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Rockin’ Seahorse Cone SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
INTERWEAVE.COM
 Katie Hacker

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LEARN MORE AT Interweave.com/Jewelry-Artist-Podcast

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 Contents
September/October 2020 • Volume 74, Number 5

4 MY TURN
From the Editor
A Good Time to Be Clever

6 YOUR TURN
Design Challenge & Letters

8 THEIR TURN
A Gallery of This Issue’s Contributors

10 SOCIAL DISTANCE MARKETING

Net Profits: Changes to your
jewelry business as you re-open
post-quarantine
by Cathleen McCarthy

14 STAMP IT OUT!
Cool Tools & Hip Tips: Fun
stamping stuff to use and
a quick technique review
by Helen I. Driggs
46 14
20 CERF IS THERE FOR YOU
The Craft Emergency Relief Fund
provides help in more ways than one
business feature by Sharon
Elaine Thompson

26 MEDIEVAL MEETS GAME OF THRONES

A richly detailed pendant design
for a glowing blue cabochon
pendant project by Amy Buettner
and Tucker Glasow as told to Jim
Landon

Exotic Escape
34 CALL OF THE TROPICS
Smokin’ Stones: Chrysocolla mixes
with jasper in parrot wing
by Sharon Elaine Thompson

36 NESTLED AMONG LEAVES

Leafy silver accents a parrot wing
cabochon or beads
pendant + earring project
20 66
by Peggy Haupt
ADVERTISING SECTIONS
93 Focus on Education
95 Classifieds
95 Gem & Jewelry Shops
95 Advertisers’ Index

ABOUT OUR COVER:

Amy Buettner and Tucker Glasow’s “Medieval Meets
Game of Thrones” pendant, page 26. Insets: Charles
Lewton-Brain’s doublée brooch from “Doublée:
Gold on Silver,” page 72; Roger Halas’s “Seahorse
Summons” ring, page 62; Kieu Pham Gray’s “Have a
Slice of Pine Cone” pendant, page 46.
PHOTOS: JIM LAWSON 34

2 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Fall’s In The Air
42 STRENGTH AND PERSONALITY
Trends: Fashion fall colors
by Deborah Yonick

46 HAVE A SLICE OF PINE CONE

Fabulous patterns in resin cabochons
pendant project by Kieu
Pham Gray

52 AUTUMN SETTING
Fallen leaves secure a cabochon
hung from a twig bail
pendant project by Lexi Erickson

Fantastic!
56 DASH OF CREEPY FUN
The often strange and wonderful
86 creations of jewelry artist Roger Halas
design feature by Terri Haag

62 SEAHORSE SUMMONS
The power of Atlantis
stamped in silver
ring project by Roger Halas

66 YOOPER MAGIC
Create jewelry that glows in
the dark with a fluorescent
rock newly discovered in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula
necklace project by Betsy
Lehndorff

Thin Metal
72 DOUBLÉE: GOLD ON SILVER
Low tech, inexpensive fusing offers
a 24K look with sterling’s strength
technique demo by Charles
Lewton-Brain
52 62
80 GOLD PLATED
A detailed look at industry gold plating
technique feature by Sharon
Elaine Thompson

86 BEAUTIFUL BLENDS
Lisa Krikawa’s fascination with
mokumé gané led to a specialty
in marriage jewelry
design pictorial by Terri Haag

56 90 FACETS
News & Product Innovations

96 DOER’S PROFILE
Amy Buettner and Tucker Glasow

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 3
 ®

My Turn
From the Editor
EDITORIAL
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT Tamara Honaman
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Merle White

A Good Time to MANAGING EDITOR Karla A. Rosenbusch

Be Clever MARKETING & ADVERTISING

ADVERTISING MANAGER
Marilyn Koponen, ph. 970-613-4613
WE TEND TO BE HYPERVIGILANT right after an CLASSIFIED ADS
accident, but . . . Exactly. We shouldn’t wait for Stephanie Griess, ph. 970-613-4630

a scary or injurious event to goad us into being AD TRAFFICKER Cari Ullom

careful all the time. Unfortunately, it’s easy to grow SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER

complacent when we haven’t felt threatened for Jessi Rodriguez

a while. Fortunately, we human beings are also pretty clever, capable of CREATIVE SERVICES
thinking ahead and foreseeing consequences. SENIOR DESIGNER Connie Poole
If you’re reading this magazine, you probably work with potentially PHOTOGRAPHY James Lawson
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 BUSINESS
one of those in-your-face threats, whether you’re considering a trip to a EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CONTENT Tiffany Warble

gallery, a protest march, or the supermarket. The details may differ, but GROUP ART DIRECTOR Emily Simpson

the principles of staying safe anywhere are the same. MEDIA SALES DIRECTOR Julie Macdonald

In the March/April issue, Christine Dhein, known widely for her

commitment to green or eco-friendly jewelry making, offered advice
on how to improve your environmental impact. In her recent Jewelry
Artist podcast (www.interweave.com/category/jewelry-artist-podcast)
appearance, she explained how she came to be so interested in the
topic. She’d loved jewelry making from an early age and in high school
grew concerned about environmental degradation, yet it took her years
to see how the two interests collide but also relate. Proper handling, use,
storage, and disposal of your tools and supplies helps protect yourself
and others in your shop and outside it.
Your bench, your shop, your home, your gallery are all just small
sections of the same planet where we all live. Minimizing health and
safety hazards on a small or large scale is still minimizing these hazards.
Likewise, minimizing health risks from a material or a disease is still
minimizing the hazards.
In late spring, as jewelry and other establishments re-open and the
U.S. widely loosens restrictions, our challenge is to balance expand-
ing our horizons, staying afloat, and keeping the pandemic at bay.
Commonly worn in jewelry, lapidary, and other craft shops to protect
craftspeople from hazardous dust, the mask has also become one of the
few tools we have so far in limiting the novel coronavirus’s spread.
Ironically, this symbol of safety has also become a symbol of divi-
sion and strife. If ever there was one, a pandemic is certainly my idea of
another really good time not to be complacent and to be at our most
clever. As long as the virus remains at large in the world, it’s the right
time to be diligent, farsighted, and generous, keeping not just our own
selves safe but others who may be more vulnerable as well.
GOLDEN PEAK MEDIA
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Gregory J. Osberg
SVP, CONSUMER MARKETING Paula Backer
VP, FINANCE Jordan Bohrer
VP, DIGITAL Melanie Darienzo
VP, PRODUCT AND STRATEGY Josiah Klebaner
NEWSSTAND SALES Scott T. Hill
Scott.Hill@pubworx.com
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist (ISSN 1936-5942) is published
6 times a year in Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/Jun, Jul/Aug, Sep/Oct,
Nov/Dec by Peak Media Properties, LLC., 4868 Innovation Drive,
Fort Collins, CO 80525. Periodicals postage paid at Fort Collins,
CO 80525, and additional mailing offices. All contents of this issue
of Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist are copyrighted by Peak Media
Properties, LLC, 2020. All rights reserved. Projects and information
are for inspiration and personal use only. Reproduction in whole
or in part is prohibited, except by permission of the publisher.
Subscription rate is $29.95/one year in the U.S., $44.95/one
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VISIT US ON THE WEB:

www.interweave.com

4 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Your Turn
reader comments & sketches

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

Maria Lowry
Cincinnati, Ohio
Based on Nina Raizel Hartman’s
“Ripples” earrings and an
Ellensburg agate cabochon.

Ellensburg agate cabochon

Nina Raizel Hartman’s “Ripples” earrings, from “Ellensburg Blue,”
May/June 2020 May/June 2020

Momoko Okada’s “Essence of Japan”

pendant, May/June 2020

Shevvy Baker
Louisville, Kentucky
Based on Momoko
Okada’s “Essence of
Japan” pendant

Shevvy Baker
Louisville, Kentucky
Based on Lexi Erickson’s
“Go Fly a Kite” pendant

Lexi Erickson’s “Go Fly a Kite”

pendant, May/June 2020

6 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Next Time
Amy Buettner &
Tucker Glasow’s

Your
our Settings Pendant in “Medieval
Meets Game of
Thrones”

Pyrite-in-agate
cabochon, from
Smokin’ Stones, Roger Halas’s
May/June 2020
Ring in
“Seahorse
Summons”

Betsy Lehndorff’s
Michelle Clingan
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Pendant in
For a pyrite-in-agate cabochon “Yooper Magic”

Riff on the design of any of these or

other pieces within this issue, using a
Shevvy Baker design feature such as color, texture,
Louisville, Kentucky form, value, line, space, repetition,
For a pyrite-in-agate
balance, contrast, unity, or variety for
cabochon
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.

Merle Summers
Missoula Montana
For a pyrite-in-agate cabochon
and an agate cabochon
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
your name, city, and state, and indicate
“Your Turn” on the subject line.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 7
 Their Turn
a gallery of this issue’s contributors

Betsy Lehndorff’s
Pendant
Star diopside, sterling silver, pearl
Î
“YOOPER MAGIC,” p.66
PHOTO: JIM LAWSON

Lisa Krikawa’s
Bridal Ring Set
Mokumé gané, diamond, lab-created sapphire
Î
“BEAUTIFUL BLENDS,” p.86
PHOTO: COURTESY LISA KRIKAWA

Charles Lewton-Brain’s
Ring
Fusion welded stainless steel, electroformed copper, 24K gold
electroforming, river pebble from the Rocky Mountains
Î
“DOUBLÉE: GOLD ON SILVER,” p.72
PHOTO: COURTESY CHARLES LEWTON-BRAIN

Lexi Erickson’s
Blue Cloud Pendant
Blue lace drusy agate, sterling silver
Î
“AUTUMN SETTING,” p.52
PHOTO: JIM LAWSON

8 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Amy Buettner &
Tucker Glasow’s
Earrings
Brazilian agate, sterling silver, 14K gold
Î
“MEDIEVAL MEETS GAME OF
THRONES,” p.26
Î
DOER’S PROFILE, p.96

Kieu Pham Gray’s Roger Halas’s

Sparkling Cluster Pendant
Sterling silver, assorted faceted stones
Î
“HAVE A SLICE OF PINE CONE,” p.46
PHOTO: JIM LAWSON
Necklace
Made for Awkwafina for Jumanji: The Next Level
Brass
Î
“DASH OF CREEPY FUN,” p.56
Î
“SEAHORSE SUMMONS,” p.62
PHOTO: COURTESY ROGER HALAS
Become an LJJA Contributor!
Contributors’ guidelines for print or
online publication can be found at
www.interweave.com/jewelry

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 9
 Net Profits
By Cathleen McCarthy
Social
Distance
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
10 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
Marketing
Opening up . . .
to a point
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,
Virginia, in 2018 to sell her own hand-
made jewelry along with the jewelry
of two dozen other artists. She took
an even bigger hit when she had to
close the jewelry-making workshops
in the back of her shop. She was
getting 30 students every weekend
when Covid-19 struck.
Here are a few things Jennifer did to
PHOTO: FERNANDO ABELLA DIAZ/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES
stay afloat.
PLEXIGLAS BARRIERS
She erected Plexiglas barriers around
the workbenches in her studio. This
might seem extreme, but if you teach
or do one-on-one custom work,
this is a permanent installation you
might consider to make students and
customers feel safe in the new uncer-
tainty of social distancing.
Jennifer did it as a way to get her
workshops open sooner rather than
later. It wasn’t cheap to have them

installed, but they allow people to see
and hear her (and each other) while
minimizing viral contact. She also
keeps the room ventilated as much
as possible, has hand sanitizer handy,
and wipes down tools and surfaces.
Because she had to move fast to get
her business approved for in Phase 1
of her state’s reopening, Jennifer had
the barriers erected before she had
official approval. When we spoke, she
had a Zoom meeting scheduled with
the local health department officials
who were working with the business
community in Alexandria.
“I’ll find out tomorrow if these
Plexiglas barriers will fly,” she said in
late May. “They might say no, wait
until Phase 2 to reopen your classes.
But I’ve already committed. It’s pretty
makeshift. Our studio is small and
students are sharing equipment and
tools. I don’t know if this is enough.”
It was enough, it turned out, to get
up and running. Her store opened in
early June and classes resumed. For
now, the packed studio of her former
weekend workshops has given way
to one-on-one private lessons (three
hours for $180), intimate small-group
classes, and Zoom streaming. But
she’s back in business and hopes to
ramp up slowly.
As for satisfying local health guide-
lines, everyone is making this up as
they go along. Towns vary from one
to the next, just as states do.
“I mean, they’re saying you can’t
have a clothing store open because
you can’t let people use your dressing
rooms,” Jennifer said. “Why? They’re
not going to be in there with anyone
else. Just wipe down the surfaces
between customers.”
LOOK LOCAL FOR GRANTS
Jennifer didn’t end up paying for
those Plexiglas barriers. They were
covered by a grant from the city of
Alexandria. Many towns with commer-
cial districts gave away grants to local
businesses that met certain require-
ments, as long as you could prove you
used the money toward keeping the
business afloat. Jennifer used hers to
She erected Plexiglas barriers
around the workbenches in her
studio . . . a permanent installation
you might consider to make students
and customers feel safe in the new
uncertainty of social distancing.
cover the mortgage for her building
and other retrofits besides those
transparent barriers.
Many self-employed jewelry artists
managed to get a Paycheck Protec-
tion Program (PPP) loan through the
Small Business Administration. It was
essentially a loan that was forgiven
as long as you used it for payroll
— meaning yourself as well as any
assistant(s) you were paying, both in
studio and virtual. You could also use
it for mortgage and utilities, if your
studio was set up that way.
But it was also a lesson in the impor-
tance of having a good backup team,
even if you don’t have employees on
payroll. I was personally grateful to
my accountant who took the time to
walk me through the various options
of the stimulus package, while he
looked at my numbers from last year.
I had enough on my plate without
having to figure that out.
MAXIMIZE ZOOM HOURS
Like most of us, you’ve probably
spent more time on Zoom confer-
ences than you ever imagined and
brushed up on your video skills
whether you wanted to or not. If you
find yourself doing live video these
days, consider saving those clips and
trying to repurpose them.
Jennifer has been saving video
of the mini-workshops she began
streaming when the shutdown began
and plans to make use of them.
These included a Zoom workshop
she did with one participant, with the
student’s permission, and live sessions
for social media.
Every Friday, she holds live-
streamed sessions from her studio on
Instagram and Facebook, demonstrat-
ing things like sweat soldering, sawing
and filing techniques, and “hardware
store hacks” for bracelet making.
Now her assistant is using iMovie to
edit the videos and post them on the
Wear Ever Jewelry YouTube channel,
pulling stills and clips for marketing
purposes. “It’s been a great source of
material,” Jennifer says.
UPGRADE FOR WRITE-OFFS
It’s natural to want to rein in expenses
right now, but keep in mind your busi-
nesses expenses may have dropped
along with your income. If you had a
lot of shows cancelled, for example,
you probably spent a fraction of what
you usually do on business travel.
I know I did.
This is a good year to do some
bookkeeping before year-end. It
might be a good time to upgrade
some equipment to make up for
deductions you didn’t get elsewhere.
Jennifer had to replace the
computer her assistant was using
because video-editing required more
speed, software, and storage than
her seven-year-old computer could
handle. “I still have one employee
working from home,” she says. “If I try
to do everything myself, I won’t get
anything done.
“Things are changing so fast,” Jen-
nifer says. “I’m trying to stay on top
of it.”
find more online
“Lessons Learned by Jewelry Artists
During #Covid2020”
www.interweave.com/jewelry/articles
CATHLEEN MCCARTHY has covered
jewelry and business for Town & Country,
JCK, The Washington Post, and her own
site, TheJewelryLoupe.com.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 11
 Never
Miss An
Issue!
Subscribe to
Lapidary Journal Jewelry
Artist magazine and
become a skilled jewelry
artist today!

Designed by: John F. Heusler

Designed by: John F. Heusler Designed by: Sam Patania

Designed by: Denise Peck

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,QWHUZHDYHFRP
14 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
 Cool Tools & Hip Tips

Stamp It Out!
A quick stamping review and interesting new
tools to try out By Helen Driggs, Photos by Jim Lawson

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 directly — oth-
erwise known as creating direct
texture. Metal stamps are technically
called single blow punches because,
ideally, you strike one sure blow to
make your mark. There are both
decorative and non-decorative metal
punches, and hallmark or quality
mark punches fall into the latter cat-
egory. It’s critical to stamp with the
jewelry metal positioned on a steel
block or anvil to prevent warping as
you stamp, and good old painter’s
tape is invaluable when it comes to
holding that metal still as you strike.
So, four items — hammer, stamp,
steel block, and jewelry metal — plus
some free time are all you need for a
world of fun.
2. Draw centering guidelines on the
metal with a fine line marker and tape
the metal to the block with painter’s
tape.
3. Count the number of characters in
your word (or words). Spaces count
as one letter.
4. Choose the center letter, then peek
to make sure the stamp is vertical,
oriented correctly, and positioned
correctly before you strike once with
the hammer like you mean it.
5. Continue stamping all of the letters
to the right side of the centerline, and
then stamp all of the letters on the
left side, always working out from the
er.
center.
All-Over Patterns
1. Using a fine-point permanent marker,
trace a design or draw a freeform outline
on the metal. Decide which portions of
the design will be textured and which will
be left plain.
2. Position the metal on the steel block
and tape it down.
3. Using the chosen stamp, create a
dense, stamped texture in all of the sec-
tions to be textured, working from one
corner of the metal to the opposite cor-
ner of the metal to avoid distortion.

