Sad news

Guinness passed.

It was quick.

One day he was there, rummaging around his cage, making important decisions like what to have for lunch. Oh yeah, that dried up food in that little bowl there. That’ll do.

Then he got pneumonia.

And died.

He went to the vets.

Had an x-ray (don’t talk to me about it)

Got medicine and special care food.

Came home with a 50/50 chance.

And died.

S cried.

I cried.

And all I could think about was how I called him a sex offender.

Not to his face though, so that must count for something.

Yes?

:(

S kept him overnight in one of the small dorm room fridges that came home with one of the kids (don’t talk to me about that either) and he’s now on his way back to his college town to bury Guiness. I know. Strange lad, but apparently all of his college buddies had been involved in Guiness’ life and S felt that he’d want to be back there…

with everyone…

I think S has forgotten that he isn’t going back there next term.

Me thinks this was just an excuse to get out of dodge.

Where’s the guinea pig love now boyo?

So he’s gone to bury Guiness.

With the hand-made ceramic bowl that he ate from.

Because it’s a king’s bowl apparently.

I daren’t ask what else he’s going to bury with it.

–

RIP little one.

I loved you really.

Not because you were a rodent…

Guiness 2013 – 2015 :(

but because you were our rodent.

–

–

–

Now we will take you back to our normal programme…

I think something more to do with the actual making of jewelry rather than just the showing and telling bit, although I never did get to do that at school and am just beginning to see what I missed out on.

I know, poor baby, that was a huge chunk of my childhood down the drain right there.

It happens.

I got over it.

Actually I didn’t because I didn’t know there was anything I had to get over, but I will tell you that I have learned a lot sharing with you here and I recommend putting yourself out there to everyone.

O.K. I’m rambling. You didn’t know I did that did you?

–

Stone Setting…

Ticks me off.

I’m not talking about the cabochon settings I do as I seem to have those down now, but rather the shiny, let’s put one of those in a ring settings.

This is how it usually goes when I want to try something new.

I think about it, think about it, and then I think about it some more. Sometimes for months. The cabs, perhaps a year. And then suddenly, before I even know what hit me, I start making them all of the time and voilà, I’m in the cab club.

Well the other shiny kind of stone setting has been roaming around in the back of my head now for quite some time.

I’ve dabbled, and generally get by, but I cannot tell you that I can wake up in the morning and say, right then, time to set a shiny stone into one of those ring settings, and then go into the studio and set that darn stone with the confidence that it will work.

So this is my mission chaps and chapesses. (Are there really any chaps reading this drivel?). The mysterious world of stone setting.

–

I’ve got a few books on the subject. Well, I’ve got quite a lot really as I love looking at the pictures.

But this time it might actually be time to read them.

Although honestly I’m a visual learner, so I might have to change my mind about this later when all the words start running together and I get brain fog.

I learn by seeing, trying, messing up, figuring out where I went wrong and trying again.

Probably could save a lot of time and energy just by reading the darn books, but where’s the fun and frustration in that?

Here’s one of my books.

Some of you probably have it.

Now, the setting I want to tackle first is the flush setting.

I think that’s what they call it.

Hang on, let me have a look.

Nope, it’s tube setting. Similar I think, but not quite the same.

O.K. I was going to show you a pic in the book, but then I realized that was probably illegal.

I’ll just have to draw my own for you, bear with me a mo…

Flush Setting

Tube Setting.

So here’s the plan.

I’ve got some stones which I bought from Rio back when I first starting thinking about it.

I was a little annoyed by this as I was still in the throes of perfecting my cab setting skills, but I went ahead and bought them anyway as I just had to have them.

No hope for me really.

As I said, I have had a few successes, but I really want to get to the place where I have alllllll successes.

I’m needy that way.

I’ll try to walk you through my trials and errors, but sometimes holding the camera while soldering, bezel pushing, filing, etc., can get a bit tricky, but I’m all about overcoming challenges ;)

So watch this space…

–

In other news.

You remember those snipings from the bridesmaid earrings.

There was a lot of them.

Well they took a holiday at the charcoal block spa and salon.

And now they’re sorted and ready to go party.

Shame I’m doing stone setting now.

And here’s a photo of The Rodent for Angie.

Guinness

Yes, I know he looks all cute and stuff, but

He’s still a rodent.

Actually there’s a debate as to whether guinea pigs are in fact rodents.

Frankly I don’t care.

He might be cute, but he hounded his poor little black friend to death, literally, by using Thor, RIP, as his sex slave, but that’s another story…

It’s always the good looking ones you’ve got to watch out for isn’t it.

And finally, the show and tell.

Serpentine

Chrysophrase

Petrified Wood Opal. (I know, who knew?)

–

And for your continual enjoyment.

(O.K. so maybe the show and tell wasn’t last)

Soldering jump rings.

Exciting, right?

Here’s how I like to do it.

Place all of the jump rings facing the same direction as sometimes, once you start heating them, you can’t find the area you want to join.

This way you have a heads up.

Use a little flux.

Cut loads of pallions of solder wire, or use chips, whichever you prefer.

And heat them gently until they form little balls.

You can then pick them up with your pick (see what I did there), and place them easily on the join to be soldered.

The balls have to be hot, as does the pick, to be able to do this.

I leave you now with your very first look at the top of my head.

Oh, and sorry about the sniff. Got a bit of a cold.

 

Go on. You thought I had long golden locks didn’t you…

–

–

–

As if the funk wasn’t enough

I’ve now hurt my back!

Maybe it’s due to too much sitting at the jewelry table.

Here’s an update.

The bezel is still a little off, (well o.k., a lot off), and I’m not sure I’ve got that much wiggle room to straighten it.

I’m going to try though as it will bother me the whole time if I don’t.

I’m thinking of compensating for the slant of the stone by shortening the left hand link at the top. Actually that piece of wire should have been longer and wrapped a little more around the top.

Oh well.

I’m alternating this piece with a new one.

I’ve just finished the bezel setting, but forgot to photograph it.

This is a nice little piece of Mexican turquoise, and that little black dot next to it is a watermelon tourmaline. All that’s left to make is the large leaf and the dangly bits.

I will leave you with the new addition to the family.

No.

Don’t talk to me about it.

The boy brought it home from college, and however pretty its colouring, and however cute its little chirping sound is,

IT’S STILL A RODENT!

S named it Guinness. I call it The Beast.

Don’t look at it.

And finally, a photo of my bench when I left it last night.

Not too bad, (you can just see the setting for the turquoise in the lower left corner), but I won’t win any awards for most tidy worker.

Off to work on the bezel.

–

–