Tag Archives: jewelers

Studio News and Notes

Full Circle – A Celebration of Rings

Posted on by Nancy Lee

My dear friend and gallery owner Ginger Meek Allen sent me an email today with info about an exciting new show opening in her North Carolina gallery on Friday. I’m thrilled both for her and for me! It’s great to be a part of the show and wanted to share with you her clever interactive ring idea along with the many other talented artists that will be participating in the show! Here’s Ginger’s news:
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Hello from LEDE Studio & Gallery in Downtown Wake Forest NC USA

We have something very special to show you!

Nancy (that would be a different Nancy) remarked in the studio on Monday afternoon that this may just be our best show yet.
How can that be?
We’ve had some wonderful shows. Last month’s India show was amazing, and some pieces are still available online, by the way. (here) The Lavaliere show we had last fall was a doozy. And our grand opening was a marvel.
But this, this is special.
Full Circle | A Celebration of Rings features upwards of 160 different rings by 14 different jewelers, some of whom are showing at LEDE for the first time. And, we use the word “upwards” quite intentionally, as all of those amazing rings comprise an interactive installation in the gallery that we really hope you will come to see in person so you can enjoy the full experience.
There is such a variety of rings in the show – from simple bands to conceptual pieces. Some are wearable on a daily basis, and some are, well, for special times. They are all part of two large suspended structures, which allow you to interact with each ring.
And, as if all that weren’t enough, we have a special treat for you created by our very own Leigh Salmon. Leigh has created a ring monument using a fist-sized faceted piece of glass, set in a chased brass bezel, atop a nickel silver shank. I don’t want to spoil the reveal of the finished piece, but here she is using a baseball bat to shape the stone setting.

Here’s a smattering of what you’ll find suspended in the show:
Turned Ebony by John Beamer
Exotic Wood Inlay by Brett Mundy
Hidden Atmospheres by Tavia Brown
Bezel Settings by Margaret Thiele
Chased Bands by Liz Mosier
Two-Finger Rings by Leigh Salmon
Vintage Crystal by Cindy Forrester
Posies by Nancy Lee
Gargantuan Structures by Maureen Brusa Zappelini
Jane Jetson’s Ring by Ginger Meek Allen
Ringing Anvil by Jeremy Maronpot
And. So. Much. More.
Visit the show page on the LEDE website here to see some of the portfolio images of rings in the show, and to read a little more about it. We’re throwing a party Friday night to celebrate. Join us!
Sincerely yours,
Ginger Meek Allen

FULL CIRCLE | A Celebration of Rings
Opening Reception April 8th, 6 – 9 pm
Exhibition April 8 – May 7
LEDE Studio & Gallery
504 South White Street
Downtown Wake Forest NC USA
(919)435-6984
http://www.ledestudiogallery.com/
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If you are in the Wake Forest, NC, area, be sure to visit this great exhibition. And thanks for the wonderful post, Ginger!

FREE Projects and Information, Jewelry Notes

Ten Things Metalsmiths Love, Plus Two

Posted on by Nancy Lee

I’d like to share this list of “10 things to make a metalsmith smile”, directly from the Lapidary Journal/Jewelry Artist Newsletter called “Flashcard,” written by the amazing and inspirational Helen Driggs. If you every make anything at all, you can be assured of a few trials and tribulations. There is celebration when things go right, and here are ten little causes for celebration, plus two of my own!
1. When the hammer hits exactly where you intended it to, with exactly the right amount of force. And it’s a brand new hammer, too.
2. The bezel really fits and you aren’t in denial.
3. You find a 2” x 6” sheet of 18-gauge silver you forgot you bought. (this actually happened to me in December!)
4. No firescale.
5. The ring fits the finger you made it for.
6. No scratches.
7. You put exactly the perfect size solder chip right where it needed to be.
8. The eagle eyed cat looks right at the 3mm faceted stone you just dropped on the floor until you pick it up.
9. The sawblade doesn’t break when you know it really should have.
10. The phone call that results when your best friend e-mails you a photo of the piece she just finished at exactly the same time you were e-mailing her a piece you just finished.dscf1814a1
11. Helen Driggs is Managing Editor of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine, and an accomplished metalsmith, toolhound and teacher, and I’m a big fan. I love her Flashcard e-mails. I’ve made some of her projects (see bracelet image, right). Her is often the only newsletter I consistently read, word for word. I always learn something, and often get a smile just from Helen’s down-to-earth, soul-filling writing style.
12. Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist Magazine is the mother ship of Flashcard. It’s a hold-it-in-your-hands paper periodical full of tips, tricks, inspiration and techniques for lapidarists and jewelry artists of all skill levels. Metalsmiths and rockhounds covet issues the way some covet the beautifully photographed and written National Geographic magazines. In particular, the January 2010 issue contains so much good stuff that my issue is already dog-eared, bent up, underlined with ink multiple times and highlighted for good measure. I’ve thought of placing it on my forehead before retiring in the hopes of awakening the next morning, imbued by osmotic effect with all the wonderments of knowledge contained in the ink.
It’s a great day when a metalsmith can appreciate any one of these ten + two things. What makes YOU smile?
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january-2010