Stamping Words
With some planning and forethought,
stamping straight and clearly using
alphabet stamps is easy. When I am
centering any lettering, my fallback
method is what I learned in my art
school typography class:
1. Plan the text layout on paper.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 15
 Cool Tools & Hip Tips
Item One: Hammer!
My Fretz Design insert hammers are an enduring
go-to tool — when it comes to the utility side of
doing things in my shop. Bill’s newish stamp-
ing hammers are perfecto when it comes to
firmly striking punches, stamps, and other steel
tools with non-mushrooming but very accurate
impact. All three versions — heavy, medium, and
light — feature brass heads to prevent marring,
and you have the option of using the steel head
to strike something like you mean it. There’s a
steel rod running through the wood handle of
e
each of these hammers to allow the head to
b
be tightened as needed using an included hex
wrench. These hammers are suitable for an
entire range of applications, but for stamping
get yourself a light duty (STH-1), which you will
find to be the perfect weight for long-term use
and lettering or decorative stamp work.
More at www.fretzdesign.com

Item Two: Stamps

There are several really great stamp manufac-
turers out there, and one of my favorite two is
ImpressArt. Every ImpressArt stamp is durable,
hardened steel rated for soft and hard metals
with crisp edges for deep impressions. I dearly
love those storage cases, too. As described
last issue, their newest font is the very readable
Stargazer, with complete letters and numbers
and several punctuation stamps. Perfect for
bling gals, the crystal setter kit with birthstone
crystals (SCS160008) lets you “set” flat-backed
rhinestones into specially sized divots you cre-
ate with the included punches. Simply position
a setter, strike with medium force to create a
round indentation, and then chemically bond the
flat back inside the impression using G-S Hypo
Cement or other jewelry adhesive.
More at www.impressart.com
My other favorite stamp manufacturer is
Beaducation. They recently surprised me with
an awesome mix of beautiful new decorative
stamps, and an updated version of their own flat
back rhinestone setting kit (KIT32). It includes
a 2.6mm (SS9) setting punch with a shorter
textured stamp tip to help the glue hold better,
and a pack of 240 assorted Swarovski birthstone
crystals. And if you love nature, check out the
half opened lily, 10mm (DS913). And big news:
it’s rated for stainless steel! I also love the thistle
flower, 8.2mm (DS933), exotic chrysanthemum,
11mm (DS914), and two mountain 12mm (DS713)
stamps.
More at www.beaducation.com

16 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 next time
Wonderful Wire Tools

Item Three: Me
M
Metal
tal
Beaducation also o stocks a comprehensive line of metal
blanks to stamp on in every shape, gauge, type of metal,
and style you could possibly desire. I love this set of half
heart cutouts, 50mm (CO397), with matching right and
left copper rectangles. For you doggo lovers, get the
copper dog tag with heart cutout. 47mm (C0396), and Item Four:
stamp your furbaby’s name and number right there. For Steel Bench Block
those of you with me on the aluminum bandwagon, I love Last, but not least, to stamp well, you must have a
these 32mm aluminum circles (KA007), and the alumi- case-hardened steel block to support your work. Pretty
num square with heart paw cutout, 25mm (KA196), for much every jewelry supply house carries a range of steel
the kitter cats. All available in sets of five, all in glorious blocks, but the most popular is a 2½ x 2½ x 7⁄8 -inch block
tumbled metal and ready for your stamping pleasure. that’s ground flat with beveled horizontal edges. I love
More at www.beaducation.com the Contenti Tools version (100-086) because it’s eco-
Halstead Bead is a fabulous general-purpose tool and nomical and comes in several sizes.
supply dealer with a great website, and I love to shop More at contenti.com
them for all of my basic teaching needs — blanks, tools,
sheet, and wire. I love their full range of student-friendly
sterling shapes, including these 22ga. sterling silver no
hole round blanks in a complete range of sizes, includ- Watch Stamped Ring
ing 12.7mm (S42212), 15.9mm (S42215), 19.1mm (S42218), Helen Stamp
20.6mm (S42220), 25.4mm (S42220), and 25.4mm
(S42225). Another awesome staple I return to again and
again are these 18ga. copper 6-inch cuff bracelet blanks
in ½-inch (CB5264) and ¼-inch (CB5266) widths. They
Textures
are such timesavers! & Patinas
(video)

HELEN I. DRIGGS is a book author and an experienced teaching artist.

She has appeared in 6 instructional jewelry technique videos and her newest
book, Metal Jewelry Workshop, was released in fall 2018. Follow her blog:
materialsmithing.wordpress.com and Instagram: hdriggs_fabricationista for www.interweave.com/ SEAHORSE SUMMONS
news, updates and her upcoming workshop schedule.
jewelry PAGE 62

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 17
 SENSATIONAL
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 19
 CERF Is
There for You
The Craft Emergency Relief Fund has been helping craft
artists for 35 years by Sharon Elaine Thompson

OPENING PHOTO: WARREN FAIDLEY/THE IMAGE BANK/GETTY IMAGES

D
isaster happens to other people. Until it happens to you.
When it hits, disaster leaves you in shock and disbelief. What do you do first?
Where do you get help? Who do you call? If you make your living as a craft artist,
you call CERF+, the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. CERF is always prepared. CERF
knows that disaster, for someone, somewhere, is inevitable.
CERF was founded in 1985 by a group of farsighted craft artists to provide career artists
with the safety net they might not otherwise have. Now when disaster happens — illness,
accident, theft, fire, tornado, hurricane, or earthquake — artists have a place to turn to for
help. The organization has been a lifeline for hundreds of artists in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
These four jewelry artists, faced with disasters, were able to get their businesses and lives
back on track with help from CERF.

20 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 business

Rebecca Rose
Monitoring Two-Finger Ring
Sterling silver
PHOTO: COURTESY REBECCA ROSE

Natural Disaster
In September 2008, studio jeweler
Diane Falkenhagen, who lives on
Galveston Island, Texas, went to bed
while Hurricane Ike was hovering out
in the Gulf, where it was expected
to stay. When the storm changed
direction, she had less than 36 hours Diane Falkenhagen
Native Species Series:
to prepare her house, her studio, and Crotalus Atrox Brooch
her mother’s house and evacuate. Oxidized sterling silver,
graphite drawings on powder-
She moved what she could as high coated fine silver panels
as she could — onto tables or onto PHOTO: DIANE FALKENHAGEN
the second story — but the heavy
equipment had to be left on the
lower-level studio.
Ike flooded most of Galveston
Island and left five feet of water in
Falkenhagen’s studio. “I lost some
big pieces of equipment,” including
her casting equipment and kiln, she
says. Her rolling mill was damaged
but later repaired.
Unable to get back into her house
for two weeks, she struggled to find
and book contractors. “Everything
had to be ripped out and redone”—
wiring, plumbing, sheetrocking, yard
cleanup — not only at her home but
her mom’s. “If you weren’t on the
ball right at the beginning, contrac-
tors already had jobs and you were
stuck doing things like cleanup and
sheetrock work yourself.” Every day,
she was exhausted.
Valerie Hector
She knew of CERF from their pres- Lattice Bracelet
ence at conferences of the Society Oxidized sterling silver,
hematite, wood beads
of North American Goldsmiths PHOTO: COURTESY VALERIE HECTOR
(SNAG), but she hadn’t contacted

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 21
CERF Is There for You
them. So she was surprised when
they emailed her. “They said they’d
heard about my situation and were
there to help, that I should apply for
a grant. I thought that was nice,” she
says, “but I was too tired to even
think about it.”
Then she got a phone call. She
wouldn’t even have to apply for the
grant. “I’ll fill it out for you and you
can review and sign it,” the caller
said. That stunned Falkenhagen:
“That was amazing. It still makes me
emotional.” The grant and an inter-
est-free loan enabled her to start
restoring her studio and get back to
work as soon as possible.
Nine years later, in September,
2017, Rebecca Rose of Sculpturings,
Davenport, Florida, was preparing
with her husband to ride out Hur-
ricane Irma: getting in provisions
and supplies, boarding up the house,
securing everything inside. They
secured the casting setup and other
large equipment in the garage stu-
dio as best they could. “That equip-
ment is bulky and involves electricity
and components that are harder to
safeguard,” she says.
Although reasonably confident
they could ride out anything less
than a Category 4, they became
22 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
Diane Falkenhagen
Native Species Series:
Danaus Plexippus Brooch
Stainless steel framework,
graphite drawings on powder-
coated stainless elements
PHOTO: DIANE FALKENHAGEN
concerned when Irma was upgraded
and “it was predicted that the eye
would actually come through our
city. We had never experienced a
direct hit.”
“We hunkered inside one of our
closets during the storm itself. My
husband could sleep, but the sound
of bending metal, of the side of the
house tearing off, and tree limbs
falling . . . everything was pretty har-
rowing. It’s a night I probably won’t
forget.”
The morning wasn’t much better.
Debris was strewn everywhere. Parts
of the roof on the garage had blown
away, the house roof was damaged,
and water had poured into the attic
and was running down the walls.
“There was an eight-day period
where we didn’t have electricity, had
to boil water, and take care of sur-
vival stuff.” Naturally, there was no
air-conditioning, and the heat within
the house was intense.
The equipment in the garage stu-
dio was damaged. Her bench in the
house had been ruined. “That was
when we realized this was going to
put us out of commission for a year.
And it did.”
The final blow came when, due to
the intense heat and humidity, the
silicon molds for her limited edition
work all liquefied. “All my early work,
from 2009 to 2017, was in those
silicon molds,” she says.
They slept on the floors with
everything salvageable in stor-
age. Squirrels invaded the attic and
wasps swarmed in through the holes
in the walls. “Who would think you
have to deal with wasps inside the
house?”
“We had endured other storms,
but for us this was unprecedented.
We didn’t know what steps to take.
There were many times when I
didn’t know who to turn to or how
to get help,” she says. But she knew
enough about CERF to apply for
disaster relief. “The CERF grant was
a godsend, because it was immedi-
ate relief,” says Rose. “They were a
life-saver.”
Theft
Natural disasters are devastating,
but theft is a personal assault, not
only on the artist, but on her career.
Megan Clark was only one day
into the 2017 Art in the Pearl Show
in Portland, Oregon, when she was
hit. At the end of the day, she and
jewelry artist Janine DeCresenzo,
who were sharing a rental car,
stopped at a store for a few min-
utes, leaving their cases locked in
the trunk. When they arrived at a
friend’s house 30 minutes later, the
trunk was empty, with no sign of
a break-in. “It’s not something you
forget to put in the car,” says Clark
of her cases. “It was surreal. I kept
looking for a trap door in the trunk,
thinking ‘Where did it go?’”
They returned to the store asking
to see surveillance video, but they’d
been parked just outside the range
of the store’s cameras. Footage
showed a van pull up behind their
car but not what happened.
“Someone had to know what was
in there, and where the car was, and
had the resources to get in without
us knowing. It’s one of those things
that you don’t think about. You don’t
even think you would be a target.”
Still reeling the next day, Clark
was surprised when they got a call had been ordered, or where to ship More Than Money
from CERF. Someone had called it. If I’d lost the checks, I’d have lost The artists we spoke with all said
the organization on their behalf. all that money as well.” that the financial help was a wel-
“That was the most amazing thing Hector was already under stress. come lifeline that allowed them to
about them,” says Clark, “that they Her father was extremely ill, and she make studio repairs or get supplies
would seek you out when you are in wasn’t sure he would live. She didn’t to help them get their businesses
trouble. We were both sleep de- feel she could tell her family about back up and running. But every one
prived and anxious, and they made her loss. “I didn’t want to upset of them also said that the financial
the process incredibly easy.” CERF them. I was distraught. Quietly, on support was the least of it. It was
also contacted Rio Grande and ar- the inside.” But a friend had spread the outreach, the efforts that CERF
ranged a $500 credit at Rio Grande the news on Facebook. made to make sure the artists knew
for each artist. “One of the first people to call they weren’t alone.
In 2014, Valerie Hector of Valerie me was Cornelia Carey from CERF,” “The outreach was worth a lot,”
Hector Designs, Wilmette, Illinois, says Hector. “She asked, ‘Do you says Falkenhagen. “It made me feel
says she had just had the “best want some financial help? You’re very valued in the craft community,
show ever” at the Palm Beach Fine known and you can have it. You only that my friends and colleagues were
Craft Show. “I couldn’t believe it have to fill out the application.’ The thinking about me.”
was going so well.” She celebrated grant was $4,000. Even before I got “Everyone appreciates the
the close of the show by going around to doing the application, the monetary relief, of course,” says
to dinner with bead artist Maggie check came in the mail,” she says. Rose. “But what struck me was the
Meister. “I stupidly took my inven- CERF also contacted metal sup- personal contact, and the continued
tory. I dragged it from the conven- pliers who agreed to give Hector contact I would get from the organi-
tion center . . . and put it in the trunk discounts on supplies. “I couldn’t zation. I get kind of emotional when
of my [cheap] rental car. If you can believe it. Other suppliers who heard I remember how supportive of me
break into the front of the car, you about it offered me discounts, too. they were. The help and the out-
get access to the trunk.” Everyone reached out to me get reach went beyond the grant itself.
Two and a half hours later, at her back on my feet.” That got me through.”
hotel, she opened the trunk. “I found
a bizarre situation,” she says. Her
cases were gone, and her paperwork
was strewn all over the trunk. “It sent
me into a kind of shock, a tran-
scendent-like state. I thought, ‘This
can’t be right.’” Hector’s voice is still
unsteady when she talks about the
loss.
She called Meister who came to sit
with her. Police couldn’t find finger-
prints or other evidence. “These are
professionals,” they told her. “They
knew what they were doing. They
watched you leave, and they knew
that you were parked beyond the
reach of the security cameras.” Hec-
tor, whose work is composed largely
of beads worked together in com-
plicated patterns, was particularly
sickened by the loss of new work,
including “some incredible one-
of-a-kind pieces that I hadn’t even
photographed.”
Fortunately, the thieves had not
taken her work orders, her invoices, Megan Clark
Deco Link Bracelet
her credit card receipts, or the 18K gold, sterling silver, rose cut
checks. “If they had taken that, I tourmalinated quartz, diamonds
would have had no record of what PHOTO: COLE RODGER

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 23
CERF Is There for You
When people are “going through
a traumatic situation,” says Clark,
“it’s easy to get sucked into a hole
and not be able to do much about
anything. The thing I struggled with,
in terms of getting over it, was the
anger. I was angry about the time
that was taken from me.” But there
was the call from CERF.
In addition, the friend she was
staying with set up a GoFundMe
page. “The outreach from our com-
munity was unreal. I was crying
about how wonderful people were.”
Despite the setback, Clark had the
courage to do her last show of the
year, six weeks after Portland. She
pulled together a selection of pieces
from old work she had. “I made my-
self do it. It ripped the Band-Aid off
the fear of doing the shows.”
CERF is literally responsible for
Hector continuing as an artist. Be-
fore the call from Carey, Hector says,
she was thinking of quitting, “getting
a ‘real job.’” But that one act on the
part of CERF made the difference.
“They believed in me, that I could
get going again.”
Hector, scheduled to do the
Smithsonian Craft Show the month
after the theft, was going to cancel.
Meister told her, “‘Don’t cancel. All
24 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
my friends and I will bead for you
for free. Just tell us what you want.’”
Other jewelers urged her to borrow
pieces from clients to fill the show
space. “I didn’t make a great show-
ing,” says Hector. “But I didn’t quit,
and I was there. There was so much
outpouring of love and support that
I didn’t want to quit. All that kind-
ness. It offset the evil that was done
to me by the thieves. I wasn’t start-
ing at zero, knowing a lot of people
cared.”
CERF also echoes the idea that
a lot of people care, that the help
CERF offers isn’t just the work of
the organization. It’s from the whole
crafts community, of which they are
a part.
More Than Relief
Disaster relief is what CERF is best
known for. But after Hurricane
Katrina, says Executive Director
Cornelia Carey, “we saw such major
losses. We recognized that while
many were unavoidable, many could
have been mitigated. It became clear
that we had to invest in prepared-
ness and help artists to be ready and
resilient.”
Thus CERF became CERF+. Their
first new resource was The Studio
Protector, which “helped you figure
out how to prepare for any disaster,”
though she admits that a pandemic
was not one disaster they foresaw.
“When [a disaster] happens, what
do you do, who do you call, where
do you find resources.” It has over
time moved to the CERF+ website
where there are now videos about
flood recovery and mitigation, how
to stop mold and a wealth of mate-
rial to help artists plan for disaster.
“Our readiness education is relevant
to any studio-based artist, whether
they work at home or rent a build-
ing,” says Carey.
But readiness goes beyond disas-
ter. There are any number of re-
sources on the website that help art-
ists with financial and legal planning,
marketing, and business practices.
Readiness is about keeping yourself
healthy, so CERF+ also offers ways
for artist to care for their physical
and mental health as well. Lastly,
they have information about legacy
planning — preparing for when you
are no longer around to direct your
career and what happens to your
work.
To encourage readiness, CERF+
began offering a $500 Get Ready
grant that artists can use to safe-
guard their studios, protect their ca-
reers, and prepare for emergencies.
The idea, says Carey, is that “if we
do the readiness well, we won’t need
the emergency work.” Or at least, as
much of it.
Until recently, the organization
offered substantial emergency
grants, interest-free loans, and the
Get Ready grant. Two things have
conspired to slow them down.
First, 2017 was a horrific year with
catastrophic wildfires in the west,
and three back-to-back monster
hurricanes in the southeast: Harvey,
Irma, and Maria. “In particular, after
Maria,” says Carey, “we were work-
ing with so many artists we hadn’t
Rebecca Rose and her husband used
funds from a CERF grant to repair her
home studio following Hurricane Irma.
PHOTO: COURTESY REBECCA ROSE

worked with before in Puerto Rico.
That led to us translating much of
our material. We got run over by
that experience because there were
so many artists who had such major
damage. We literally drained our
emergency relief funds and had to
raise more money.”
Carey, who has been with CERF
since 1996, adds, “I’ve been thinking
that nothing would ever be like 2017,
and that I could retire before any-
thing like that happened again. But
this pandemic is like nothing I could
have imagined.”
While few artists have reported
being ill from Covid-19, the eco-
nomic shock has been tremendous.
Artists across the country lost their
livelihoods literally between one day
and the next. Thousands have ap-
plied for relief from a variety of relief
agencies.
“We’ve had the practice, like other
emergency organizations, of having
a reserve so we can hit the ground
running [in the event of a disaster].
It’s a system that has worked well
for a long time, but now it’s a pile-
up of major disasters. Before 2017,
our grants were up to $6,000. We
recognize that with the volume of
requests, we can’t sustain that. We
don’t have the funding when we’re
Megan Clark
Deco Fan Ring
18K gold, sterling, rose cut green
tourmaline, diamond
PHOTO: COLE RODGER
getting hit by hundreds of people
needing help.”
CERF+ made the decision to
put their loan program and Get
Ready grants on hold. Their emer-
gency grants have been reduced to
$3,000. “We made a decision during
this time to make our first priority
health-related emergencies.”
They’ve also begun to look longer
term. Climate change is contributing
to more cataclysmic wildfires, hur-
ricanes, tornadoes, and the floods
they spawn. This will certainly not
be the last pandemic. So they’re
working to create a “pool of funds
that will always be there,” and figur-
ing out a way to “turn on the faucet
when we need to rebuild those
funds.”
It’s worth the time for any artist to
check out the resources CERF offers
and put emergency and legacy plan-
ning on the front burner rather than
the back one. Because, as Diane
Falkenhagen says, “Just because
something hasn’t happened, doesn’t
mean that it can’t.”
SHARON ELAINE THOMPSON is a freelance
writer based in Oregon. She has written for
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist since 1987 and
blogs frequently at www.interweave.com/jewelry.
Learn more at jewelryartdiva.com.
How to Help or
Find Help
Whether you’re looking for help or
looking to help, you can learn more
about CERF+, its programs, outreach,
and how to donate on their website.
The author, who has spent a lifetime
among jewelry craftspeople, is so
moved by these artists’ stories and the
good this organization has done, she
adds a special appeal to anyone who
now can to help CERF help others. Visit
www.cerfplus.org.
CERF’S New
Covid Program
As of this writing in early June,
CERF was preparing to launch a new
program designed specifically as a
response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Learn more about CERF's response on
the Jewelry Artist podcast with host
Katie Hacker. Subscribe to the podcast
or listen to this episode, coming soon,
at www.interweave.com/category/
jewelry-artist-podcast.
Find the
Artists
dianefulkenhagen.com
sculpturings.com (Rebecca Rose)
meganclarkjewelry.com
valeriehector.com
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 25
 Amy Buettner and Tucker Glasow’s richly detailed
pendant design for a glowing blue cabochon
By Jim Landon with Tucker Glasow

Medieval Meets
Game of Thrones
E
ACH PIECE THAT jewelry
artists Amy Buettner and
Tucker Glasow make starts
with an exceptional cabochon. Their
designs exhibit a balance among
stone, silver, and gold in which each
element enhances and plays off the
others. In form, shape, texture, and
patina, their choices lead to a style
that I think of as Medieval meets
Game of Thrones. Their attention to
detail and perfection in both design
and fabrication makes their work
1 2
sought after, and the Portland-based
pair are beginning to make quite a
name for themselves in the Pacific
Northwest.
While researching a blue agate
from the Anatolian region of Turkey
for “Something Old, New, Gemmy,
& Blue,” which appeared in the

OPENING PHOTO: JIM LAWSON; PROCESS PHOTOS: TUCKER GLASOW

January/February 2020 issue of this
magazine, I discovered their work and
thought they would be able to create
something really special with the
material. When I approached them
about it, they sprang at the chance,
created this pendant, and shared how
they did it.
DESIGN
3 4
slightly larger than the design. With 16 gauge round sterling wire for the
the stone in place and using the outside border, 18 gauge for the top
design sketch as a guide, transfer botanical designs, and 14 gauge for
the pattern onto the sheet using a the bail.
fine Sharpie. Tip: When measuring and estimating

1 Trace the stone and then sketch

out a design for the pendant
piece.
CUT AND TEXTURE WIRE
ELEMENTS
the wire lengths, add a little extra
length to accommodate the curves.

