.

Not only that for the first time in my life i did not go to work... but also I was in the perfect place to learn French. Any French speaker would tell you that it's not really French what they speak because it is soooooo sloooooow, what could be better then this for a beginner?

But this is not what I wanted to write about, I got carried away...
From time to time I naturally get both jewelry orders and tutorial purchases from French speaking clients, and to my good fortune (in continuous of what I wrote earlier about life bringing us what we want or need), a very nice French girl bought some time ago one of my tuts. We started chatting as it often happens and she offered to translate it into French. I was of course thrilled !! to be able to read my instructions in French was delighting (I of course could understand it but could have not dreamed of writing it myself).

My French angle is called Agathe Majou
I believe thi is a good opportunity to thank her :)
You are welcome to visit her blog : http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com

The first tut I'm publishing is the pixie beads or as it called in French :
"Perles en Filet d'Argent" sounds heavenly, doesn't it?
More will follow shortly.....

You are invited

Hi all,
I'm having tomorrow a summer sale together with the fashion designer Orly Linkovsky.
It will be held in a VERY nice house in Moshav Beer-Tuvia (see map).
I will be presenting both my silver and gold collection and of course my poms, pears and lampshades.
you are all invited:)

The Paper Pomegranate

The Paper Pomegranate summer issue came in the mail this morning, it was my first issue since I only joined the guild lately.
When I joined I sent some info and photos about my wire pomegranates to the editor, apparently he found it interesting enough for the other guild members and put half a page editorial mention of me and my work, I was and still am SO excited about it.

Although I'm not religious and don't consider myself a traditional person I feel somehow connected to this guild.

For those of you that don't know the guild it has a website where you can read more and maybe join too.

here is a short quote from the website :
"When members of the Pomegranate Guild sit down to stitch, they are making more than just table linens and wall hangings. They are reviving Jewish traditions through their work with textiles. Some create their works as heirlooms for their children; others stitch to recreate memories of ceremonial objects or perhaps of family members lost in the Holocaust. All their works are expressions of their heritage and their religious faith."

Here is the scanned editorial about my work:

NEW Giant and Jumbo hoops from yoola

It all started with a very dear client of mine that leaves in Texas, she was the first to challenge me with these scales of hoops, not sure I would have gone there if not for her...

When she first ordered the jumbo hoops as a special order I thought this was definitely the biggest I can go, I of course loved it and made a pair for me as well....
Then a couple of weeks later a biggest challenge came in the form of even bigger hoops.
She told me she would wear the jumbo (silver and gold) during week days and the giant on weekends.

The jumbo are 2.4" (6cm) and the Giant are 3.1" (8cm), and I have to admit it is "bigger then life"... but SO chic/unique, impossible to ignore.

If I could through a dime and make a wish I would love to see Penélope Cruz
wearing my giant hoops, who knows it might happened , maybe if i wish hard enough :)

My new Goldilocks earrings

A new design was born during this weekend, as usual i did not plan finding it i did not even go on a search, the contrary, I was "manufacturing" more of the same in order to produce some inventory.
But this is what happens when I repeat (the hardest thing for me), I cant resist it and start experimenting....

Sometime new designs are born sometime not, sometimes I think I have a new one but later on I realize it was only a step toward the one I really love.

SO - these are my new Goldilocks earrings it is made of 14k gold filled wire, using a crochet hook (what else...), at the end it has a small pearl bead to mark the end.

I've been wearing it for a couple of days now, it is really fun to have curls :)
I feel this is going to be a successful item , but only time will tell...
I would love to hear what you think of it :)

How to turn your grey silver back into pure white

Ever since I started making jewelry I've been fascinated with metals in general and silver in particular, a friend of mine that checked my Chinese astrological map told me its no wonder, this is exactly the material I lack....
But back to our topic, of all metals I LOVE silver the most, I LOVE hammering silver and love crocheting pure silver, but I've always been a little concerned about the fact that it tarnishes.

I didn't like to see my pretty white designs turn grey and hated to think it would happened to my clients too, and maybe they wont like it either, I know some people like it but some don't, tarnishes do give silver some depth and ages it but takes away the brightness and pureness.

Working with 14k gold filled gave me some relief, I tested it for months and learned that it is very reliable and doesn't tarnish at all.
The only slight little problem was it wasn't white...... and for white lovers yellow just wont do.

Occasionally I tried experimenting with baking soda, salt, warm water, cold watter, boiling water, n o t h i n g, tarnishes are tarnishes are tarnishes.
Yesterday while checking my inventory and going through some of my items that turned grey, I though I may tackle the problem from a new angle, start a new line of my designs in oxidized silver.
To this purpose and since I don't have formal metal smithing education, I started searching the net for information.
Rather quickly I found a forum where this topic was discussed along side with my well familiar opposite question, how to take away the greyness and make my silver designs back white....

I read all sort of suggestions and decided its time to experiment again, went to have lunch with the kids at home and in between preparations I DID IT !!!! and it worked !!!!
and this is what I did:
- I took a flat plastic dish
- lined it with aluminum foil
- poured in regular salt and some backing soda (never measure, don't know quantities)
- located the earring I wanted to clean on the bottom (touching the aluminum)
- poured boiling water
- let it lay there for a minute or so
- took it out and rinsed it under cold water.
- dried it.

I experimented with only one earring so I will be able to check the differences, but there was no need, it was so shiny white when I took it out that there was NO DOUBT.
I was so thrilled that I immediately tried it on other silver items that I had.
It worked faster on the knitted parts then on silver surfaces (solid rings for example), and the solid surfaces also needed some gentle wiping, but really gentle not scrubbing.

So this is it for now, I'm sorry I was so quick and did not take before and after photos, you will just have to believe me.

My other experiment, the silver oxidizing is still not finished but when it is and if it is successful as this one I promise to share it too.