February "Movement" Challenge Contestants....

The February Aspiring Metalsmiths Challenge came to us from Esme of Silverblueberry. She wanted us to show movement….literal or the illusion there of. It was to be an exercise, like yoga, that would stretch each person’s individual talents and skills. And BOY! Did everyone do well! We have the most entries we’ve ever had….and many of them are first time participants!! YEAH!! Without further ado, here are the entries:

From Lori at StonePeace we have a 2 sided ring…one side is amethyst with a leaf, the other is citrine. It’s a really pretty ring, and would be fun to fiddle with all day long.




From Julie at Jamauerer we have a spinning “rattler” ring. It looks a bit like a bee hive (or a cartoon hamburger) and has some wonderful movment. You can see her polishing it here: http://flic.kr/p/9euf1h





Lilian from Girl Loves Glitter made a spectacular bangle with 6 tubes and 12 tube set stones! Such a sparkly pretty piece and a never ending combination of stone colors!





Ppennee from All Wired Up made a lovely Ocean Jasper pendant. This was her first hinge, and made from scratch too!



Asa from AsaPDesigns made a wheel. Well, a wheel pendant that will roll back and forth on a chain. She also made the hollow silver bead that acts as a counter weight from scratch. You can see it in action here http://www.flickr.com/photos/36638206@N04/5419894352/in/pool-aspiringmetalsmiths





Autumn from Autumn Bradley made a lovely window hanging…a pretty cardinal with “happiness” on his wing. This one has a lovely family story to go with it….Grandma had very good last words.





Villian Accessories made some lovely Osci earrings that harkens back to her engineering days… lovely osculating waves that go from vertical to horizontal depending on your movement and mood.




Clarity from Scrollworkdesigns out did herself again, and made a fountain. She learned fold forming and how to use her new rolling mill to make this amazing floral copper water feature. You can see it in action here http://flic.kr/p/9mgayf




Alicia of AliciaFaith created a very nice malachite pendant that will make your mind twist and spin!! You'll have to click the link to see that one.
http://flic.kr/p/9kZTqx

Resurrection Silver made a shawl pin that really twirls! A pretty copper whirly-gig that makes me think of childhood!





Angela of AJ Jewelry Designs made an out of this world pendant….A shooting star flying around a faraway planet, all in cool shades of blue!





Gloria of Hemlockhollow made some earrings that will make you fly! She’s been on a cicada kick, and these fine silver wings can adorn your ears and remind you of hot summer nights all year long.




Lori of LoriCitsay made her first spinner ring! It’s so pretty, and would give any worrier something to keep their hands busy (like she proved herself on Sunday!! It works!!!)




Esme from SilverBlueberry made a pendant that has some real movement! It’s a pretty little bird who’s wing flaps and beak opens and closes with a tiny tug on the tourmaline briolette.




Claire of BrightStar 109 also made a pretty spinner ring with pretty stones set all the way around, and around, and around....



Nancy from NancyCreations made these glowing earrings… bright and shiny leaves dangle from pretty labradorite stones. Even though one gave her fits, I think they are so lovely!!




Erika from ErikaMayDesigns has made a neat pendant from ages lost….a trilobite that spins in its frame to show off both sides.




Voting will be up through Thursday March 3rd....winners will be posted on Friday morning.



Please only vote if you are a member of the AspiringMetalsmiths team. If you're not, youc an use the links to check out our shops on Etsy and some of our other work in our flickr group stream.

February Project Blogroll - Stones, Stones, Stones

Cobalt Blue Sea Sediment Jasper and Sterling Silver Necklace by Sstargell on Etsy

This month the aspiring metalsmiths are bringing out their stones. For many, collecting stones has become an addiction. Come take a look at their favorites and what makes them so special.

Autumn Bradley - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com/
Clarity @ Scrollwork Designs - http://thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com/
Stacy Low - http://www.formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com
Chrissi Lynn Designs - http://www.chrissilynn.blogspot.com
Sylvia Anderson - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com/
Jessica @ Abella Blue - http://www.abellablue.com/blog
Contemporary Jewelry by Beatriz Fortes - http://cjbf.blogspot.com/
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/
Steph Stargell - http://www.stephstargell.com
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Silver Pearl Jewelry and Metalworks - http://silverpearlmetalworks.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/show-us-your-stones/#more-4
ArtistiKat - http://artistikat-scratchingpost.blogspot.com/
Claire - brightstar109.blogspot.com/

January Project Blogroll - Show us your first piece

Color my World by Altered Abbey on Etsy

Welcome to the blogroll for January. This month the Aspiring Metalsmith team is posting about our first piece or pieces of Jewelry that we ever made. No matter how long ago this was, it will sure be a good reminder of how far we have come.