2 Cut out a 22 gauge piece of

sterling silver sheet that is
3 Cut the wire elements for the
design using the drawing as a
template for lengths. Tucker used
4 Flatten each wire element using
a rawhide mallet and flat steel
surface.

26 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

Jewelry Project
What
You Need
TIME IT TOOK
4-6 hours

SKILLS
Intermediate metalsmithing

MATERIALS
• Sterling silver sheet (we
used 22 gauge)
• 16 gauge sterling silver
round wire
• Bezel 
• Silver solder, hard and
medium
• Flux and flux brush
• Pickle and pickle pot
• Copper tongs (for pickle)
• Liver of sulfur for the
patina
• Turkish blue chalcedony
or stone of your choice

TOOLS
Calipers (or ruler and scribe)
for marking off sheet, metal
snips (something like solder
snips, a saw will also work)
for crude easy cutting, saw
frame and saw blades (we
used 3/0), pliers (we used
round nose, parallel, and flat
nose), wire cutters, rawhide
mallet, hammer, bench block
or steel surface to hammer
on, chasing tool for texture
(your choice of mark or
texture), files, bezel pusher,
small drill bit, tweezers (for
maneuvering and placing tiny
pieces), torch setup, soldering
block or tripod with mesh
screen (for heating from
the bottom), flex shaft with
appropriate attachments
for cleanup (we used fine
sanding discs, and 3M radial
bristle discs in yellow, which is
80 grit), brass brush and dish
soap for final burnish, Sharpie
fine point marker 

SOURCES
Turkish blue chalcedony from
Jim Landon. Most of the other
tools and materials for this
project are available from
well-stocked jewelry supply
vendors, many of whom can
be found in our Advertisers’
Index, page 95.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 27
 Jewelry Project M EDI EVAL MEETS GAME O F T HR ON ES

5 6 7

8 9 10

11

TIP! If you try 5 Using a “dots” chasing tool,

add texture to the back plate
as indicated in the drawing.
soldering
12
while the 6 The texturing process causes
the sheet to warp, so next
flux is still wet, anneal and pickle the sheet, and
then flatten it with a rawhide THE BEZEL
the wire ele-
ments will tend
mallet.
9 Make a bezel using 4mm fine
silver.

to move around. 7 Taper both ends of the wire

elements using a file and sand-
ing stick. 10 Solder the seam with hard
solder.
Not cool.
8 Anneal and pickle the wire
elements. 11Check the bezel on the stone to
make sure it is a good fit.

28 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

12 Check the fit of the bezel on
the back sheet to make sure
there are no gaps and then flux both.
Cut appropriate amounts of medium
solder, and place the pieces inside of
the bezel.

13 Using a large rosebud torch tip

and soldering screen, heat the
piece from the bottom to solder the
bezel in place. Then pickle.

FORM, PLACE, AND 13 14

SOLDER WIRE ELEMENTS

14 Use needle nose pliers to bend

the wire elements so they fit
the pattern.

15 Lay out all of the wire elements

on the pattern to check for
symmetry.

16 Brush flux on the back sheet

and wire elements and then
15
place them in position around the 16
already soldered bezel.

17 Cut small pieces of medium

wire solder and strategically
place them along the wire elements.
Allow the flux to dry fully. If you try
soldering while the flux is still wet,
the wire elements will tend to move
around. Not cool.

18 Solder the wire elements in

place, again using a rosebud
torch. Build the heat slowly and
carefully so as not to melt the bezel
or wire elements.

LEAF ELEMENTS 17 18
19 Take a small piece of sterling
sheet, apply flux, flood one
side with medium sheet solder
using a rosebud torch, and then
pickle. Affixing the solder before
cutting the leaves out from this
sheet will make attaching these
elements easier.

20 Place the sheet solder-side

down and use a Sharpie to
draw out leaf elements. Then cut
them out using a jewelers saw.
19 20
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 29
 Jewelry Project M EDI EVAL MEETS GAME O F T HR ON ES

21 22 23

24 25 26

21 Cut small pieces of 18 gauge

sterling silver wire and use a mini
torch to make tiny little balls for design
elements and then pickle them.

22 Apply flux to the back sheet

areas where you will be
soldering. Position medium solder
chips where the silver balls will be
attached. Lay out the leaf elements
and the silver balls, again following
the design pattern.

23 Allow the flux to dry fully, then

solder the pieces in place using
the rosebud torch. Start heating from
underneath. When the solder is about
to flow, focus the torch on the top
Amy Buettner and Tucker Glasow of the piece until the elements are
PHOTO: JIM LANDON completely soldered, then pickle.

About the Artists REMOVE EXCESS SILVER

Amy Buettner and Tucker Glasow began collaborating in 2000 and have been in business
for 18 years. Amy is a graduate of the Oregon College of Fine Arts with a degree in jewelry 24 Dry the pickled piece and
then use a fine tip Sharpie to
mark where excess material from the
and sculpture, and has explored and mastered fabrication skills from many professional
jewelry artists. Tucker studied video broadcasting and photography at Lane Community back sheet will be removed. Note
College in Eugene, Oregon. He has not only mastered his own unique style of wearable that four supports for the cabochon
jewelry creations, but is also an accomplished photographer who shoots all of the material will be left in place, but most of the
that ends up on their website and Facebook and Instagram accounts. back of the bezel will be open to
allow light to enter.

30 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 27 28

25 Use a 3/ 0 jewelers saw blade

to begin cutting away the
excess silver from the back piece.

26 Drill small pilot holes on the

inside of the bezel, insert the
jewelers saw blade, and then cut
away the excess silver.

29 30
27 Use a fine half round file
to clean up the inside and
outside saw lines.

28 Use a fine grit sanding disc

and flex shaft to continue
cleaning the piece.

29 Use a knife edge black rubber

wheel to clean the crevices of
the botanical elements.

30 Place the piece bezel-side

down on a sheet of fine
sandpaper and a flat surface, then
31 32
gently sand the top of the bezel.

31 Clean the entire piece using 80

grit yellow radial brushes on a
flex shaft.

32 Remove any rough or burred

edges with a sanding stick
and 400 grit sandpaper.

PATINATE, SET, SIGN

AND SHINE

33 Mix the patina (liver of sulfur)

in a well-ventilated area with
almost-boiling water and immerse
the pendant for a short time to
blacken the entire piece.
33
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 31
 Jewelry Project M EDI EVAL MEETS GAME O F T HR ON ES

Meet Them

DOER’S PROFILE, PAGE 96

34
See More Work

35 36
THEIR TURN, PAGE 8

Turkish
Blue Agate
Super Texture
2020 BUYERS’ DIRECTORY starts after
page 88
Tools

TRIBUTE
DESIGN
Honors friendship
37 38
and an heirloom

Sweetheart
Pendant
Lay a silver rose
over red coral

Best Gems
for Spring!
PLUS!
34 Dry the pendant
thoroughly and set the 37 Sign the piece.

38
Easy Alternative
Eternity Bands
Tucson Show Strategies
Outstanding Gem Cutting
cabochon using a bezel pusher. Do one final cleanup with a
Sparta-Worthy Bronze Cuff

brash brush and dish soap

How to Float Fire
Set opal on an invisible riser

35 Use a burnisher to burnish

the bezel.
to burnish and shine up the entire
piece.
“Something Old, New,
Gemmy & Blue”
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist, 36 Use the 80 grit yellow
bristle brushes in the flex
shaft to clean off the excess patina
JIM LANDON is a long-time high school science
teacher, rockhound, and jewelry artist who lives
January/February 2020 in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in
in the areas to be more silver. Washington State.
www.interweave.com/jewelry

32 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

5(*,67(5IRU
21/,1(
&2856(6

Improve your
urr
jewelry-making
i skills
kill
from experts in the field!

Browse all courses today

at Interweave.com
Jewelry by Julie Merrill

THE FOLK SCHOOL

CHANGES YOU.

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friends on 300 natural, scenic acres
in western North Carolina.
Halstead is passionate about supporting
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technique tutorials, business advice,
and resources in our community.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 33
 Smokin’ Stones
By Sharon Elaine Thompson
PHOTO: COURTESY CAREY CADY
Call of the Tropics
Aptly named parrot wing is varied in shade, pattern,
and composition
YOU CAN PICTURE IT EASILY. Parrot wing is
a stone that looks much like you would think:
a mix of yellows, greens, and blues. Like many
stones that produce this kind of blue, it’s a copper
mineral. From that point on, things can get
confusing.
We talked to John Heusler of Slabs to Cabs,
who often works with rare and unusual stones
and has discovered and named a few of his
own. First, although this is often called a jasper,
Heusler says it really isn’t. It’s a mix of chrysocolla
or shattuckite (a blue mineral from the Bisbee
Shattuck shaft), malachite, magnetite, and/
or tenorite, and may contain other minerals as
34 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
PHOTO: COURTESY
BO MATTHIS
Diane
Kramer
Ring
Parrot
wing, silver
PHOTO: COURTESY
DIKRA GEM
well. It can be silicified (turned into a silicate, like
chalcedony), which makes it harder and tougher.
It can be, sometimes is, and sometimes should be
stabilized for durability. The original parrot wing,
says Heusler, possibly came from Peru or Mexico.
Much of what is on the market today may be
coming from Namibia or Arizona.
With a rock like this, what you’re looking for is
color and its distribution, good contrast between
colors, and an interesting pattern. The right stone
will make a wonderful centerpiece on a neckpiece
or, if it’s among the tougher specimens, a bracelet.
Use accent stones that pick up one of the stone
colors to make it snap.
 Just the Facts
How much does it cost?
Rough, depending on quality and whether or not it has been
stabilized, can run from $25 to $200 a pound. Cabs are priced
by the stone, though finer qualities may be priced by the carat.

How hard is it to find?

Parrot wing is not widely available in finer qualities.

What kind of jewelry can I put this in?

Because parrot wing is a rock — a mix of minerals — hardness can
vary. Harder, highly silicified specimens can be worn like chal-
PHOTO: COURTESY
cedony, that is, in most jewelry. Softer, more fragile mixtures of JEFFREY COX

minerals should be restricted to earrings, pendants, and pins.

How easy is it to set?

Well-cut cabs are easy to set.
Because parrot wing
What settings are best? is a rock — a mix of
Full bezels if the stone is one of the softer specimens; full or minerals — hardness
interrupted bezels if harder.
can vary. Harder,
Artisan/studio dos and don’ts: highly silicified
If you’re going to cut this yourself, be aware that copper minerals specimens can be
are dangerous to breathe. Use all necessary precautions to avoid
inhaling dust. The stone will become pitted in acids, so no pickling
worn like chalcedony,
and keep it out of the sonic. Avoid the steamer. The stones can that is, in most
burn if you don’t remove them before making repairs. jewelry. Softer, more
Wearer dos and don’ts:
fragile mixtures
Don’t put in a home sonic. Protect from rubbing against other of minerals should
harder stones and jewelry. Protect from abuse when wearing. be restricted to
earrings, pendants,
What cutters/designers think:
Says John Heusler: “If a stone is a mix of different minerals, look and pins.
for color, pattern and contrast. I like things that are bright and
vivid. They help me sell my cabs to other makers, and help me sell
my jewelry to consumers.”
Pendant and
Earrings

PHOTO: COURTESY KATHRYN ANEMA

SHARON ELAINE THOMPSON is a freelance writer based in Oregon. She has written for
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist since 1987. You can learn more about her and read previous articles NESTLED AMONG LEAVES
at www.jewelryartdiva.com. She also blogs frequently about birthstones and other stones for PAGE 36
www.interweave.com/jewelry.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 35
 Leafy accents surround a parrot wing pendant — plus
complementary earrings! By Peggy A. Haupt
Nestled Among
Leaves
I
SN’T IT FUN WHEN you have
an idea for a piece of jewelry —
and then you find the perfect
cabochon for it! I take designs for
jewelry with me when I am fortunate
enough to attend a gem and jewelry
show. This time I saw a green and
gold parrot wing chrysocolla cab
that was made for my design! In it,
leaves are pierced in the back plate,
the bail has a leaf front and back,
and there’s another leaf just for fun
at the bottom of the cab.
This piece started with a riff on
Michael Boyd’s Wyoming jade ear-
rings way back in 2014, when they
were featured on the cover. I didn’t
want to copy his pendant, so I used
Earrings,
PAGE 40
Easier Ways
PAGE 38
36 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
1
my design for the back of a pendant.
A leaf bail and an additional leaf at 2
the bottom of the pendant bring the
front and back of the pendant into a
coherent design.
DRAW AND SAW
1 Draw the base plate with the
pattern for the pierced design,
the leaf bail, and the extra leaf for
the bottom of the pendant. Glue
OPENING PHOTO: JIM LAWSON; PROCESS PHOTOS: PEGGY A. HAUPT
the patterns in place and let them
dry. You don’t have to glue the base
plate pattern in place if you have 3
plenty of metal.
Saw out the bail and the leaf. File dental floss around the edge of the
and sand the edges on the bail and cabochon. Remember to add a little
leaf. Remove the pattern pieces. extra for adjustments.
Tip: Place sandpaper on a bench
block when you need to sand a flat
edge. I use this technique when I cut
bezel strip to size.
2 Use a square to assure a perpen-
dicular mark with the fine marker.
Cut with scissors. File the ends until
you have a perfect fit and no light
MAKE THE BEZEL shows between the ends.
AND BACK
Measure for the bezel by holding
a strip of paper or by using waxed 3 Solder the bezel with hard solder.
Pickle, quench, wash, and dry.
 Jewelry Project

What You Need

SKILLS TOOLS pieces to engrave, face mask
Sawing Pen, paper, fine tip marker, and goggles, a larger drill bit
Filing scissors, square, dental floss or pen or transfer punch to
Soldering or small strip of paper, center use when bending the bail
Engraving punch, steel bench block,
drill bit #65, jeweler’s saw SOURCES
TIME IT TOOK and 4/0 blades, lubricant for Most of the tools and
3-4 hours saw blades and drill bit, flex materials for this project are
shaft or Dremel tool, assorted available from well-stocked
MATERIALS files, assorted sandpaper, jewelry supply vendors, many
• 2"x4" 20-gauge silver or
sterling silver sheet
bench pin, soldering setup,
extra soldering blocks, torch,
of whom can be found in our
Advertisers’ Index, page 95.
• ⅜"x5" bezel strip striker, soldering pick, pickle,
• Hard, medium, and
easy solder
copper tongs, flux and brush,
quench water, graver, graver’s
• Cabochon block or other way to hold the

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 37
 Jewelry Project NESTLED AM ONG LEAVE S

4 5 6

7 8 9

10 11 12

4 Sand the bottom of the bezel if it

isn’t flat. Place the sandpaper on
a bench block to help ensure a flat,
two small places at the top of the
cabochon to prepare for soldering
the bail. Remove the cab.
EASIER smooth base.
WAYS Shape the bezel around the
cabochon. Check that there aren’t 7 Cut around the outside edge of
the bezel, file, and sand.
any gaps.
• Make a partial
bezel, and extend the PIERCE THE BACK
top of the back plate
and bend it to form 5 Solder the bezel on the back
plate with medium solder. Pickle,
quench, wash, and dry.
Use the fine tip marker to draw the
tiny leaves on the back plate. I drew
them on the back and lightly pressed
the bail.
the center punch in each leaf where
• Eliminate the
bottom leaf.
6 Place dental floss over the bezel.
Set the cab in place to double
check the fit of the bezel. I bent
I need to drill. If you prefer, draw the
design inside the bezel and mark
with the center punch.

38 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 One link of chain will be waste
TIP! unless the chain isn’t soldered.
8 Using a #65 bit, drill a hole in
each leaf shape.
9 Saw out the tiny leaves.
Tip: After piercing a design,
make sure there aren’t any sharp
bits of metal on the base plate. If
they are on the inside of the bezel
you can crack a cabochon when
you are setting it.
ENGRAVING
Draw the leaf lines on the bail
leaves and extra leaf. Secure a
piece in a graver’s block or an
alternate method. I use a roll of
tape or a wire jig or shellac on
a board since I don’t engrave
much.
10 Engrave the designs on the
leaves.
13
Tip: Keep your fingers and
hands behind the graver, not in
front of the sharp tip!
14 Flux and solder the bail using
medium solder. You can see
the solder on the leaf and on one
11 Closeup of the start of the
cut. Normally, I would com-
plete the cut before stopping.
side of the bezel. Solder.
ADD THE LOWER LEAF
Lightly sand to finish. Don’t
press hard or you will ruin the
engraving. Repeat for the small
15 Bend the stem of the small
leaf to fit the side of the bezel.
Position the leaf so only the stem
leaf. will be soldered; the leaf will bend
over the top of the cab. Solder with
MAKE THE BAIL easy solder. Pickle, quench, wash,
12 Use a round object to form
the bail. I use a transfer
punch, but the smooth end of a
and dry.
SET THE CABOCHON
drill bit will work or even a pen.
Gently shape the bail a little at
a time.
16 Set the cabochon in place. Use
a bezel pusher or burnisher to
push the bezel in place.
Carefully bend the leaf over the
13 Adjust the bail until you
have a good fit for solder-
ing it to the bezel and base plate.
cabochon.
Do any clean up sanding or polishing
and your leaf pendant is ready to wear.
14
15 16
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 39
 Jewelry Project NESTLED AM ONG LEAVE S

MAKE THE EARRINGS

After I finished the pendant, I
wanted earrings to match. I found
a short section of chain and beads
that were left from another project
and they matched the cabochon. It
was meant to be! These earrings are
easy to make using a saw or wire
shears, and only take about an hour.
To make them even simpler, just use
more beads and skip the leaves. E1 E2

Work Safe
• Always wear goggles and a face mask.
Good ventilation is a must and an
exhaust system is an excellent idea.
I keep a fire extinguisher beside my
soldering area, have it surrounded by
a fire-resistant board, have this same
surface underneath the area, and a
fireproof board on
the floor.
• Keep your fingers and hands behind the
graver point.
• Always watch for flying metal when
using metal shears or wire cutters.
E3 E4
MATERIALS
• 24 gauge sterling or fine silver
CUT THE CHAIN
•
sheet, I¾" x 2½"
4 1" head pins E1 I used three links of chain for
each earring. Remember that
• 4 5mm beads one link will become waste when it
• 7 links of chain is cut if the links are soldered. Don’t
• 2 ear wires short yourself on the chain.
•TOOLS
Layout: Pencil, paper and glue;
MAKE AND ATTACH
Hand: saw and blade or metal shears, chain LEAVES
and round nose pliers, wire cutters, needle
files, graver
Equipment: Bench pin if using the saw, board
E2 Sketch the leaf shape and
allow 1¼" for the stem. I
made the stem longer than neces-
and tape or engraving ball or wire jig sary so bending would be easier.
Finishing: 220 sandpaper Glue the leaf in place, let dry, and

