Dog tags

 Introducing these new handmade fine silver dog tag necklaces.  I create each dog tag pendent by hand in my studio, one at a time. 

They hang from an 18" long sterling silver 1.5 mm ball chain.














          The pendant is available in three different motifs.  All the dog tags have an English word or phrase on one side and the Hebrew translation on the other.

"I believe"
"Peace"
"I am my beloved and my beloved is mine"

The dog tag necklace is available at my
Etsy store.  For wholesale inquiry please contact me.

six necklaces

Locket

Tribal Necklace

  I have been in the studio the last couple of weeks trying out some new things while also clinging to the past.  The result is six finished pieces.  Some you may recognize, like the "Floral Lentil Necklaces" and the "Ring of Periwinkles Necklace", these styles are popular at shows.   I experimented with some new designs which I strung the metal clay elements on bead wire with gemstones and Hill tribe silver.  Both of these necklaces are 16" shorter styles with motifs that encircle the entire neck.  The "Tribal Necklace" combines hand cut silver tab beads with faceted Indian rubies.  The "Spiky Necklace" is just as it sounds.  A series of hand formed silver spike beads, in various sizes, with small Hill Tribe silver beads in between.  I have Test driven (worn) these styles and they are pretty comfortable to wear, so no worries!
I also attempted a working locket style, which I think is a bit rough around the edges, but I guess that's part of the charm?  Maybe, I don't know.

Spiky Necklace

tamara's yad

My daughter's bat mitzvah is coming up in September and she has been studying and preparing for it.  I decide to create a very special personalized yad for her and give it to her now so that she could use it during her practice sessions.  She was so excited with the gift.  The yad has her name wrapped around it and also the date of her upcoming Bat Mitzvah.  I designed this yad with her personality in mind, with a whimsical top and a butterfly, which is a theme throughout her invitations and decorations for the lunch after the service. 

Personalized yads are always available in my etsy shop.  You can discuss exactly what you would want to include on this very special gift.

the mezuzah project-march

For my March mezuzah I decided to make a mezuzah that looks more like an actual house and less like a  traditional mezuzah.  The stone texture is unique as I created it myself and made my own texture sheet and mold.  This literal design approach is a little different than some of my previous designs. I'm not sure how it fits in with my other work, but it was challenging and fun to make.
You may notice the beautiful professional photograph of the piece.  I had some pieces photographed by local St. Louis photographer Don Casper, who did a beautiful job.  I hope to use these pictures to get into Juried shows and professional associations.  Thanks to Don Kelly, a wonderful silversmith artist, who has helped me with these pictures and connected me with Don Casper.

PMC Certification

I just returned from a 3 day course at the lovely Vitrum Studios in Beltsville Maryland.  I took the Rio Grande PMC certification class which allows me to get a discount on PMC products and to teach classes in PMC.  The extensive 3 day class is about technique, it is not a creative class.  But even so, it is defiantly worthwhile
.

My teacher was Terry Kovalcik, a master a PMC manipulation and technique. He was a great instructor for this course, tough but with a good sense of humor.  And he generously shared a lot of his personal tips and techniques at the end of the class.

For this class you are required to finish seven projects.  The projects are a bit silly, but they are designed to practice skills and intoduce you to the different PMC products that are available. I'm glad that I was exposed to some of these products, even if I never choose to experiment with them.  One example is the torch fired ring.  First of all, I don't believe in torch firing PMC, and a ring made this way is not practical as it will never be strong enough. Even Terry advised against it, but the experience of making the ring was a helpful to me.  Also made another ring with a set CZ fired into it, something I will probably never do again.

OK, what did I love to make? The tetrahedron project was a real challenge and sometimes the sanding a polishing was tedious, but it was an important exercise. The lentil bead project was a lot of fun.  I loved all the possibilites of PMC sheet, and even though the woven earrings I made are not anything I would ever wear.  I'm so excited to work with this type of PMC.  Same for the gold Aura 22.

My favorite project by far was the last, the pen.  I can't wait to make Yads (for torah reading) based on this project. 

I have been contemplating taking this class for a couple of years.  It is expensive, especially because it is never offered in or near St. Louis.  And the class definitely is a demonstration of product and a certain technique.  This is the technique that is mandated by the makers of PMC and the artist that they have selected as their masters.  They do things and certain way and believe that they is the only way it can be done.  Well, I do not think that is necessarily so. But I do believe that knowledge is power.  And I have learned a lot of alternative methods to join, decorate and finish PMC.  I think that the skills that I had before combined with the new knowledge will help me with my future designs and projects.  I so look forward to getting a bulk of time in the studio to work.