Check out all the participating blogs below:

Jessica - www.abellablue.com/blog
Clarity - www.thesquarepegnation.blogspot.com
Claire - http://brightstar109.blogspot.com
Stacy - http://formandfunktionaccessories.blogspot.com/
Pennee - http://allwiredupjewelrydesigns.blogspot.com/
Brandy - http://thefrogspond.wordpress.com
Gloria - http://gloria-hemlockhollow.blogspot.com/
Joy - http://www.joypeckjoy.blogspot.com/
Autumn - http://www.autumnbradley.blogspot.com
Gayle - http://www.thisartistsjourney.blogspot.com
Sylvia - http://www.sylviaanderson.blogspot.com
Esmeralda - http://jewelry-by-silverblueberry.blogspot.com/

February challenge

Thank you, everyone who voted for me! It is such an honor to win an Aspiring Metalsmiths Team challenge. All of you who daily see the beautiful jewelry posted by our members know how talented they are.

For the next challenge I have chosen a theme that can be interpreted in a lot of different ways, and you are free to interpret it in whichever way you want. First of all, as mentioned in about every previous challenge:

Please participate!

I think we should all think of this as you would do of a yoga session. Yoga is about (literally) stretching yourself that extra inch that you didn't manage last week and be happy with that result. And even if you only managed to stay as inflexible as you were last week, you at least didn't get worse. You don't compare yourself to the person next to you because you have different bodies and it is completely irrelevant! Similarly, we are a team of very different skill levels, so some of you may not dare to enter, but please do! I always find that these challenges push me to do things I haven't been able to make myself do before, and even if that goal is just to enter, then you have taken that extra step.

Enough of that.
(except that we need more than four participants!)
(please!)

This month's challenge is movement. I will give you some examples.

This is a sculpture by a Romanian sculptor called Constantin Brancusi. The sculpture is called Bird in Flight.

See how he creates movement in the sculpture by the shape and shine of the brass. It almost looks like it's about to take off.

On the right is another way to interpret movement. This is Clarity's bracelet (you can find it in her shop, ScrollworkDesigns), and the stone slides on the silver wire. Dangly earrings would be a simple variety on this kind of movement.

Then there is the illusion of movement you create with tools. Melting, forging, chasing, fold forming, hammering, casting, there are so many options.

I hope you will have fun with this one. The deadline for this challenge is February 27th (a Sunday), at midnight EST. Put your challenge entry in the Flickr group and tag it 'February AMT challenge'.

Happy playing!

And the Winner Is.....

It is with great pleasure that I announce that Esmeralda of SilverBlueberry is the winner of this month's Aspiring Metalsmiths Challenge. Esmeralda is a molecular bioligist and her analytical scientist's mind came up with a completely original take on the heritage theme with this incredibly detailed hand-stamped mixed metal cuff. On the silver part of the cuff is where we, homo sapiens, lie in the classification system on the evolutionary tree.On the inside of the copper cuff is part of the DNA sequence of the foxp2 gene, a tiny part of which differs between us and apes. This gene plays an important role in giving us the ability to talk, which is part of what made us human.

A brilliant idea and excellently executed, this bracelet is truly a wearable work of art.



Autumn of Autumn Bradley Designs took second place with this entry was inspired by her grandfather's last name. This pendant was Autumn's first real bezel setting and it's been such a pleasure to watch her grow her skills.


In third place we have Asa of ASAP Designs who incorporated some treasured family photographs into this incredibly pendant and ring set.



As our winner, Esmeralda will choose the theme for the next challenge so be prepared to grow your skills and stretch your imagination as we continue our adventures into a brand new year.

Thanks to each of those who participated in this month's challenge!!

December Challenge Entries- Where You Came From

This month's challenge was brought to us by the lovely HEATHER of Misty Ridge Designs who challenged us to create a metalworked item that represents our pedigree. This was such an interesting challenge and we each interpreted it in a completely different way.

Asa entered this one-of-kind pendant and rings set which features sepia-toned vintage photographs of her family under glass and set in sterling silver. Asa actually has a great aunt Myrtle (left) and the adorable baby on the right is her great grandma Ivy. The picture in the pendant was torn down the middle and found in two different locations before Asa brought it back together for this necklace.


Esmeralda of SilverBlueberry's analytical scientist's mind came up with a completely original take on the heritage theme with this incredibly detailed hand-stamped mixed metal cuff. On the silver part of the cuff is where we, homo sapiens, lie in the classification system on the evolutionary tree.On the inside of the copper cuff is part of the DNA sequence of the foxp2 gene, a tiny part of which differs between us and apes. This gene plays an important role in giving us the ability to talk, which is part of what made us human.


Autumn of Autumn Bradley Designs' entry was inspired by her grandfather's last name which means "mace- a heavy medieval war club with a spiked or flanged metal head". This antiques brass, sterling, and lapis pendant is her interpretation of a modern day mace. It is also her first real bezel set stone so we're extra proud of her for stepping out of her comfort zone!


Clarity of Scrollwork Designs drew on her family's celtic heritage to create this sword and shield inspired kilt pin. Featuring a Celtic swirl embossed texture the colors and motto of the McLeod clan, this set is the perfect reminder of where her family comes from.

As always, this month's challenge pushed us creatively while helping us grow our technical skills. Thanks to each and every one who has participated in our challenges! Voting begins now and runs through Thursday, Jan 20th at which point the winner will choose the next challenge. Good luck!