40 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST


E5
E7
saw or cut it out. File the edges and
san d the entire leaf. Repeat for six
leaves.
E3 Always remember to keep
your fingers behind the
graver as you work! The tip is very
sharp. Use tape on a board, a wire
jig, or an engraving tool to secure a
leaf for engraving the veins. It isn’t
necessary to have all the leaves look
the same — a little variety adds inter-
est. Check the back of the leaf for
scratches and sand if necessary.
Don’t fuss
TIP! making all
the leaves
the same: a
little variety adds
interest.
E6
E8
E4 Place the round nose pliers
above the leaf on the stem.
Bend the stem around the pliers.
E5 Insert the stem into a
chain link and continue
to bend the stem around itself.
Watching for flying metal if you
need to remove excess metal, cut
any excess off and file the end
smooth. Use the chain nose pliers
to squeeze the end tight against
the back of the leaf. Repeat for a
total of six leaves.
Learn
from Peggy’s
Inspiration
Special Settings:
Saddle and Strap
(video)
www.interweave.com/jewelry
WRAP AND ATTACH
THE BEADS
E6 Thread a bead on a head
pin. Place the chain nose
pliers against the bead. Bend the
wire to a 90-degree angle.
E7 Change to round nose
pliers and form a loop.
E8 Insert the head pin into
a chain link and continue
to wrap the wire. If you used a
longer head pin, you may need
to cut and smooth the end of the
wire. Repeat for the other beads.
HANG AND WEAR
Add ear wires to the top of each
chain and the earrings are ready
to wear.
PEGGY HAUPT is an artist who is fortunate to
live near the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennes-
see. The beauty of nature inspires her creativity.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 41
 Trends
By Deborah Yonick,
jewelry style expert

STRENGTH &
PERSONALITY
Fashion colors this fall lend
themselves to relatablee
experimentation

OFFERING A RICH narrative, Pantone’s

fashion color palette for fall-winter 2020-
21 is imbued with strength and personal-
ity, encouraged by our ongoing desire for
unique self-expression through creative
and unusual color statements. That’s how
Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of
the Pantone Color Institute, describes the
top color picks on the NY runways for
fall-winter ready-to-wear.
The leading fall-winter 2020-21 colors
feature some traditional tones and surpris--
ing ones that offer room for experimenta-
tion. The idea of trying out new hues or
blending them with more classic colors
works in this time of genderless, season-
less, you-be-you fashion, WWD says of
Pantone’s palette.
Ten stand-out colors were popular with
designers at the seasonal shows: two reds,,
an upbeat Samba and a strong Fired Brick; k;
a hypnotic purple Magenta; a dusky pink
Rose Tan; two peachy hues, warm Peach
Nougat and earthy Sandstone; a radiant
autumnal orange Amberglow; a deep cool--
ing blue-green Ultramarine Green; Color off
the Year, Classic Blue; and an acidic Green
Sheen. The palette also includes four new
takes on classic neutrals — deep Blue
Depths; Military Olive; a bluish gray Sleet;
and off-white Almond Oil.
Eiseman calls the colors “relatable yet
displaying clever tweaks for the season,” KIR
Bangles
conveying a level of functionality, while Sterling silver,
also lending themselves to unique state- labradorite, chalcedony,
rose quartz, white and black
ments that stand out. She describes the mother-of-pearl
palette as “stripped of excess,” reflecting PHOTO: COURTESY KIR

42 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 The palette reflects the
“changing mindset of today’s
consumers, who prioritize
value and longevity over color
choices that are here today
and gone tomorrow.”
Swarovski
Gem Visions 2021
Cubic Zirconia
Punk Heart Cut
PHOTO: COURTESY
SWAROVSKI
Samuel B
Bracelet
Sterling silver, apatite,
prasiolite, amethyst,
citrine, chalcedony
PHOTO: COURTESY
SAMUEL B

Amberglow

KIR
Samba Latiffa Ring
Sterling silver,
freshwater pearls
PHOTO: COURTESY KIR

Mastoloni
Wrap Ring
14K yellow gold, 4-6mm white
freshwater pearls, diamonds
PHOTO: COURTESY MASTOLONI

Sandstone
the “changing mindset of today’s
consumers, who prioritize value and
longevity over color choices that are
here today and gone tomorrow.”
What is most defining for Eise-
man is the wide-ranging acceptance
among consumers of a spectrum of
colors to realize their own individual-
ized unique identities. “People have
Classic Blue to feel comfortable in what they
wear, but you also have to give them
permission to experiment a bit,” she
told WWD.
Fresh color blends for the season
include: Classic Blue, Fired Brick and
Rose Tan; Green Sheen, Rose Tan and
Ultramarine Green; and Military Olive,
Almond Oil, Sleet, Magenta and Blue
Magenta Purple Depths.
AWASH IN COLOR
Colored stones continue to take
center stage in jewelry design, finds
trends-tracker Amanda Gizzi, direc-
tor of public relations and special
events for Jewelers of America. With
Classic Blue the Color of the Year,
she sees blue gemstones like sap-
phire, topaz, and tanzanite remaining
important. While revealed pre-Covid,
Classic Blue turned out to be the
ideal color for the time, with this en-
during hue instilling calm, confidence,
and connection when it’s needed
most.
“The Classic Blue color is joined
by a variety of warm tones in the or-
ange and red family that are popular
this fall,” points out Gizzi. “Orangey

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 43
 Trends

Amberglow lends itself to mandarin

garnets, fire opals, and orange sap-
phire. While the red-hued Samba,
Fired Brick, and purple Magenta
can be seen in rubies and garnets.
Sandstone, Peach Nougat and Rose
Tan exhibit shades of light pink and
neutral tans making way for gems,
like morganite and rose quartz. And
Ultramarine Green brings to mind
deep blue-green tourmalines.”
Jane Collins and Ana Correa, Honora
Rings
footwear and accessories senior and Sterling silver, mother-of-
associate editors, respectively, for the pearl, freshwater pearls,
diamonds
trends forecasting firm WGSN, shared
PHOTO: COURTESY HONORA
color and gem trends in a recent we-
binar hosted by the Couture Jewelry
Show. Discussing design priorities
during and post pandemic, colored
stones play a key role in our “above
the keyboard dressing” and digitally
dominated lifestyles.
Among the design trends fueling
greater demand for color is our desire
for statement jewelry, occasion-wear
for every day to spice up on-screen
socializing. “As we conduct more of
our lives online, jewelry that stands
out on screen — like bold cocktail
rings, dramatic drop earrings and
statement necklaces — will be es-
sential,” says Correa, “with a focus on
colors and materials that pop.” Swarovski
Gem Visions 2021
With the wellness sector uptrend- Aquamarine Cubic Zirconia
ing, healing stones and the effects PHOTO: COURTESY SWAROVSKI

around positive-energy materials will

be fundamental for jewelry design, re-
ports Correa. “Adorn collections with
natural semi-precious gemstones,
geodes, and calming crystals. Invest in
stones with transformative qualities,
unique cuts, or reflective surfaces that
Swarovski
create otherworldly aesthetics.” Gem Visions 2021
Popular materials have natural Orange-yellow Cubic Zirconia
PHOTO: COURTESY SWAROVSKI
iridescence, as found in opals, mother-
of-pearl, and abalone. Correa also

Green Sheen Peach Nougat Ultramarine Green Fired Brick Rose Tan

44 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Almond Oil Blue Depths Sleet Military Olive

Martha Seely
Shooting Stars Cuffs
Sterling silver, yellow gold, rhodolite, spessartite, blue topaz, citrine,
amethyst, blue zircon, tourmaline, sapphire, tsavorite, diamonds
PHOTO: COURTESY MARTHA SEELY
mentions metals like silver and copper
trending because of proven anti-
microbial properties. Lustrous pearls
are especially beloved, as a traditional
favorite that takes a modern approach
to jewelry design, like hoop drops,
wrap-style rings that offer stack-
ing illusion, and open-style abstract
designs.
Collins sees a focus on invigorat-
ing, energizing, and restorative colors
(especially shades of blue, green,
purple, orange, and red), with fancy
color sapphire, topaz, and garnet gem
complements. Emerald is another
stone to watch. A gem prized since
antiquity, emerald signifies nature,
balance, comfort, and growth. Birth-
stones, Correa adds, are the perfect
draw for personalization, with these
traditional stones most meaningful in
jewelry design.
Rainbow and multi-color settings
are all the rage, as consumers em-
Mastoloni
Three-Pearl Hoop Earrings
JEWELRY STYLING 18K white gold, 5-5.5mm white
freshwater pearls, diamonds
How people wear jewelry is being PHOTO: COURTESY MASTOLONI
impacted by the Covid-19 pan-
demic, finds Gizzi. She hails layering
necklaces, the go-to look for the es-
calating number of Zoom meetings
taking place, especially necklaces
that come prelayered or in layered
styles and take the guess work out
for wearers.
Big, chunky chain looks are trend-
ing, not only in jewelry design, but
also apparel and footwear. There is
comfort in this familiar style, Collins
says, which can be used as design
elements in a range of jewelry types,
in varying scales, and with or with-
out pavé.
While hoops and dangle earrings
work for above keyboard engage-
ment online, they are a loss-risk and
IB Goodman
challenge for masks to go on and Earrings
off with ease, says Gizzi, requiring Sterling silver, abalone, diamonds
styles with lower profile to avoid PHOTO: COURTESY IB GOODMAN

brace jewelry that not only enhances
their mood, but also looks great in
the digital realm. Collins cites om-
bré and colorful tassel designs with
vibrant, translucent stones among the
favorites.
getting snagged. Also, she expects
classics like by-the-yard and tennis
styles in diamonds and gemstones
will be popular, as people return to
work and look for ways to feel put-
together and dressed up.
DEBORAH YONICK has been writing about
jewelry and fashion trends for more than 25
years for trade and consumer publications
and online, and has loved both for much
longer! With roots in New York, she presently
lives and works in York, PA. 

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 45
 Embedded in resin and cut in cross section, pine cones
reveal patterns both familiar and unexpected
By Kieu Pham Gray
Have a Slice of
Pine Cone
I
WAS FASCINATED. The first
time I saw resin incorporated
with wood was on a Facebook
video where they were making these
crazy tabletops. Then a few years
ago, on an all-girls “goddess” trip,
I learned that Sheri Rozsonits, one
of the ladies in the video, had also
been using this technique to create
components in her jewelry — mind
blown!
It’s a family affair. Refining tech-
niques on resin use the couple first
learned on YouTube, Sheri’s husband,
John, now embeds resin into the
voids of pieces of wood, producing
blocks of the material. After the resin
has cured, Sheri cuts the block into
pieces for her jewelry, which she then
fabricates.
Recently I had the opportunity to
visit their workshop where I was given
a private tour and a quick tutorial of
the process. While there, I spied this
46 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
1 2
most unusual piece of resin containing
pine cones. I was completely smitten.
When cut at a cross section, you can
see all the details of the middle of the
pine cones. So cool. And of course, a
piece landed in my pocket.
With so many interesting aspects at
every angle of the piece, it was hard
for me to consider covering up any
part of it. I wanted to highlight the
visible pieces of pine cone and let
them tell their own story while adding
my own comment. By piercing one
side of the pendant with a thematic
design, I was able to tell a story and
allow the pinecones to be present on
the opposite side.
CABOCHON SHAPE
1 Resin and wood are both materi-
als that are soft and easily cut.
You can simply use a jeweler’s
saw to shape and size your pine
cone in resin cabochon. However,
depending on the thickness and
size of the cabochon, you may
wear out more than one saw
blade. Use a larger saw blade if
you have one.
Trace the shape of the resin cabo-
chon onto a piece of 24g sterling
OPENING PHOTO: JIM LAWSON; PROCESS PHOTOS: KIEU PHAM GRAY
silver sheet metal with a permanent
marker to use as a guide.
PIERCED PATTERN
ON BACK
Draw or trace a pattern onto the
silver sheet metal to use as a
guide for sawing.
2 You can also transfer some
laser prints by placing the
printout face-down onto the
metal and rubbing acetone on the
pattern.
You can also glue your pattern
directly onto the sheet metal and
remove after sawing.
Jewelry Project

What
You Need
SKILLS
Understanding of silver
soldering
Basic metal fabrication
Piercing

TIME IT TOOK
2 hours

MATERIALS
• 1.5"x1", 24-gauge sterling
silver sheet, large enough
to cover one side of your
cabochon
• 4x4x10mm SS square tubes
• 14g SS square wire, 6"
• 2/0 saw blades
• Cut Lube
• Acetone
• New Glue
• 4 brass, 3⁄16" machine
screws, button head
• Hard, medium, easy solder
paste
• 400, 500, 600 sandpaper

TOOLS
Bench block, rawhide mallet,
flush wire cutters, student files,
soldering setup, chain nose
pliers, center punch, chasing
hammer, jewelers’ saw, tube
cutting pliers, flex shaft rotary
tool, #56 HSS drill bit, fine
tweezers

SOURCES
Most of the tools and materials
for this project are available
from well-stocked jewelry
supply vendors, many of whom
can be found in our Advertisers’
Index, page 95.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 47
 Jewelry Project
3 Pierce a hole in the middle of the
pattern for sawing. If you do not
have a hole punch that can reach
to the center of your pattern, use a
high-speed drill bit to drill a hole.
4-5 Place the sheet metal
into a jewelers’ saw with
the pattern facing up to pierce the
shape. By piercing the center shape
before trimming the perimeter, you
will have more leverage to handle
the sheet metal. Be sure to wax the
saw blade as needed with Cut Lube
or paraffin to help the blade glide. If
you have warped the metal, flatten
it on a bench block using a rawhide
mallet.
A Center punch
the sheet
metal to prepare
it for drilling holes
approximately
4mm from the
outside edge. Diagram A
6 In my piece, I chose to use four
micro screws in the corners
of the frame, though two — one
at the top and one at the bottom
48 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
H AVE A SLI CE OF PINE CO NE
3 4 5
6
8
7
center — will be enough to do the
job. Using a flex-shaft rotary tool,
drill holes with an HSS drill bit; I used
#56. Your drill bit size will depend on
the size micro screw you choose.
CREATE THE FRAME
B Use 14g half round wire to cre-
ate a frame for your cabochon.
Measure the length and width of 9
your cabochon and add double the
width of the wire to the length (for
14g half round add 1.6mm to the
length).
9 Using hard solder paste, solder
the frame together. Pickle, rinse,
and dry.
1.2 x 0.1”
1” x 1.5”
10-11 I like to solder three
sides together first,
double check my size, then solder
the fourth side.
Diagram B 12-13 Solder the frame to
the sheet metal using
medium solder paste. Pickle, rinse,
7-8 Cut two pieces of each
measurement and miter
and dry.
Using a pair of bezel shears, trim the
silver sheet around the frame. File the
each end at a 45° angle. all edges to remove any rough spots.
 find them
www.facebook.com/JohnsWoodies

14 Sand edges as needed includ-

ing the sheet metal.
THE BAIL
Mark a piece of sterling silver, 4mm,
square tubing to the length desired
for the bail. I prefer to have my tube
bails no longer than ½" because
otherwise it makes the chain lie a little
too wide.
sawing. You do not want to be
holding the pliers in the air to saw.
Then sand the ends to remove any
burs or rough spots. See More Work
17-18 Place easy solder
paste on the tube
and solder to the top of the
frame. I like to face the front of
the frame down for soldering so
that the tube can be fl ush with

15 Place the tubing in a tube

cutting pliers with the marking
between the gap for sawing.
the frame.
Note: take care not to overheat
the tube before heating the frame
unit. For the solder to flow evenly

16 Brace the tube cutting pliers

against a bench pin or your
workbench to create leverage for
between the bail and the frame,
you must ensure that both units are
evenly hot. Pickle, rinse, and dry. THEIR TURN, PAGE 8

10 11 12

13 14 15

16 17 18
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 49
 Jewelry Project H AVE A SLI CE OF PINE CO NE

Preserve
in Resin TIP!
You can
Resin Earrings transfer
and Pendant
(project)
some laser prints by
placing the printout
face-down onto the
metal and rubbing
acetone on the
Resin Sea Flower pattern.
Pin Pendant 19
(project)

15+ Ways to
Alter Metal
Surfaces (online
workshop)

Exploring Resin
Jewelry-Making
(video)

www.interweave.com/jewelry 20 21

Color Resin READY FOR FRAMING accuracy, however, you may opt to
Brass brush the entire unit, then drill the pieces separately.
sand or polish the unit to your liking.
Colorful Resin
Earrings
Measure the thickness of your cabo-
chon and subtract at least 2mm; this
will be the depth of your hole for the
21 Use the frame as a guide
for marking the holes in the
cabochon to ensure that it is precise.
(video)
micro screw. Ensure that your micro Remove any burs from the drilling
screw is not longer than the depth of sites by burnishing or sanding.
the cabochon. If it is, you will need to Pick up a micro screw with a pair
trim each screw with side cutters. of fine tweezers and dip into a little
New Glue before placing in the hole.
Resin Flower
Pendant (video) 19 Mark this measurement onto
the drill bit used for the frame.
By marking the drill bit, I am ensur-
The glue will add extra security for
the setting. Use an X-acto knife or
eyeglass screwdriver to turn the
ing that I do not drill all the way screws into place.
through the cabochon. I used a small
piece of painters tape.
Bezeled Resin & KIEU PHAM GRAY has been creating jewelry for
Silver Bracelet
(video) 20 Place the cabochon into the
frame on a bench pin and drill
through the holes previously pierced
almost 20 years. She and her husband Andy own
and operate www.TheUrbanBeader.com, where
they work to provide the industry with specialty
in the sheet metal. I prefer to drill supplies and tools. Most recently, she co-founded
www.interweave.com/jewelry www.EverCrafting.com, a social media site for
the cabochon through the frame for serial crafters.

50 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

The ESSENTIAL GUIDE to
Gemstones for
Jewelry Artists
Learn about characteristics of
gemstones, where to find them,
and how to implement each unique
stone into your jewelry designs.

