Please don’t make me pick 😂 (*Check out the Instagram Reel here)

Seriously, I love searching for foliage and fossils, forming the initial impression in metal and then watching it emerge from the kiln all solid and fully sintered, the act of choosing stones for a fresh batch of earrings or rings, watching that solder flow (without completely melting everything, of course), and then sawing away the excess silver.

Each step has some level of satisfaction. But I suppose if I had to choose, my absolute favorite part of the process would be stone-setting. It’s a bit nerve wracking and exhilarating at the same time. You’re finally seeing the piece fully manifested, but you have to be careful and steady enough to not crack the stone. It’s happened a number of times, and it’s a bit devastating because of both the loss of a stone and also the amount of time and resources that went into the piece prior to that moment of breakage.

Choosing a less desirable step is easy for me: Sanding. The extensive time spent sanding down sharp jagged coners, the blistering heat 🔥from friction, and the full body discomfort from being hunched over, often for hours on end since I usually batch pieces, make it a step I would gladly fast-forward through. I wouldn’t skip it all together, because it makes me appreciate the final piece all the more…but I’d definitely speed it up 4x 😂

I’d love to know, which step would you enjoy seeing more of? It’s fun sharing videos, but I often find myself so wrapped up in the process that I forget to take the time to record it 😂

#gemstones #showmeyourrings #marchmeetthejewelrymaker #marchmeetthemaker2023 #oneofakindjewelry