around the studio

alexia from "deep dark africa" was visiting our studio the other day and suggested that i photograph some of the collections of things lying around the workshop.

i thought it was a good idea too.

so here goes:

these are just some random things i've been collecting, i might make moulds of the little dolls and cast them in porcelain. i know creepy...but i like creepy. the calcite(bottom left) and pyrite(2nd row on left, below the crystal) stones i'll be using in rings. the big crystal heart stones are going on long chains. 

the porcelain ring was an experiment, but i think i will make more, i really like it.

 using it all...silver has more than doubled in price in the last year/year and a half, it's made me more aware of using all my offcuts in whichever interesting way i can find. the black chains are also sterling silver, it's just been oxidised to look black. i am really liking long black sterling silver chains at the moment. especially with some of the things i have been working on for the past 2/3 months....(which you will see in the next post....very exciting.....eeeeeeek, finally i have something to show!!!!)

 yes, your eyes are not deceiving you....these are enamelled cones.....how cool....you might remember my reference to my porcelain cones a few posts back. i really got into making cones in pottery class and then decided to make some in copper and enamel them. i'm still busy working on them, but as soon as i have some nice images i will post some proper piks. i like them a lot. 

one cone on a nice long chain will be great.

 just some tools of the trade. very handy these suckers.

 colour plates make your life so much simpler. just make them and then you have them and then there's no guessing every time you have to use your colours. there is such a big difference between what the enamels look like before and after firing.

 loving loving brass at the moment. we are making our own brass beads, very time consuming, but very rewarding.

 also hand cutting and filing some brass hearts, you know i just can't resist that bloody shape. dammit. anyways these are gonna be great, they are quite thick, so will have some really nice weight. i'm also thinking of putting them on some nice long black chains....

im also making some brass rings(the rond one below), with some silver inlays.

here's and example of how we've been using some of our handmade brass beads. these holes were drilled along the side of the bead, not down the middle like the ones above. they look so nice with these semi precious stones.

at the moment, you can find these at Wolves Cafe in Joburg.

ok, over and out! i'm gonna have some tea and then post about the most amazing things in the world.