Page Count: 188

Retail Price: $14.99

Get Your eBook today at Interweave.com

 Use artfully arranged cut metal leaves to hold a stone
in place and hang from a cast twig bail
By Lexi Erickson
Autumn Setting
Y
ES, I BROKE my own rule. I
always tell my students at the
beginning of the semester
to learn each of the rules of jewelry
making so they will know how to
break them properly later. However,
this time, I just totally ignored my #1
design rule: design the whole piece,
front and back, and think out any
construction problems which may
arise. I was so excited about using
leaves as prongs, and designing the
back, that I completely forgot about
the bail! There are not many steps
in this project, but having to figure
out that bail at the last minute still
presented a challenge. Yep, I still
make boo-boos, and still have to
come up with solutions on the fly.
LEAVES AND PRONGS
1 Choose a leaf pattern you like.
The shape doesn’t have to be as
difficult to cut out as these leaves,
but it does need some substance
and size to fold over from the back
Design the back
plate to look best
with your stone.
This shape is a bit
difficult to design
around, but that’s
my stone, cut from a
fossilized ammonite
with its distinctive
suture lines visible.
52 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
1 2
of the piece to the front and hold the
stone in place. I used this shape to
replicate the leaf-like shapes in the
stone. Repetition is a good design
principle, but you could also use
different shaped leaves.
Glue the pattern onto your 20
gauge metal and saw or punch out
10-12 leaf shapes in sterling and cop-
per, brass, too, if you’re so inclined.
This will give a variety of colors. File
as needed. Sweat solder medium
solder onto the back of each leaf.
Pickle, rinse, and set aside.
Tip: On the leaves that will help hold
the stone, think about where to place
the solder. It should be only on the
part of the leaf that will be soldered to
the back plate. Melted solder on the
entire back of the leaf will make push-
ing the leaf over too difficult to get it
to hold the stone securely.
BACK PLATE
Design the back plate to look best
with your stone. This shape is a
bit difficult to design around, but
that’s my stone, cut from a fossilized
ammonite with its distinctive suture
lines visible. Though this material
is usually cut fairly thick in order
to show the suture pattern well,
this stone goes from thinner to
very thick (8mm), and I was using
a 2x5 mm flat wire for the bezel.
The stone’s sides show a bit, but
fortunately, they have a nice finish.
One thing that came to my mind was
that this stone could have broken
during cutting, and this shape may
have been a unique way to save a
stone. It was a design challenge, I’ll
admit that.
2 OPENING PHOTO: JIM LAWSON; PROCESS PHOTOS: LEXI ERICKSON
Place the cut-out back plate
face down on the fire brick and
arrange the leaves in a pleasing pat-
tern, fluxing as each leaf is placed
in its correct spot. Overlapping
some of the leaves makes them
look more like they’ve just fallen
that way, and makes the back plate
more interesting. Remember to have
enough leaves hanging off the edge
to hold the stone successfully. Flux,
then walk away to allow the flux to
dry. This will stop most movement
of the leaves when soldering. When
the flux is all dry, solder, pickle, and
rinse. Set aside.
 Jewelry Project

What You Need

SKILLS
Soldering
Basic Metalwork

TIME IT TOOK
About two hours

MATERIALS
• 22-gauge sterling, 22-gauge copper for
leaves
• 20-gauge sterling for back plate
• 2x5mm flat wire
• 1 sterling cast twig
• Medium wire solder rolled through the
mill on the tightest setting
• Glue stick or rubber cement
• 1 ammonite suture stone

TOOLS
Forming: Jeweler’s saw, #2/0 and #4/0 saw
blades, hydraulic press (optional), leaf dies
(optional), leaf patterns, #2 and #4 6-inch hand
files, needle files, 2 pairs of flat nose pliers,
Wubbers medium bail making pliers, Fretz
sharp hammer #412
Soldering: Torch, flux, pickle, charcoal block,
T-pins. firebrick, copper scrap wire, pickle pot,
solder pick
Finishing: 15 and 9 micron 3M finishing film,
½-inchx6-inch round wooden dowel, Dremel
or flex shaft, 1 treated 1-inch muslin buff on a
mandrel, 1 untreated 1-inch muslin buff on a
mandrel, large polishing set up (optional), 2
6-inch wheels for tripoli and rouge (optional),
brown tripoli, red rouge, Dawn detergent,
ammonia, old soft toothbrush

SOURCES
Sterling, copper and flat wire are available from
Santa Fe Jeweler’’s Supply (www.sfjs.net),
Leaf dies: Dar Shelton’s Pancake Die Paradise
on FaceBook. Most of the tools and materials
for this project are available from well-stocked
jewelry supply vendors, many of whom can be
found in our Advertisers’ Index, page 95.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 53
 Jewelry Project AU TUM N SET TI NG

Overlapping some of the leaves

makes them look more like
they’ve just fallen that way,
and makes the back plate
more interesting. Remember
to have enough leaves hanging
off the edge to hold the stone
successfully.

Suture Lines
Ammonites were aquatic cephalopods
(rather like coiled-shelled squid) that
thrived in past geologic times. As they
grew, they added larger and larger cham-
bers in which to live. The visible walls of
these chambers are called suture lines, and
are distinctive from one species to another.
Well-preserved fossil ammonites may show
these lines in a striking pattern.
Placenticeras species ammonite fossil from
the Pierre Shale; Placenticeras are known
for their incredibly convoluted suture lines
and often beautiful preservation.
SPECIMEN COURTESY OF
AND PHOTO BY TERRI HAAG
BEZEL
Next, anneal the 2x5mm flat wire
because it’s tough to bend. If you
still have trouble bending it, try
cutting and filing a notch ¾ way
through, which helps tremen-
dously. Snug the wire to fit up
against the stone on one side. This
will need to be a secure fit, so bend
the wire with two pairs of flat nose
pliers to avoid warping it, making
it either uneven when it sits on the
back plate or on the sides.
3 Place the flat wire onto the back
plate and solder using easy
solder. Pickle and rinse. Check for
gaps in the solder and make sure all
the leaves have stayed secure.
BAIL WITH A TWIG
Here was where I made my big
mistake. I always think how the
bail will interact with the piece in
terms of engineering and design
well before now, but not this time.
I don’t know what I was thinking.
You can’t successfully solder my
usual trademark question mark
bail on a surface this uneven. So
I spent a few hours staring at my
bench pin, which is my way of
thinking through design problems,
and then spent an afternoon rum-
maging around boxes, drawers,
toolboxes, etc.
3
And then, voilá! I suddenly found
a sterling silver cast branch from a
project I made three years ago. With a
bit of finagling (an important jewelry
term), I cut the casting in half, filed the
ends, annealed my half (bending cast
metal is difficult), and bent it with the
bail making pliers. Next, some filing
to make sure the cast twig was fitting
flush onto the top of the flat wire —
because solder won’t fill gaps!
4 After more finagling, and with
the help of T-pins and a coiled
piece of copper wire, I was able to
solder the bail onto the piece. (No, I
don’t even allow a third hand in my
studio.)
FINISH, SET, HANG
5 Prepare the back of the piece
for finishing by cutting any
protruding leaves so they won’t
catch on the buffing wheels or hurt
anyone. (Lexi’s #1 Rule of Jewelry: It
shouldn’t be painful.)
File with a #4 file for a consistent
smoothness along the side. If you are
comfortable and familiar with using a
large polishing setup, that is preferred
for the back of this piece. Polish with
tripoli and then rinse with warm water,
Dawn detergent, and ammonia.
Buff to a high shine with red rouge.
The red rouge will also bring out red-
dish tones in the copper and, if you’ve

54 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST


used any, brass. Clean as before with
the Dawn and ammonia mixture. You
may also finish with sandpaper or
by using a Dremel and flex shaft if a
full-size buffer isn’t available.
Using the Fretz sharp hammer,
hammer all along the edge of the flat
wire. This will burnish the top and add
a finishing bit of gleam. Set the stone
tightly against the flat wire, and using
your fingers, push the bezel leaves
over the stone. Finish by using the
wooden dowel and push the leaves
down as far as possible. Using a dowel
will work like a metal bezel pusher,
but unlike a metal pusher, the wooden
dowel will keep you from scratching
the leaves or stone deeply if it should
slip. Finish by sanding with the 9
micron finishing film. Check for sharp
Using a dowel will
work like a metal
bezel pusher, but
unlike a metal pusher,
the wooden dowel
will keep you from
scratching the leaves
or stone deeply if it
should slip.
4 Solder
5
edges where the leaves bend over the
stone that would snag clothing. If you
find any, do a bit of sanding with the
15 micron, then 9 micron finishing film
to eliminate them.
Because none of my millions of
beads looked even remotely compat-
ible with the stone, I decided instead
to use a soldered chain I’d made as
a practice project for soldering. This
added a unique and lighthearted
touch for a fun autumn look. Have fun
making and wearing this unique stone
with your autumn wardrobe.
See More Work
THEIR TURN, PAGE 8
with Lexi
Making
Soldered
Jewelry
(special
publication)
How to Solder
Jewelry
(videos)
www.interweave.com/jewelry
LEXI ERICKSON is a Contributing Editor to
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist and Jewelry Making
Daily. The multiple award-winning jeweler has a
Master’s Degree in Jewelry Fabrication and Design
and has taught high school through university level
jewelry and metalsmithing for 35 years. Lexi lives in
Highlands Ranch, Colorado, with her family and two
obnoxious and loving Bichons, and teaches a limited
amount of private lessons in her studio so the
puppies can continue the style of living with which
they have become accustomed. She can be reached
at www.lexierickson.com.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 55
 Dash of
Creepy Fun
Jewelry artist Roger Halas loves sci fi, fantasy,
and beauty By Terri Haag

W
eird jewelry is not new.
I first ran into Roger
in 1995 when he and
others were already
featuring work with dark creatures
most people would rather hit with a
shoe than wear. These days, if you’ve
opened more than three Lapidary
Journal Jewelry Artist magazines in
the last six years, you’ve probably
run across Roger Halas’s words and
works. He’s pretty memorable, what
with his Alien-esque motifs and H.R.
Giger-influenced designs, scorpions,
spiders, exobiological entities, etc.
Roger not only pushes our “creep”
buttons, but seriously messes with our
notion of what constitutes jewelry. He
takes the universal push/pull of fas-
cination vs. repulsion and sticks it in
your face. Literally. Halas is the creator
of the face-hugger brooch, which, in
case you have been marooned on a
technologically backward planet for
centuries, is the crab-like, long-tailed
creature with a bad attitude that burst
out of a giant egg in the 1979 movie
PHOTOS: JIM LAWSON, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED

Alien. (Scene: Intergalactic commer-

cial towing vehicle Nostromo’s execu-
tive officer, Thomas Kane, pokes ner-
vously around huge eggs in a cave on
LV-426, only to find his head encased
in a face-hugging zeno-beastie. What
follows is one of sci-fi’s most terrifying
and iconic moments.)

A brass and copper face mask made — and

modeled — by Roger Halas.
PHOTO: COURTESY ROGER HALAS

56 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST


“My biggest fear is obscurity, having my
artwork lost to time and space. I want my
work to inspire future generations, and to
remind them that it’s okay to be creepy.”
“So, Roger,” I start out our inter-
view. “What with scorpions and ex-
traterrestrials and skulls, etc., clearly
you are still a denizen of the Dark
Side. I love it, but have to ask: where
is all the woowoo coming from?”
“I’m drawn to strange themes be-
cause of my fascination with science
fiction and fantasy, where the only
creative limits are those posed by
the human imagination,” says Halas.
“People were horrified by Alien, yet
even as a child I was inspired by the
overall concept, production design,
and of course, the creature.”
Legos, Genes, Films,
and Rocks
LJJA: How did you get your start in
jewelry making in the first place?
RH: Actually, I got my start with
Legos. Yes, the kids’ toys. And since
my mother is also an artist, I sup-
pose there was a genetic link to my
creative process, which ultimately
led my journey into wearable art.
Because that’s what jewelry is: wear-
able art. At least, to me it is.
LJJA: What other jobs have you held
over the years?
RH: I’ve always been a bit of an
entrepreneur, selling crystals and
fossils in the past. I also work in the
film business as a specialty costume
designer.
LJJA: Speaking of films, one of your
heroes is clearly H.R. Giger, the bril-
liant Swiss painter and set designer
of the Alien movies, and no wonder.
His designs and biomechanical con-
cepts influenced almost every sci-fi
movie and TV show since and scared
design
Stingray Pendant
Mokumé gané, sterling silver, garnets
Mystical Moonstone Ring
Sterling silver, moonstone
the crap out of everyone ever after.
Mr. Giger died in 2014 and the world
lost a great visionary, but at least
if we run into big eggs in caves on
faraway planets someday, we’ll know
to keep a flame-thrower handy.
So who’s your new idol if you have
one?
RH: One of my idols is James Wan.
The first big film I worked on, Aqua-
man, was brought to life through his
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 57
Dash of Creepy Fun
n
Is Anyone Out There? Alien Pendant
Onyx, sterling silver
Citron Chimera Cuff
Argentium sterling silver, fine
silver, citron, peridot, onyx
artistic lens. I also admire Jon Fa-
vreau, who has made an incredible
transition from actor to filmmaker,
and I’m especially happy with what
he’s done for the Star Wars universe
through the Mandalorian character.
A space age gunslinger? What’s not
to love? In fact, I think I’d make a for-
midable intergalactic bounty hunter.
LJJA: Me, too. I mean I think you’d
make a great intergalactic bounty
hunter and I also think I’d make a
great intergalactic bounty hunter.
Maybe we can team up? Until then, I
know you sell online within this solar
system, but . . .
Do you have a Terran storefront,
too?
RH: I prefer to sell online because
there’s virtually no overhead cost.
And social media provides a great
Alien vs Predator Ear Cuff
Sterling silver
advertising platform.
“As far as villains go, I absolutely
loved Cate Blanchett as Hela in
Thor: Ragnarok. She was the perfect
combination of menace and swagger,
with a sprinkle of dark humor.”
58 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
LJJA: Where did you grow up and
go to school? Oh, wait . . . you were
a young, unnamed passenger on the
Nostromo who somehow survived,
right?
RH: Nope. I grew up in the San Fer-
nando Valley, in Canoga Park.
Dark Yet Elegant
LJJA: You must get some odd looks
at trade shows. What do others
make of your style and design pen-
chants?
RH: Most people tend to appreci-
ate my work, because even when
I go dark, I also go elegant. Sleek
lines, color-coordination, symme-
try — I like pretty things. Think of
a wasp, and you see a streamlined
predator. An organic machine. Yet
there’s also an underlying beauty
to it. And when it comes to design,
I prefer symmetry over chaos. I like
beautiful things, even when they
can kill you.
LJJA: We clearly have different no-
tions of what constitutes “pretty,”
but I love the wasp analogy, and I
think bugs are incredibly beautiful.
I’ve even had scorpions and taran-
tulas as beloved pets, but even so,
“I like beautiful
things, even
when they can
kill you.”

I’m not sure I want to wear one on

my nice, white lace blouse.
Do women really buy these?

RH: There is always a market for the

macabre. In fact, there are many
people who favor Halloween over
Christmas, so anything with a dark,
Gothic, or even horrifying theme will
appeal to this demographic.

LJJA: Speaking of tarantulas, I once

reanimated a dead one. Not kidding.
It was at the bottom of the Jacuzzi,
but not wanting to waste such a
lovely thing, I put it in a glass box
and poured salt over it, because I
knew you could reanimate drowned
flies that way. When I came back
a few hours later it was wandering
around the glass box, very much
animate. After stumbling around Archer’s Thumb Ring
Black jade, sterling silver,
shaking my fists and yelling, “It’s garnets, sapphires
ALIVE! I tell you, it’s ALIVE,” I let it
go, but it probably needed intensive
psychotherapy and boy, I’ll bet it had
some doozie nightmares. My own
favorite nightmare is there’s a knock
on the door and it’s the police! And
they want to go look in my hall
closet! Sure, I say, I have nothing to
hide! Then I remember that actually I
do have something to hide! There’s a
decapitated head under the bicycle
helmets and old badminton rac-
quets! Oh, noooooooo.
How about you? Any really great
nightmares to report?

RH: Believe it or not, I don’t have

nightmares. Maybe it’s because I’m
desensitized to the macabre, so it
doesn’t really bother me. My biggest
fear is obscurity, having my artwork
lost to time and space. I want my
work to inspire future generations,
and to remind them that it’s okay to Gunslinger Belt Buckle
be creepy. Sterling silver, copper

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 59
Dash of Creepy Fun
Phoenix Barrette
Sterling silver, brass, garnets
LJJA: How do you arrive at a design,
dark or otherwise, and develop it?
RH: When I’m designing for myself,
I usually do everything in my head.
When I’m working on a film, I’m
taking direction from the costume
designer. It all starts with a concept
piece, which can be rendered on
computer or sketched on paper.
Then, I make it.
See More Work
THEIR TURN, PAGE 8
60 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
Bench, Business,
and Borgs
LJJA: Are you still bench-making
everything or have you moved into
commercial production, too?
RH: I make everything myself.
LJJA: Do you have monsters under
every bed or is it a peaceful, non-
scary haven? So the question is . . .
What’s your house like?
RH: Believe it or not, my house is
fairly tame. Having been in the min-
eral and fossil business for decades, I
have some favorites that I’ve kept as
decorator pieces. And I’m particu-
larly fond of crystals and the whole
idea of them having metaphysical
properties. So, when my work goes
dark, I’m not actually turning to
the Dark Side. It’s just my creative
expression, typically with a dash of
creepy fun.
LJJA: I was once commissioned
to make some props for the TV
series King Solomon’s Mines and
was shocked by how little they paid
A silver belt buckle Halas created for Dwayne
Johnson in Jumanji.
PHOTO: COURTESY ROGER HALAS
for a piece that took days to make.
Without asking for personal financial
information . . .
Does Hollywood pay better than,
say, Starbucks?
RH: Depending on who you’re
working for, the pay can vary from
chicken scratch to enough to put
a down payment on a new car. I’ve
had the fortunate experience of
working on some very big projects,
like Aquaman and Jumanji, and now
I’m working on Phase 4 of the Marvel
Cinematic Universe.
LJJA: So, non-jewelry question. It
looks fun to be a Star Trek Borg,
what with the enhanced eyeballs
and super-strength and no beer bel-
lies and all, but do you have any idea
why they are so easy to beat up?
Heck, even a small woman like me
could apparently incapacitate a Borg
with a firm backhand.
What’s up with that?
RH: Borgs do seem rather weak
considering their enhancements, so
I’d attribute that to biological decay.
Think about it: Borgs assimilate, but
they don’t eat, meaning their organic
systems should wither away without
proper nourishment, like zombies.
LJJA: It must be hard to pull new
creepy images and concepts out of
our Jungian id-muck. What next?
RH: We all know that monsters come
in many visual forms. There is always
the ugly variety like The Thing or
the mutated grizzly bear in Proph-
ecy. Then, you have the cryptid like
Megalodon or Sasquatch. But my
personal favorites are, of course,
the infamous Alien xenomorph and
cloned dinosaurs.
People are attracted to things that
are unsettling for the same reasons
they ride roller coasters. That’s why
a good horror film can be a box
office success. So, when you see
a piece of jewelry that is meant to
TERRI HAAG is a freelance writer based in Tucson, Arizona. She has been a frequent
contributor to this magazine since the 1990s.
frighten rather than allure, it makes
find the artist
me look twice. And it gets me WWW.ETSY.COM/SHOP/
thinking “Wouldn’t that make a cool RHALASCREATIONS
monster?”
LJJA: I always loved Alice Krige’s
Borg queen from Star Trek: First Con- Roger’s Ring
tact. So seductively, sensually evil.
I want an Alice Krige brooch.
What’s your all-time favorite sci-fi
movie or character?
RH: It’s difficult for me to pick a
favorite sci-fi film, but obviously
Alien is right up there. I like the
fantasy elements of Star Wars,
and the exo-political themes in
Star Trek. Yet as far as villains go,
I absolutely loved Cate Blanchett
as Hela in Thor: Ragnarok. She was
the perfect combination of menace SEAHORSE SUMMONS
and swagger, with a sprinkle of PAGE 62
dark humor.
LJJA: So besides face-huggers,
what’s the strangest jewelry item
you’ve ever been asked to make? “Jewelry on
RH: Once I made a wearable urn for
the Dark Side”
a friend, for her fur buddy who had
passed away. in Lapidary
Journal
LJJA: [Long pause.] . . . Okay, that’s Jewelry Artist,
definitely weird, even for you, Roger. September/
October 2015
RH: Yup. [Big grin.] Yup.
Sterling Space Cuff
Sterling silver, star www.interweave.com/jewelry
diopside
30+ Projects
Jewelry
Making with
Roger Halas
www.interweave.com/product-
category/jewelry/featured-artists-
jewelry/roger-halas
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 61
 A ring that calls forth the power of Atlantis By Roger Halas
Seahorse
Summons
1 2
T
HE OCEANS have always had
an impact on my work as an
artist. The colors, the shapes,
even the dangers therein; it’s a world
like no other. So of course, when I
was hired to work on DC’s Aquaman,
I could not have been happier.
Designing for an iconic superhero
was a dream come true, so I will pass
that experience on to other metal-
smiths through this marine-related
project.
I’ve always been fascinated by
seahorses. Noble little beasts they
are, with such poise and elegance.
It’s no surprise we find them on
everything from canvases, city murals,
Steampunk machinations, and yes,
even jewelry. So prepare yourself for
an adventure, gather your tools, and
get ready to create a ring fit for an
Atlantean.
62 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
IMAGE SET AT DEPTH
1 This ring is all about the seahorse.
How you create that seahorse is
a matter of choice. Since I carve my
own stamps from tool steel, that’s
my preferred method. But it can just
as easily be engraved, etched, or
made via chasing and repoussé. Use
18-gauge sterling to create the image.
2 Oblong seems a fitting shape
for a seahorse. So create a bezel
with 18-gauge sterling sheet, how-
ever tall you want it. I made it taller
to give it depth.
3 Since my seahorse was stamped,
I cut it out and soldered it onto a
base plate. Then I soldered the bezel
around it. This is not a difficult pro-
cess, and the look is very rewarding.
If you etch the seahorse, or engrave
OPENING PHOTO: JIM LAWSON; PROCESS PHOTOS: ROGER HALAS
3
it, you can cut yours out as well and
give it the same treatment. Again,
this creates depth, which I believe
makes for a stronger look.
Remember, this is Atlantean, and
Atlanteans are no slouches. At least,
not in the recent film version where
they settled their differences in the
arena and where fraternizing with
humans was punishable by death.
SHANK
4 Time for the ring shank.
Meaning, time for the 14-gauge
sterling to come out. Use masking
tape to determine the size and cut it
whatever width you like.
5 Forge the shank around a ring
mandrel. Then, file a notch into
both ends of the shank. With pliers,
bend these ends outward.
 Jewelry Project

What
You Need
SKILLS
Intermediate metal
fabrication

TIME IT TOOK
3 hours

MATERIALS
• 18-gauge sterling sheet
• 14-gauge sterling sheet

TOOLS
Torch setup, jeweler’s saw,
files, ring mandrel, pliers,
hammer

SOURCES
Most of the tools and
materials for this project are
available from well-stocked
jewelry supply vendors, many
of whom can be found in our
Advertisers’ Index, page 95.

