Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist September/October 2020

WE TEND TO BE HYPERVIGILANT right after an accident, but … Exactly. We shouldn’t wait for a scary or injurious event to goad us into being careful all the time. Unfortunately, it’s easy to grow complacent when we haven’t felt threatened for a while. Fortunately, we human beings are also pretty clever, capable of thinking ahead and foreseeing consequences. If you’re reading this magazine, you probably work with potentially dangerous tools and materials on a regular basis. Whenever you’re at your workspace is the time to be your clever, farsighted self. But safety’s been on everyone’s mind a lot lately, not just those who are drawn to sharp surfaces and open flames. The current pandemic also qualifies as one of those in-your-face threats, whether you’re considering a trip to a gallery,…

Your Design Riffs Designs based on projects and jewelry shown in previous issues of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist. Your Settings…

Amy Buettner & Tucker Glasow’s Pendant in “Medieval Meets Game of Thrones” Riff on the design of any of these or other pieces within this issue, using a design feature such as color, texture, form, value, line, space, repetition, balance, contrast, unity, or variety for your sketch. Please indicate which piece your entry is based on. Sketch a setting for a parrot wing cabochon from Smokin’ Stones, page 34. DEADLINES: OCTOBER 31, 2020 Email digital scans at 300 DPI or send photocopies of no more than three sketches per challenge, indicating the design factor that is your starting point. Sketches will not be returned. WRITE TO US ANYTIME: What do you think about what you’ve seen and read in Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist? SEND SKETCHES & LETTERS for possible print or online publication to: krosenbusch@goldenpeakmedia.com. Please include…

Lisa Krikawa’s Bridal Ring Set Mokumé gané, diamond, lab-created sapphire → “BEAUTIFUL BLENDS,” p.86 Lexi Erickson’s Blue Cloud Pendant Blue lace drusy agate, sterling silver → “AUTUMN SETTING,” p.52 Betsy Lehndorff’s Pendant Star diopside, sterling silver, pearl → “YOOPER MAGIC,” p.66 Charles Lewton-Brain’s Ring Fusion welded stainless steel, electroformed copper, 24K gold electroforming, river pebble from the Rocky Mountains → “DOUBLÉE: GOLD ON SILVER,” p.72 Amy Buettner & Tucker Glasow’s Earrings Brazilian agate, sterling silver, 14K gold → “MEDIEVAL MEETS GAME OF THRONES,” p.26 → DOER’S PROFILE, p.96 Kieu Pham Gray’s Sparkling Cluster Pendant Sterling silver, assorted faceted stones → “HAVE A SLICE OF PINE CONE,” p.46 Roger Halas’s Necklace Made for Awkwafina for Jumanji: The Next Level Brass → “DASH OF CREEPY FUN,” p.56 → “SEAHORSE SUMMONS,” p.62 Become an LJJA Contributor! Contributors’ guidelines for print or online publication can be found at www.interweave.com/jewelry…

THIS YEAR HAS BEEN ONE CRAZY roller coaster ride. Even if your own studio time was unaffected, chances are, craft shows you registered for were cancelled and shops you sold through were shuttered. The shutdown has been a time when having an established online presence paid off. Virtual connection was the best we could do for much of the year. In the last issue, I mentioned a couple jewelry artists who opened brick-and-mortar galleries in the last few years, then had to close for three months during the Covid-19 shutdown. They had to pedal even faster than most of us to keep upright — and the journey left them with some new skills. One such artist is Jennifer Park, who had to close the Wear Ever Gallery she opened in Old Town Alexandria,…

METAL STAMPING IS ONE OF THOSE HIGHLY FOCUSED, low-cost techniques that help you achieve big bang for your jewelry-making buck. With minimal tools — like four — you can happily pass many hours in quiet contemplation while creating complex surface textures on a sheet of metal. Given the abundance of social isolation time I’ve recently had on my hands, I decided to revisit metal stamping as a foundation technique. It soothed my frazzled spirit and calmed my worried mind, and once I got started, I couldn’t stop. This was just the rabbit hole I needed to go down to get me through those days and weeks, and it did. Basic What and How Metal stamps are struck with a hammer or brass mallet and their engraved pattern or design impresses the metal…