4 5
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 63
 Jewelry Project SE AH ORSE SU M MO NS

Q&A with Roger

DASH OF CREEPY FUN 6 7

PAGE 56

Since my seahorse was stamped, I cut it out

and soldered it onto a base plate. Then
Stamping Basics I soldered the bezel around it. If you etch the
seahorse, or engrave it, you can cut yours
out as well and give it the same treatment.
Again, this creates depth, which I believe
makes for a stronger look.

6 This is how the shank should look.

Because the tops have been bent
outward, you can see how this com-
ponent will fit inside the bezel. Notice
how they aren’t exactly parallel.
Rather, the compression from forging
COOL TOOLS & HIP TIPS has made the piece springy. This is
PAGE 14 good, because it creates enough
tension to secure the piece without
the need for soldering clamps.
30+ Projects
7 Solder the shank to the bezel.

PERSONAL EXPRESSION

8 Almost done. Of course, I cut

notches across the bezel to
make it look somewhat mechanical. the written word, or jewelry design.
8

Jewelry Making with Roger Halas
www.interweave.com/product-
category/jewelry/featured-
artists-jewelry/roger-halas
Aquaman’s director, James Wan, is
a big fan of Steampunk. Remember
the hologram scene, where the
device was activated by a bead of
sweat? Yes, we Steampunk enthusi-
asts were very happy with that. So,
for this project I went for it.
After all, art is about personal
expression. It’s about living out our
fantasies through whatever medium
we choose, be it sculpture, watercolor,
And this ring brings you one step
closer to that amazing world where
superheroes, magic, and even mon-
sters become reality.
ROGER HALAS is a stone cutter, metalsmith and
jewelry designer who specializes in science fiction
and fantasy themes. He also works in the film indus-
try as a costume designer and prop maker. He can
be reached through Instagram at rhalascreations, or
through Facebook.

64 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

IN TO N EW
JEWELRY-MAKING
TECHNIQUES
It really is astonishing. You can take
an object as light and delicate as a
feather and create a perfect impression
of it in metal simply by passing them
together through a rolling mill. While you
RTQDCDN[VJKPMpVGZVWTGqƂTUVYJGP[QW
hear “rolling mill,” this magical piece
of equipment has other uses, too. In
these highlighted projects from Lapidary
Journal Jewelry Artist[QWoNNNGCTPJQY
artists also use a mill to prepare solder
CPFTGƂPGTCPFQON[UJCRGFRKGEGUQH
metal for use.

If you don’t have access to a rolling mill

(yet), take heart. You can enhance your
OGVCNUWTHCEGUKPEQWPVNGUUYC[UYKVJ
basic hand tools, too — you just have the
pleasure of doing it for a longer time!
10 TEX
JEWE TURED M
Enhan LRY PROJE ETAL
œÜ˜œ>` œÜ>Ì Interweave.com c
or Wi e Surfaces CTS
thout
a Rolli With
FROM
THE E ng Mil
L A P ID
A RY J
D IT O R
OURN
S OF
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l
W E L RY
A RT IS
T MAG
A Z IN E
 In the right light, the cabochon in this necklace really
shines By Betsy Lehndorff

Yooper Magic
I
N THE NIGHTTIME DARKNESS
of my studio, I shine a special
flashlight across drawers of
cabochons and beads, hunting
for anything that glows in its
purple beam. My goal is to dress
up a Yooperlite pendant so that it
looks good in all kinds of lights. By
itself, Yooperlite — as in Michigan’s
Upper Peninsula, where it was first
found — is a dark gray stone with
a smattering of white specs and 1 2
orange smudges across its surface.
Even a couple jots of silver. But not
a lot of “wow.” So, I’ll add some vivid
blue lapis, red rubies, and black-and-
white striped beads, then toss in a
special effect or two. Once worn,
all I have to do is add a splash of
black light to turn my necklace into a
handy conversation starter at parties
in dark restaurants.

DESIGN
3
1 I do an informal layout of stones
and beads that I have. For this

OPENING PHOTO: JIM LAWSON; PROCESS PHOTOS: BETSY LEHNDORFF

project, I decide I’ll need three bezel
cups. I want them all to have the
same height, so I will be using 4mm
fine silver bezel wire.
BEZEL CUPS
the scribed line. Pierce out each
backing plate about 1mm outside
4
your scribed line. the back plate of the lapis setting,
Tip: I used a really fine tungsten then use acetone and a wipe to
scribe and cut exactly on the line remove all ink from your metal.
only to find later that my bezel cups

2 To make the backing plates, I use

a giant Sharpie Pro to cover a
section of sterling silver sheet with
black ink. Then I use a scribe to draw
the outline of each cabochon onto
the metal. This creates a line that is
easy to follow with my saw.
3 Place the sheet on your bench
pin and cut out each backing
plate with a jeweler’s saw, following
were almost too tight. Give yourself
a little wider margin outside the line, AN EASIER
especially if your sawing skills are
wobbly.
WAY
If you are using round
4 Even if your stones are sym-
metrical, take a moment to
match your backing plates to your
calibrated stones (cut to
standardized sizes) you can buy
ready-made deep sterling silver
bezel cups from a well-stocked
stones. Scribe or draw up arrows to
indicate “north” on the metal and
the back of the stones. Hallmark
jewelry supply company.

66 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

Jewelry Project

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 67
 In most lighting, the central
Yooperlite gem appears subdued
(left), but under longwave ultraviolet
(opposite page), it really glows! The
stone also glows, but weakly, under
shortwave UV light.

What You Need 5 Working with the rectangular

stone at the top of this design,
cut one end of a strip of 4mm bezel
SKILLS TIME IT TOOK wire flush and file, making sure your
Soldering 8 hours cut is perpendicular to the length. To
Stone setting
estimate how much wire you need,
Beading
measure the sides of the plate and add
about a quarter inch. For this plate,
MATERIALS
I need a strip 5 inches long. Starting
• Yooperlite™ cabochon silver jump ring made
• Lapis cabochon of 12 ga. wire
at the middle of the bottom edge, I

• 12mm moonstone • Four 4mm I.D. fit the strip around the backing plate,
• 22-gauge sterling
silver sheet
jump rings made of
16-gauge wire
bending the wire at each corner with a
pair of parallel pliers. Once all the way
• 18" of 28-gauge 4mm • Hard solder • Medium SoftFlex around, mark the trim with a fine point
fine silver bezel wire • Medium solder cable for beading
• Beads Sharpie, trim and file the second end
• 2" 2.55mm O.D.
sterling silver tubing
• 2-part, glow-in-the-
dark paint for watch • Crimps flush, making sure there is no gap and

• 9mm I.D. sterling dials • Clasp the bezel fits closely. Repeat with the
two other stones.
TOOLS
Safety: Ventilation, eye
protection, magnification
Design: UV longwave
handpiece or rotary
Dremel tool, salon-style
sanding sticks in a variety
absorbent cloth
Finishing: Bench polisher
or rotary tool with
6 Fit your torch with a #00 tip. On a
piece of Solderite board, flux each
bezel with Prips, and join with a snip of
flashlight, natural or of grits; ¾" Moore’s clean muslin buff and hard solder. Quench, pickle, and rinse.
manmade components sanding disks in Fine, X Fabuluster polishing
that glow in black light Fine and XX Fine grits, compound for high shine
Hand: Sharpie Pro
Permanent Marker with
chisel tip, bench pin,
1000-grit sandpaper,
jeweler’s chain nose pliers
Soldering: Respirator
or a crimped brass brush
for burnished finish; hot,
soapy water and tooth
7 Fit each bezel onto its back plate.
Make sure the bezel seam is in
the middle of the bottom edge of the
sharp scribe, jeweler’s or soldering ventilation brush, blue painter’s tape rectangular and the square settings.
saw with 4/0 blades system, 6"x 6" Solderite Stone Setting: dental
and lubricant, ring file, soldering board; soldering floss, 2-part epoxy, These seams will later be hidden by
acetone, wipes, bench pick, fine tweezers, mixing cup, microfine jump rings. Add stone to check fit.
block, hallmarking air/acetylene Smith brush, plastic credit card,
stamps and chasing Silversmith torch with #0 burnishing tool, acetone
hammer, flush cutters,
straight edge, fine point
and #00 tips and tank of
fuel, Prips flux in spray
and swabs for clean up
Beading: Bead board,
8 Turn on ventilation or put on
respirator. Flux front and back of
each bezel cup with Prips in a small
black Sharpie, parallel bottle, quench, pickle pot cutters, crimping tool
pliers, flexible shaft and and copper tongs, soft spray bottle, heating and spraying
three to four times until you’ve built
SOURCES up a snowy white coat. Position snips
Most tools and materials can be found in our paints for watch dials. of hard solder inside each cup, and
for this project are Advertisers’ Index, page Look for Yooperlite at heat with a #0 Smith torch tip until
available from well- 95. Esslingers.com and https://www.yooper- solder flows. Quench, pickle, rinse,
stocked jewelry supply Otto Frei carry long lites.com/ or google for
and dry with soft cloth. Repeat if you
vendors, many of whom lasting glow-in-the-dark online sellers.
have gaps.

68 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Jewelry Project YOO PER MAG I C

5 6

7 8 9

9 Use the ring file to smooth the

back of each bezel cup and the
bezel wire seams. Remove file marks
with a nail salon sanding stick.

10 If you are having trouble

cleaning up the bezel seams,
mount a fine grit Moore’s disk on a
Dremel tool. The flexible sandpaper
makes quick work smoothing away
excess solder.
 11 Recheck the fit of your stones
in your bezel cups by draping a
length of dental floss across the cup
then pressing your stone in. If it gets
stuck, you can use the floss to tug the
stone out. Don’t force the stones into
the cups; you could break them. If you
need to make adjustments, try sanding
the edges of your stones vigorously
with a sanding stick, then check fit
again. (I know. I check fit a lot.)
LINKING UP THE CUPS
10 11
13 Set up the first two bezel
cups, the tubing and the
large jump ring on your Solderite
board. I’ve drawn guide lines with a
straight edge and black Sharpie on
the sheet silver to make placement
more precise. Flux well with Prips.
Tuck snips of medium solder on the 12
“north” side of the tubing. This way,
you’ll be able to clean up the excess
solder later with Moore’s disks. Add
jump ring to connect the two bezel

12 At your bench pin, use your

ring file to flatten one side of
your tubing so it will adhere well to
the back plate. It will become the
bail when strung with beads onto
SoftFlex.
cups together, and position snips of
solder to the top and bottom of this
circle. Heat with torch until joined.
Quench, pickle, rinse, and pat dry
with a cloth. Check these joins to
make sure they are well attached. 13

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 69
 Jewelry Project YOO PER MAG IC
Yooperlite™ — rock that’s a
glowing success story
Sally, Cheri and I giggle in the dark as we
stumble along the rocky shores of Hubbard
Lake, Michigan, where we live. Eons ago,
glaciers inched across this area and we are
hoping they dragged some Yooperlite all
the way from Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
Using a single black UV flashlight, we hope
to excite this stone’s electrons and cause it to
reveal itself with a fiery glow.
However, on this cold night, we have
no luck, although we aren’t completely
disappointed. We do come across a bunch
of sandy pink rocks that seem to glow like
lava, even under water. As a backup, we jump
in the truck and drive to the Alcona County
Road Commission gravel pit 20 minutes
away, watching out for deer. There, we have
official permission to search for Yooperlite.
There’s more nervous laughter as we hike
in darkness about a quarter mile. (Sally is
afraid we will come across a bear, so we make
a lot of noise.) Finally, surrounded by piles
of culled gravel, we shine our single beam
around, seeing only glowing white blotches
on non-descript gray stones. For the heck of
it, I put one of them in my pocket. Later, we
See More Work
THEIR TURN, PAGE 8
70 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
stuff ourselves into a friend’s small bathroom
with the lights out and I notice something.
The dull gray stone from the quarry continues
to glow for three seconds after exposure to
my black light. Turns out it’s mildly phos-
phorescent, like the dial of an old-fashioned
wristwatch.
A NEW FIND
The recent discovery of Yooperlite in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, or U.P., as it’s
often called, is drawing new attention to
rocks that fluoresce. In 2017, casino worker
Erik Rintamaki discovered it on the shores of
Lake Superior one dark night in April.
Originally, Rintamaki was combing the
beaches with a black light in hopes of finding
more Lake Superior agate, which he sells
as a rock dealer. After four fruitless nights,
however, he spotted something else -- three
stones that looked as if they were on fire
when his black light hit them. Although the
rocks were bland looking in regular light,
he’d never seen this reaction before and
knew he’d found something special. But he
didn’t know what. So, he raced to his home in
Brimley, Michigan, to do an Internet search.
To his surprise, he came up empty-handed.
Rintamaki then contacted friend Gabe
Reyna in California. After some study, Reyna
determined the rocks contained a syenite-
rich fluorescent sodalite, which is clear, not
blue. And it hadn’t been found in Michigan
before.
Rintamaki got his find published in a May
2018 article in Mineral News as a new discov-
ery, which gave him naming rights. He called
the stone Yooperlite and, in a flash of genius,
trademarked the word. No one can use the
term Yooperlite to sell the stone unless they
have his official permission.
“There are a lot of hoops, and trademarking
is very expensive,” Rintamaki says. “You have
to prove you were the first person to use that
word ever and use that word for a rock.”
Since he has a reputation for enforcing
his trademark, his discovery has proven to
be gold.
In January 2019, Rintamaki was able
to quit his day job and go into rock deal-
ing full time, developing an international
reputation, especially in Japan. He’s
even bought a new Subaru and is on his
way to making his first million, he says.
Working with craftspeople and
other vendors, Rintamaki sells
Yooperlite beads, cabochons, night
sky photographs and UV flashlights on
his website, and gets anywhere from
$1 to $600 a pound depending on the
fluorescence of the stone. He himself
cuts yooperlite spheres and leads night-
time rock hunting tours, unless he’s on
the road selling at gem shows.
According to reports, Yooperlite
originated from an outcrop in Ontario,
Canada, called the Coldwell Alkaline
Complex, and was brought down and
tumbled into smooth pebbles and
cobbles by glacier and wave action.
Rintamaki says the stone has a Mohs
hardness of 5, but to me it seems harder
to cut than that. However, it does polish
up beautifully, like granite.
“It’s consistent,” Rintamaki says.
“You don’t get a lot of fractures. It’s
kind of a lapidary dream. If you drop
them on the floor, they don’t shatter in
50 pieces.”
Although Rintamaki has been leading
Yooperlite hunts in the summer, you
don’t have to go to Michigan’s far, far
north to find your own. That’s why Sally,
Cheri, and I are out one cold winter
night stumbling over rocks in the dark
in Alcona County, which is hundreds of
miles to the south of the main source.
“You can find it in Michigan,
Wisconsin, Indiana, Minnesota,
Pennsylvania, and Ohio, Lake Superior,
Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, in farm
fields, driveways, gravel pits,” Rintamaki
says.
It just takes a good quality UV
flashlight, patience, luck, and a couple
of friends for company.

14
16
18
14 The next step is to solder a
jump ring onto the bottom of
the setting and the top of the round
bezel cup. Since all of the bezel
cups are the same height, use the
edge of one bezel cup to support
the jump ring for another bezel cup.
See placement in photo, which was
taken before fluxing.
CLEAN UP THE BACKS
15 Use a jeweler’s saw to trim
the excess tubing flush. The
blade can catch on the thin metal,
so use a light touch and rotate the
setting if necessary. Then use a fine
15
17
19
grit Moore’s disk to clean up
soldered areas. Scrub with a
toothbrush and hot soapy water
and repeat with X Fine and XX
Fine disks. You can burnish
silver surfaces with a crimped
brass brush. Or use Fabuluster
and a bench polishing machine
or clean buff on a rotary tool
to shine up the silver. Scrub
well with hot soapy water
and a toothbrush to remove
compound, then dry. Cover
backs with painter’s blue tape to
protect from scratches during
stone setting.
SPECIAL EFFECTS
16 I mix equal parts of luminous
watch dial powder and adhe-
sive together and fill the polished
round bezel cup half full. This paint
develops a matte finish once dried
overnight. When I am ready to set
the moonstone, I add a little more
powder and adhesive to the cup so
it will cling to the back of the moon-
stone. Then I press the gem into
place. This waterproofs the setting.
17 I use a burnisher to tighten the
bezel. After another period of
drying, I give the jewel a light polish.
Tip: Fine jeweler Michael Nashef has
used glow-in-the-dark powders in some
of his experimental work and notes that
when mixed with epoxy the effect can
become streaky or darken over time.
After consulting with him, I decide to
track down the watch dial powder (non-
radioactive) and build up a thick coat in
the bottom of the bezel cup.
STONE SETTING
18 I cut a plastic card into two
rectangles the same size as the
lapis stone, which is a little thin. I use
epoxy and clamps to glue them onto
the back of the stone. Once cured,
I add more epoxy to the inside of
the bezel cup, press the stack in
place and tighten the bezel and
corners with a burnisher. I also set
the Yooperlite, which is thick enough
and doesn’t need backing.
Once everything is cured, I clean
up the bezels with Moore’s disks and
give the sterling silver a final polish.
Then I use a jump ring to attach the
glow-in-the-dark moonstone to the
bottom of the Yooperlite.
19 I string black and white glass
beads and small rubies onto
medium sterling silver SoftFlex,
attach clasp and crimp.
BETSY LEHNDORFF, a Michigan silversmith, has
been freelancing for Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist
since 2010 and occasionally posts articles at https://
www.interweave.com/jewelry. Got questions? Betsy
can be reached at betsylehndorff@gmail.com.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 71
 Doublée:
Gold on Silver
A low-tech and inexpensive way to create the look of
pure gold and the strength of sterling silver
by Charles Lewton-Brain

G
old surfaces justify a higher
price point on a finished
piece, and when gold gets
expensive, goldsmiths get creative.
In 1979 I was working in Pforzheim,
in then West Germany, where I also
studied at the Fachhochschule für
Gestaltung with Klaus Ullrich. In the
1960s, he had done a lot of fusing
of 18, 22, and 24 karat golds in his
work. As the gold price rose at that

time, he began making doublée
material in order to retain the pure
gold color on his work and still keep
the work’s price down.
At his workshop I watched him fuse
a sheet of .3 mm 24K gold to a 1 mm
sheet of sterling silver. He used a large
propane/air blowtorch with the air
supplied by a foot bellows. Then he
rolled it out to the size he needed,
controlling its shape by changing
directions during rolling. The final roll
was done with writing paper, printing
the gold with a delicate texture to
break up the light reflecting from its
surface.
When I returned to Canada in
1981 and set up my own workshop,
I worked with this fusing technique
so as to have pure 24K color and the
strength of sterling without having
to spend a fortune on inventory. As I
had been shown, I began by using .3
mm gold sheet, 1 mm sterling, and flux
to fuse them with. As I understood
the process more, I lowered the gold
thickness to .1 mm gold sheet and
increased the silver to 1.5 to 2 mm
with no flux, just using the reduc-
ing atmosphere of the flame and
charcoal.
Then, by engraving before rolling, I
could determine the width of lines by
the direction in which they were rolled
— stretching their thickness by rolling.
1 18K/sterling earrings, made from
punched discs that were engraved
and then rolled to form ovals.
2 Pendant using doublée,
engraved through.
HANDMADE AND
COMMERCIAL
Doublée is a German word of
French origin meaning rolled gold
or gold fill material. I use the term
to describe the small-studio-made
gold-fill material described here to
OPENING PHOTO: JIM LAWSON; ALL OTHER PHOTOS AND ALL JEWELRY: COURTESY CHARLES LEWTON-BRAIN
1
differentiate it from the commer-
cially produced sheet material.
At the time the term was first pub-
lished in English in the mid 1980s
(in Metalsmith and Lemel), there
were no sources in North America
for commercially made gold fused
(or soldered) to sterling silver. There
are now. The currently available
commercial gold/silver sheet is sold
as “laminate” or “bimetal”; some
is soldered, some is fused. I know
of 10K, 14K, 18K, and 22K material,
the latter made in small, artisanal
batches by Phil Baldwin, known for
his mokumé gané available through
Reactive Metals and Rio Grande.
In the handmade approach
described here, a sheet of 24K gold
is fused onto a thick slug of sterling
silver and rolled out. Other karats of
gold can be used.

72 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Technique Demo

Round Moon and Figurative pins with

doublée by Charles Lewton-Brain

The commercially produced

material is normally used to look
like a gold object, at least from the
front. My approach is to treat the
laminate as a two-part mokumé,
cutting through the gold layer to
expose the silver underneath. The
surface is then rolled to reflatten it
and create patterns of silver on the
gold surface. I usually rollerprint
ordinary photocopy paper on
the patterned surface to unify its
texture. The design is then brought
out by using dilute potassium
sulfide (liver of sulfer), which makes
the exposed silver turn black and
shows the pattern against the
lustrous gold surface.
Handmade doublée has different
qualities than the manufactured
metal laminate. It is far less perfect,
its finished size is limited by one’s 2

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 73
 Technique Demo DO UBLÉ E: GOLD ON SI LVER

workshop facilities, and it takes time to

make. There is lots of control over gold
layer thickness. I prefer 24K gold for
the color and ease of fusing. I can fuse
successfully with most torch systems,
including air/acetylene.

3 Brooch, 24K doublée, sterling silver,

aluminum, brass.
While 14 karat, 18 karat gold, and so on,
may be used for the homemade version,
24 karat gold is easiest to use. As its
melting point is so far above that of ster-
ling or fine silver, it does not easily alloy
with the silver but fuses to it instead.

4 Brooch, 24K gold doublée, sterling

silver, oxidized with LOS (liver of
sulfer).

PREPARATION
Here is a way to make doublée on a
small scale with limited equipment: a
charcoal block and a gassy torch flame.

3
5 24K gold chunk and a 3mm thick
sterling silver slug.

ROLL THE GOLD

Roll the 24k gold out to .1 mm thick-
ness. While rolling, anneal the gold
when it shows signs of curling, and
increase the pressure in small incre-
ments to avoid rippling the sheet. One
can roll it incredibly thin on a single
annealing but ripples and edge cracks
may result, therefore several annealings
may be needed.

6 Rolling the gold out after annealing.

7 The gold is rolled until the desired

thickness: here .1mm.
The silver used should be at least 1mm
thick (I use 3mm thick silver for this
procedure). Thicker metal will give a
greater final surface area of gold from
the same starting area. The fusing is also
more controllable with a smaller slug. I
usually end rolling the sheet at 0.5mm
thickness.
4
74 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
CUT
Cut the thick silver to the blank shape
for fusing. Rounded or oval shapes
are best for least stressful rolling, but
square and rectangular ones with
rounded edges work. Using shapes
without interior angles that are
greater than 180° is best. Called re-
entrant angles, these cause tearing
of the blank while rolling. I generally
keep the size of the piece being fused
5 6
under 5 cm to allow better control
over the reducing gassy atmosphere
when using a flame. The thicker the
slug, the larger the resulting piece
after rolling.

8 Place the silver blank (slug) on

the gold sheet and cut the gold
out around the silver with shears
or scissors, leaving about 1.5-2mm
of extra gold. This is to prevent any
silver alloy formed during fusing
from crawling over onto the top (the
front) surface of the gold sheet —
which is a nightmare to clean off.
7

9 This is a reasonable amount of

overlap on the gold foil.
Clean both gold and silver of oxides
and greases on their contact surfaces.
Pickling and alcohol work well.

FUSION
Fusion is done on a charcoal block,
which improves the reducing
atmosphere and provides a smooth
surface underneath.
8 9
10 Place the gold foil flat onto the
block with the silver slug on
top of it.

11 Use a vertical, very bushy,

gas-rich flame that envelops the
metal and charcoal. The gassy flame
prevents oxididation of the copper
in the sterling alloy, which otherwise
would prevent good fusion. Under
the flame, the charcoal block burns,
consuming oxygen and extending
your working time. 10 11

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 75
 Technique Demo DO UBLÉ E: GOLD ON SI LVER

The temperature is slowly and

evenly raised until the sterling silver
nears its melting point. The moment
that fusing has taken place — when
you’ve observed that flash of liquid
silver alloy along the edges of the join
— stop heating.

12 The moment of fusion.

13 The slug after fusing.

After fusing, cut off excess gold

sheet and save it. File the slug’s
sides smooth and finally emery them
12 lengthwise, as any vertical indenta-
tions can foster cracks when rolling.
After filing and emerying, lightly bevel
the back edge with file and emery,
again to avoid cracking. Because of
the high temperatures used, the grain
structure is compromised.

14 Sanding the sides of the fused

slug.

CREATE PATTERNING
Mount the slug for engraving,
drilling, and so on through the
gold layer. Any piercing of the gold
layer will result in a pattern. A fine-
pointed center punch that pricks
the gold surface, for instance, will
produce dots of silver on the final
piece, which react to liver of sulfer
13 thus making black spots.

14 15 16
76 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
 17 18 19

15 The gold layer cut through

with a graver, chisel, or burr.

16 The slug is ready for rolling

after cutting through the 24K
gold layer.

17 Rolling the cut gold.

18 The slug part-way through the

rolling process.
When rolling, increase the pressure
in small increments, and examine the
edges for cracks at every pass. If even
a tiny crack appears at the edge, then 20 21
that point should be filed back just
past the origin of the crack to prevent
it going further. Frequent annealing
slows down the cracking, as does
keeping the edge smooth.

19 Here is what a crack looks like

if you rolled too much without
annealing or removing trace cracks.

FINAL SURFACE
When it is the final thickness (I usu-
ally use .5 mm), the surface can be
printed with a texture such as cloth
or papers of different kinds using
the rolling mill.
22 23
22 Another option is to use
scattered silver filings fused
onto the gold surface for a speckled
may easily be burnished down
with a fingernail. If large areas
have not fused or large bubbles

20 Metal sheet rolled with paper

to texture the surface.
effect. (over 1mm) exist, they should
be pricked through, flattened,

21 Brooch, 24K gold doublée on

sterling heated so that relief is
23 If bubbles show on the gold
from reheating or further
soldering, as in this closeup, they
and fused again to the point
that silver alloy is noticed at the
prick mark.
formed.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 77
 Technique Demo
See More Work
THEIR TURN, PAGE 8
References
This discussion about doublée
(Charles Lewton-Brain ©2020) is
derived from the author’s 2017 paper
to the Santa Fe Symposium on Jewelry
Technology, “Gold Applications, Part
2: Doublée and Gold Painting.” The
symposium’s published papers are
free to download at www.santafesym-
posium.org/papers.
The term “doublée” first appeared
in English in the U.S. Metalsmith, 1985,
V.5, N.4 (Fall), pp. 38-40; and then in
the Australian Lemel, “Doublée,” June
1986, pp.3-4.
78 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
DO UBLÉ E: GOLD ON SI LVER
24 25
26 27
24 The exposed silver in the
finished piece may now
be colored with a little liver of
27
across.
Brooch, 24K gold fused to
sterling silver, engraved, 5.5cm
sulfur diluted with ammonia.
To sum up: Using gold doublée lets you
25 The final piece is now
raw material to make
jewelry from.
make pieces with gold on them at a more
affordable cost. It lets you get the pure,
lovely color of 24k gold on your work,
which lets you charge more. It gives
26 Closeup of the final
surface.
you options for pattern as a two-part
mokume, and is fairly easy to do. Good
luck and have fun with this technique!
CHARLES LEWTON-BRAIN is a master goldsmith who has studied and worked in Germany, Canada,
and the U.S. He has taught jewelry making extensively, won numerous awards, published prodigiously in
the field, was instrumental in the development of the online jewelry making forum and information site
www.ganoksin.com, and developed the technique of foldforming metal. You can learn much more at www.
brainpress.com.
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 Gold Plated
How the jewelry industry achieves the golden glow of
gold at lower cost
by Sharon Elaine Thompson

T
he cost of gold is astro-
nomical — but there is
nothing like that look. A
thin layer of gold on the
surface of a less expensive metal
makes a much more affordable
option for makers and customers.
There are quite a few techniques for
achieving this, some relatively low
tech, inexpensive, and safe.
This, however, is a detailed look at
electroplating, the process widely
used in the jewelry industry by expe-
rienced professionals. It is advanced,
challenging, and potentially quite
dangerous. If plating is a technique
you think you might want to learn
about, this will provide a good over-
view of it to help you decide. And of
course, If you are familiar with the
technique and use gold plating on
some of your jewelry, always follow
your manufacturer’s instructions
precisely. The final product — a beautiful
“Plating” is the application of mi- worry about,” says Thomas Flores gold plated ring.
PHOTO: COURTESY RIO GRANDE
crons-thick metal to another surface, at Rio Grande in Albuquerque, New
and in the jewelry industry this is Mexico. If cyanide and sulfuric acids
usually another metal. Gold plating come into contact, they create hy-
is commonly used to even out the drogen cyanide gas which is deadly. The plating process combines
color on gold jewelry that has been Cyanide-free gold and silver plat- electricity and water at voltages
repaired, but you can also plate ing solutions are available but are high enough to cause injury, so
silver, bronze, and copper with gold, still acid-based — acids that can handling plating equipment and set-
completely or selectively. Plating is a splash and damage eyes or skin. ting up the plating environment also
pretty straightforward process — but (Adding acids to water, not the require care. A non-conducting work
there are a lot of caveats. other way around, helps limit splash- surface and glass beakers are essen-
ing.) Electro-cleaners are alkali- tial. With a metal beaker on a metal
Safety based. “An alkali burn on skin or in work surface, the entire work surface
Plating chemicals are dangerous. the eyes is far more serious than an would be electrified once current
Gold and silver plating solutions may acid burn,” writes Alberta, Canada, was run through the setup.
contain cyanide, which is potentially jewelry artist and educator, Charles There are four ways chemicals
fatal if handled improperly. “The Lewton-Brain, in his The Jewelry enter your body, says Neil Bell,
industry is trying to move away from Workshop Safety Report. These president of Red Sky Plating, in Al-
cyanide-based solutions because of solutions must always be used with buquerque, New Mexico: skin, eyes,
the cyanide/acid hazard you have to great care. ingestion, and inhalation. Profes-

80 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 technique
sionals protect these pathways to
reduce the risks of working with
dangerous chemicals. (For all the
risks associated with plating, see
Charles Lewton-Brain’s The Jewelry
Workshop Safety Report.)
Precautions advised for gold plat-
ing are really specific recommenda-
tions derived from good habits to
follow in general. Gold plating safety
measures include:
• Always read and follow manu-
facturers’ recommendations on
procedure, handling, and storage.
• Read the SDS, the Safety and Data
Sheets, that come with the solu-
tions and plating equipment. Be
Preparing a ring for the gold plating process.
prepared for a spill or exposure by PHOTO: COURTESY RIO GRANDE
having the necessary supplies and
equipment on hand and knowing
the procedures to follow. Know
what to do in an emergency. Keep
emergency contacts prominently
displayed near the plating setup.
Make sure others know where
those contact numbers are. Con-
tact local hazardous waste depart-
ments and know proper disposal
procedures for all your spent plat-
ing solutions.
• Keep cyanide away from other ac-
ids — even pickle. The combination
of cyanide and acid creates gas
that can kill. Keep all solutions in
plastic containers that can’t break.
• Keep the work area clean. Use the
appropriate beakers and equip- The ring is dipped in electroplating solution. PHOTO: COURTESY RIO GRANDE
ment only for electroplating, noth-
ing else. Be sure all beakers and
solution bottles are clearly labeled.
• Do not have a plating setup ar-
ranged on a metal surface. For
an extra layer of protection, use a
heavy rubber mat on the floor to
stand on.
• Label all containers and beakers
clearly with the solutions in them.
This includes labeling the rinse
beakers with the solutions that will
be rinsed in them. Also label all so-
lutions correctly when taking them
for hazardous waste disposal.
• Always work with adequate venti-
lation. Use a fume hood.
• Wear eye protection, disposable
gloves, an apron, safety glasses, The ring is removed from the electroplating solution. PHOTO: COURTESY RIO GRANDE

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 81
Gold Plated
and closed-toe shoes when plat-
ing. When working with acids,
have lots of baking soda on hand
to neutralize spills. (Cyanide spills
require different handling. Read
the SDS information.)
• Never allow children and animals
in a shop where they can uninten-
tionally be poisoned or burned.
• Don’t get complacent. There are
too many horror stories in the in-
dustry about accidents that could
have been avoided. “Taking [the
process] for granted is the most
dangerous thing, forgetting that
you’re dealing with chemicals and
incompatible solutions. Compla-
cency is the biggest enemy,” warns
Lewton-Brain.
• Questions? Always contact the
manufacturer of the plating solution
with any questions at all.
Mike Melvin of Stuller, Inc. prepares rings for the plating process.
PHOTO: COURTESY STULLER, INC.
82 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
The Setup
According to professional platers,
successful plating depends largely
on two things: getting the jewelry
really clean before plating, and care-
fully and consistently following the
correct procedure. No skipping or
skimping on steps, and following all
instructions that come with a gold-
plating solution, which are printed
on the label or downloaded from the
manufacturer’s website. There are
many different manufacturers and
even more different colors and kar-
ats of gold-plating solutions avail-
able. Instructions should be treated
as product- and manufacturer-spe-
cific. A similar product from another
manufacturer may require different
procedures.
Many pros like to write out a cheat
sheet for each step so they don’t
have to depend on their memory.
Keeping a log of exactly what
they’ve done provides them and
manufacturers with information that
can help with troubleshooting later.
Plating solutions combine acids
(or cyanide), water, and dissolved
gold. Because of the hazards of
cyanide in gold and silver plat-
ing solutions, many jewelers prefer
to work with non-cyanide based
solutions. The only difference some
people have reported between them
is that cyanide-based solutions may
be able to plate more objects before
the solution is “plated out.”
The proportions of the elements in
the solutions are important. Changes
in these proportions will affect plat-
ing quality. Plating solution must be
heated as it’s worked with, and as a
result, the water (but not the acid)
evaporates and must be replaced
with distilled water. Tap water con-
tains impurities that contaminate
solutions, leading to unsuccessful
plating. With gold-plating solution
running $200 to $400 per pint, it’s
not something jewelers want to have
to replace it frequently.
Over time and use, gold will plate
out of the solution and onto the jew-
elry in it. After a while, the plating
process will take longer, quality will
decrease, and eventually there may
be no plating at all. Then it’s time to
replace the solution.
When gold plating base metal
products — such as copper, brass,
and bronze — the piece must be
“preplated” with another metal,
usually nickel. “Preplating seals the
surface so the base metal doesn’t
oxidize over time, which it will.” The
oxidation migrates though the gold
layer to the surface, tarnishing the
gold plating. Preplating also helps
with the uniformity of the plating
and adhesion of the gold plate to
the surface of the metal. Because
of the issues with nickel allergies,
says Flores, people are moving
away from that and preplating with
palladium.

Electroplating supplies and tools
from Stuller, Inc.
PHOTO: COURTESY STULLER, INC.
Clean Finish to Start
Here is the general process the pros
follow for gold plating. Before a jew-
eler can plate successfully, almost
all other jewelry processes must
be completed, including solder-
ing, bending, sawing, and so on. All
stones should be set except stones
such as peridot, coral, shell, pearl,
hematite, lapis, malachite, turquoise,
or those subject to thermal shock.
The jewelry should be well finished,
textured as desired or polished to a
bright finish. Plating does not cover
scratches or imperfections or fill po-
rosity — it may accentuate them.
Next comes a thorough cleaning
in an ultrasonic filled with a solu-
tion designed specifically to remove
polishing compounds, followed by a
rinse in distilled or deionized water.
At this point, steam cleaning can
boil off any surface water. To avoid
scratching it, the cleaned jewelry
should be handled with rubber-
tipped tweezers or cotton-gloved
hands, not directly with fingers. This
is because the acids on anyone’s
hands etch the metal, leaving notice-
able fingerprints after plating.
Professional platers strongly cau-
tion against plating directly after
cleaning in a sonic and steaming
because of the likelihood of contam-
inating the plating solution. Instead,
they next electro-clean the jewelry,
rinse, submerge in an acid dip, and
rinse again before plating. Electro-
cleaning is not a replacement for
Rio Grande’s equipment and supplies for
electroplating. PHOTO: COURTESY RIO GRANDE
a thorough ultrasonic cleaning. It
simply removes the last traces of
contaminants from the jewelry. “If
there’s one thing we can stress,”
says Mike Melvin, at Stuller, Inc., in
Lafayette, Louisiana, “it’s to follow
the proper procedure.”
Electro-cleaning involves heating
a special electro-cleaning solution
precisely to the manufacturer’s rec-
ommended temperature, checking
with a thermometer, and setting the
voltage as instructed. Then, either
a stainless steel anode is inserted
into the solution, or a stainless steel
container is used to act as the posi-
tive anode.
Attached to the negative pole, the
jewelry should be immersed in the
solution for “a minute,” says Melvin.
“Not 15 seconds, not 30, not 45.” The
solution will bubble, which is what
removes the last traces of soil from
the jewelry. From this point on, the
jewelry is kept moving from bath
to rinse to bath. It must stay wet.
If it dries out, the process must be
started again.
Then comes a one-minute rinse
in distilled (not tap) water, without
voltage or heat. The electro-cleaner
is alkali-based, and if brought into
the gold plating solution would kill
the pH of the solution, preventing
good adhesion. When doing a lot of
plating, jewelers keep the rinse wa-
ter fresh by replacing it after every
four or five pieces.
The Acid Dip
A rinse in an acid dip helps activate
the surface of the jewelry for plating,
but it is also part of the cleaning. The
acid strips away any remaining alkali-
based electro-cleaner that could
contaminate the plating bath. The
electro-cleaner doesn’t rinse away
easily with water, and this step is very
important. The rinse is done for one
minute without heat or voltage.
Bell recommends a “water break”
test at this point. After the rinse,
water should wet the entire surface
of the piece without beading up or
“breaking.” Breaking indicates the
surface is not clean and active, and
the process should be started over
from electro-cleaning. When the
entire surface is wetted, it’s ready for
plating.
To prevent carrying acid to the
plating bath, the jewelry should be
rinsed in distilled water, with no volt-
age or heat, for 30 seconds to one
minute. You do not want acid in a
cyanide-based bath!
Electroplating
The electroplating solution needs
to be used heated according to the
manufacturer’s guidelines for that
solution. The negative lead should
be attached to the jewelry. The posi-
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 83
Gold Plated
tive lead should be attached to the
correct type of anode. The voltage
should be adjusted per the instruc-
tions. Then the jewelry is plated
for the recommended time, rinsed
with distilled water for one minute,
steamed, and rinsed again.
If everything has been kept clean,
the solutions uncontaminated, and
the attempt has been at the right
temperatures, voltage, and dura-
tion, plating should be successful.
If the plating setup is left standing
between plating sessions, the bea-
kers should be covered, not exposed
to the environment. The level of the
solution in the beaker should also
be raised to the proper level with
distilled water before the next plat-
ing session.
Safety
Reading
To keep yourself and your
employees safe, look for Lewton-
Brain’s The Jewelry Workshop
Safety Report at http://brainpress.
com/Books.html#SafetyReport
Fuse Gold
DOUBLÉE: GOLD ON SILVER
PAGE 72
84 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
The electroplating process in progress at Stuller. PHOTO: COURTESY STULLER, INC.
Where Things
Go Wrong
If the plating wasn’t successful, the
problems can usually be traced
back to something skipped, done
incompletely, or a corner otherwise
cut. Here are some of the most likely
issues.
The jewelry wasn’t clean: polish-
ing compound is not completely
removed, there are fingerprints, it
has not been electro-cleaned or
acid dipped. This, say professional
platers, is the biggest cause of poor
plating quality. Sonic and/or steam
cleaning is not enough when it
comes to plating. If it’s not clean,
the plating will not be even — or the
item will not plate at all.
Proportions of acid or cyanide/
water/gold change. This happens in
a number of ways:
• Evaporated water is not replaced.
• Using only part of plating solution
and “topping off ” with that when
the solution gets low. “This throws
off the proportions in the mix and
the chemistry. That really affects
the results,” says Melvin.
• Not rinsing after electro-cleaning
or acid-dipping steps.
• Using tap water to rinse. Tap water
contains numerous impurities that
will contaminate the solutions.
Only distilled water works for
rinses.
• Not following the manufacturer’s
recommended procedures. Alter-
ing temperatures, voltages, and
time can lead to a rough or poor-
quality surface, hazing, or burning.
More Bang
Gold plating is a process used every
day in the jewelry industry. It’s also
employed successfully by some
studio artists with the proper setup
and procedures. Electroplating gold
is only one way to get a lot of bang
for your gold buck, and we’ll look
at more studio-friendly options in
an upcoming feature — and you can
find instructions for one of them
from Charles Lewton-Brain in this
issue starting on page 72.
SHARON ELAINE THOMPSON is a freelance
writer based in Oregon. She has written for
Lapidary Journal Jewelry Artist since 1987 and
blogs frequently at www.interweave.com/jewelry.
Learn more at jewelryartdiva.com.
Acknowledgements. Thank you to Neil Bell,
president of Red Sky Plating, Mike Melvin,
Stuller, Inc., in Lafayette, Louisiana, Charles
Lewton-Brain, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada,
and Thomas Flores, at Rio Grande, in
Albuquerque, New Mexico, for sharing their
deep knowledge of plating and how to stay
safe while doing so.
 Write for Catalog
Tru-Square Metal Products • P.O. Box 585 • Auburn, WA 98071
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 85
 Beautiful
Blends
Lisa Krikawa’s progression through metal, mokumé,
and marriage jewelry By Terri Haag

PHOTOS: COURTESY LISA KRIKAWA

Autumn mokumé set with

faceted orange sapphire

“I
always knew my career would be somewhere in the
arts,” says Canadian-born Lisa Krikawa, now of Tucson,
Arizona. “But after doing sculpture and trying my hand
at other artistic endeavors, I found myself in a jewelry-
making/metalsmithing class at Palomar Community College in San
Diego. Within a week I was utterly hooked and I knew that would be
it.” It’s a familiar route from one art form into another, but not every
metals major hones in on such intricate work.
Krikawa Jewelry’s specialty is mokumé
gané, the Japanese metalsmithing technique
that creates the appearance of wood grain,
which is how the term is usually translated
into English. It is created with layers of
differently colored metal that are bonded
together into a billet and then manipulated
to create that grain-like patterning as one
and then another layer shows through.

86 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 pictorial
“I started my own business, which consisted of
soldering in my garage using a garbage can lid
for a base,” says Lisa Krikawa. “It was often
terrifying — if a billet fails, which they do — it
can represent a huge investment in both time
and money, mostly money. You have to remelt
and refine out the metals all over again.”

Dragonfly Mokumé wedding set

bridal set with
faceted green sapphire,
white and yellow gold

Fleur de lis ring with

faceted pink sapphire, Embracing tree branch ring; rose
diamonds, rose gold, and platinum gold with Montana sapphire

The business wasn’t

always a sure bet. “For
one birthday my hus-
band made dinner,” Lisa
recalls. “When I moved my
plate I found my birthday
present: a one-ounce gold
coin to help pay for my
jewelry-making habit and
help finance the business.”

Oak leaf platinum bridal set

with faceted blue sapphire

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 87
Beautiful Blends
Lisa describes the process of creating mokumé as Men's mokumé
engagement set with
first layering sheets of precious metal together like
black and white kite-
a stack of papers. Then it’s compressing the sheets shaped diamonds
in a kiln just hot enough to let the molecules of metal
“have a grand time jumping around” but not hot
enough to melt them completely. The result is an
extremely thin third layer — called a eutectic bond
— forming between the original two sheets, while
maintaining the color and properties of the originals.

Rose gold and

mokumé bridal set
with blue trillion
sapphire

“Marriage is the eternal union of two

souls,” states the business’s website, “souls
who are nonetheless vibrant and alive now
on this mortal plane of existence. Forged
between precious metals, compressed
upon the very cusp of alloying, mokumé
gané represents the best of both worlds,
between the immortal durability of metal
and the delicate vitality of nature.”

Mokumé ring
with faceted
blue-green tourmaline
and blue and green
diamond accents

It turns out that mokumé gané

lends itself especially well,
philosophically and materially, to
wedding and engagement rings.
Charmingly, her website romanti-
cally compares the fusion of mo-
kumé gané metals with the fusion
of lives and souls in marriage.

Tricolor maple leaf wedding set;

yellow, rose, and white gold

In 1990, after completing the University of Arizona’s Master of Fine

Arts program, Lisa was ready to forge (ahem) ahead with Tucson-
based Krikawa Jewelry, and in 2002 launched www.krikawa.com.

88 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Mokumé wedding set

Formed in infernal conditions, the mokumé gané billet is manipulated

to show the characteristic wood grain look. “Imagine taking that stack,
punching it up from the bottom, then filing the top peaks off. You would
start to see concentric circles. That’s what happens in a mokumé billet.”
After that the metal is milled, carved . . . and turned into rings.

Platinum
Hummingbird
ring with faceted
pear cut pink
sapphire

TERRI HAAG is a freelance writer based in Tuc-

son, Arizona. She has been a frequent contributor
Scatter bezel rose gold ring with champagne diamonds
to this magazine since the 1990s.

Lisa Krikawa and her team focus on client/artist co-designed rings for every
possible occasion and taste. “We don’t carry any inventory — everything is made to
order” using the client’s input. In effect, the website is a huge portfolio of past work.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 89
 Facets
news & product innovations

Jewelry Artist Podcasts

Jewelry Artist podcast host Katie Hacker
If you’ve ever wanted to
learn from and about top
jewelry makers and industry
professionals from the comfort
of your own home, now you
can. In the spring of 2020,
Interweave introduced a series of
Jewelry Artist podcasts, hosted
by Katie Hacker, that bring
these professionals straight to
your phone, computer, or other
electronic device.
Season 1 includes several
fascinating interviews. Jewelry
artist Christine Dhein discussed
tips for green jewelry making.
Rockhounds Alex and Keith
Horst talked about cabbing,
gem carving, and other lapidary
work. Becky Nunn described
the challenges faced by her
jewelry findings business during
the pandemic. Artist, teacher,
and gallery owner Julie Sanford
chatted about her path to a
successful jewelry business. And
Interweave’s Tammy Jones talked
about her favorite passion —
pearls.
At this writing, Season 2 is in
the works, with more informative
interviews being planned —
several with people you can find
in the pages of this issue. Charles
Lewton-Brain (see “Doublée:
Gold on Silver,” page 74) will
discuss his ground-breaking fold
form techniques. CERF director
Cornelia Cary will talk about
CERF’s new program in response
to Covid-19. (See “CERF Is There
for You,” page 20.) And just as
soon as he has the time, Roger
Halas hopes to bring you a look
at his work creating jewelry
for the movies as well as his
sci-fi, fantasy, and steampunk
designs. (See “Dash of Creepy
Fun” on page 56 and “Seahorse
Summons” on page 62.) Other
podcasts are also being planned
for Season 2 as well.
You can download the Jewelry
Artist podcasts on your smart
phone or find them online at
interweave.com/jewelry-art-
ist-podcast.

Natural vs. Lab-Grown Diamonds

Diamondére, a custom fine jewelry firm, has recently
published a comprehensive guide to the similarities and
differences between natural diamonds, lab-created diamonds,
moissanite, and cubic zirconia. For jewelry artists and
customers, the guide includes information on what you can
tell from “eye-balling” stones, considerations for everyday
wear, pricing differences, and more.
PHOTO: COURTESY DIAMONDÉRE
More at www.diamondere.com/blog/natural-dia-
monds-vs-lab-diamonds-vs-moissanites-vs-cz-2.

90 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

Red Backpack
Fund
The Spanx by Sara Blakely Foundation recently
teamed up with GlobalGiving to establish the
Red Backpack Fund. The Foundation donated
$5 million to support female entrepreneurs in the
wake of Covid-19. The Fund planned to award
grants to at least 1,000 women business owners
through September 2020. The grant recipients
were selected by a team of grant specialists, social
workers, entrepreneurs, analysts, and monitoring
and evaluation experts.
Several female jewelry designers and business
owners were among those selected for the grants.
Kristen Baird® Jewelry of Savannah, Georgia,
was one of the jewelry businesses chosen. Baird
remarked, “It is an honor to be recognized for our
unique jewelry designs, innovative practices, and Jewelry artist Kristen Baird at work in her studio.
our focus on giving back to our community, and PHOTO: COURTESY KRISTEN BAIRD

I am overwhelmingly grateful for this boost of

confidence in what we are doing.”
For more on help available to jewelry artists
during the pandemic, see “CERF Is There for You,”
page 20.
More at www.globalgiving.org/
redbackpackfund

Free Mokumé Gané Book

Mokumé gané artist Steve Midgett will provide free access online to the
complete contents of his book, Mokumé Gané: A Comprehensive Study.
 In the 160-page book, Midgett shares the art of mokumé gané from
its ancient beginnings in Japan to its resurgence in the digital age
along with detailed how-to information for making mokumé by multiple
methods and 5 step-by-step mokumé jewelry projects. Midgett hopes
that metalsmithing and jewelry arts educational institutions will utilize
his book as a resource for their students. (For a pictorial of mokumé
gané jewelry, see “Beautiful Blends,” page 86.)
More at www.mokume.com/book

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 91
 Coming
in November/December
• Picasso stone
• Collaboration piece for charity
• Resin and wood jewelry
• Grow and set bismuth crystals

Peggy Haupt
Above and Beyond Pendant
Picasso stone, sterling silver
PHOTO: PEGGY HAUPT

Follow Participants and speakers at the 2019 SINTER™ conference.

PHOTO: COURTESY ALLIANCE FOR METAL CLAY ARTS WORLDWIDE

Us On
Instagram!
2021 SINTER
Conference
@InterweaveJewelry

InterweaveJewelry is your
resource for free projects,
The Alliance for Metal Clay Arts Worldwide will
videos, trends, and more.
There’s always something
present SINTER™, a conference for the metal clay
new to learn! artist community. The conference will be held
from May 12-18, 2021, and will include speakers,
workshops, demonstrations, a vendor hall, and a
“Show and Sell” event where artists can be from
News to Share? other artists. There will also be a special exhibit of
outstanding metal clay work.
Facets accepts news and images
The 2021 SINTER conference will be held at
Facets accepts news and images
the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Pittsburgh, PA.
of new products, innovations,
Check the AMCAW website for more details and
industry happenings, and events
registration information.
as space permits. Share your news
for possible print publication or
www.amcaw.org/sinter
online use by sending items to
krosenbusch@goldenpeakmedia.
com. Please be sure to indicate
“Facets” on the subject line.

92 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST

 Boulder Metalsmithing Santa Fe Jewelers Supply
Never Association (BoMA)
4919 Broadway, Unit 15
Bob Hazeltine, Instructor
3200 Mercantile Ct.

Miss An Boulder, CO 80304

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Located in beautiful Boulder, Colorado,
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Subscribe to Lapidary BoMA off ers workshops taught by Novice or advanced, small group or
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Learn to make jewelry from award-winning
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ŝŶĐƌĞĂƟŶŐŚĂŶĚŵĂĚĞũĞǁĞůƌLJ͘dŚĞƉĞƌĨĞĐƚƉůĂĐĞĨŽƌ
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94 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST


Our 50th YEAR
YOUR AD HERE!
Contact
Stephanie Griess
(970) 613-4630
or
sgriess@goldenpeakmedia.com
ADVERTISERS' INDEX
Contenti Company ...................................1
Craftoptics ................................................94
Crown Trout Jewelers .........................95
Evenheat Kiln, Inc. .................................94
Fire Mountain Gems ............................ C3
Gem & Lapidary Wholesalers Inc .85
Gemini Saw Co., Inc. ............................33
Gemological Institute of America.. 13
Halstead Bead Inc. ................................33
John C. Campbell Folk School .......33
Knew Concepts ......................................94
Monsterslayer, Inc. .................................19
Pioneer Gem Corporation ................95
Reactive Metals Studio, Inc. .............94
Rio Grande ............................................... C4
Ross Metals .....................................“85, 94”
Royalwood, LTD .....................................94
Snow & Stars Co .....................................19
Stuller, Inc. ....................................................5
Tru-Square Metal Products ..............85
Xuron............................................................85
The advertiers’ index is provided as a reader
service. Occasional last-minute changes may
result in ads appearing on pages other than
those listed here. The publisher assumes no
liability for omissions or errors.
CUSTOM JEWELRY CASTING AND
MANUFACTURING
45 YEARS’ JEWELRY MANUFACTURING
EXPERIENCE. We use de-oxidized sterling
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GEMSTONES
AMMOLITE GEMSTONES & JEWELRY! Visit
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SCHOOLS & EDUCATION
LEARN JADE CARVING from one of the
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Deborah Wilson, (250) 542-0630;
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Gem & Jewelry Shops
Find the finest rock shops, jewelry
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contact Stephanie Griess at
sgriess@goldenpeakmedia.com
KANSAS
McMullen Jewelry Natural
Stone Gallery
4717 E. Douglas Ave.
Wichita, KS 67218
(316) 684-1611
www.mcmullenjewelry.com
Come and discover the wonders of
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metal and stone. Pursuing a finer quality.
SINCE
1947
www.interweave.com
CLASSIFIEDS
MICHIGAN
The Creative Fringe
117 Washington Ave
Grand Haven, MI 49417
(616) 296-0020
www.thecreativefringe.com
We’re a full-service bead and jewelry supply
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Studio JSD—Jewelry,
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219 N. 7th, Grand Haven, MI 49417
(616) 607-2470
www.Studiojsd.com
West Michigan’s premiere metalsmithing
studio is also your tool and supply
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tools, including hand tools from Eurotool
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find silver, brass, and copper wire, sheet,
blanks, and findings, as well as soldering
and finishing equipment, books, cabs, slabs,
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Studio JSD!!
Catch up on the
latest trends and
techniques in
jewelry making!
Get started with a free eBook
download and sign up today:
www.interweave.com/free-jewelry-making-patterns
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 95
 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
Doer’s Profile
Amy Buettner
& Tucker Glasow
DONE
We’ve been honored by different
art festivals through the years, but
our main accomplishment to date
is having created a life that we love
and a business that can support our
passion.  HEROES
DOING
Normally, we’d be burning the mid-
night oil getting ready for our sum-
mer show season. But in the new
paradigm of life during a pandemic,
we are focusing our energies on
revamping, updating, organizing, and
learning things that have been on the
back burner, like cutting and cabbing
beautiful rough we’ve collected over
the years.
FIRST PIECE
AMY: A marriage of metals project,
where I made a ring out of sterling
and brass. It was shaped like a cube
and it had a red jasper stone set on
top. I gave it to my mom, and 28 years
later, she gave it back to me because
it didn’t fit her anymore. So now, it
lives in a shadow box on my wall.
96 LAPIDARY JOURNAL JEWELRY ARTIST
TUCKER: A sculptural ring I carved
from wax in Amy’s studio when we
first met. She showed me how to
sprue, invest, and cast it in sterling
silver. I still wear it almost every day.
Many famous and historical artists
come to mind, but first our teach-
ers, mentors and those who took
us under their wing. Thanks to
Christine Clark, Deb Stoner, Becky
Thatcher, Gary Wilson, and more
for showing us the ropes and
sharing their knowledge. We are
inspired by so many: Art Nouveau
style, Art Smith, Albert Paley, Judy
Geib, and Hans Gamma, just to
name a few.
DESIGN SOURCES
Like almost every artist ever, nature
inspires us, particularlly nature’s
stones. We never cease to be
amazed by the geological, energet-
ic, and chemical phenomena that
must happen to create the miner-
als we use. It’s mind-boggling and a
wellspring of inspiration.
“Wind of Rivers”
Centerpiece/Pendant
Fabricated sterling silver, 22K and 18K gold
Blue Biggs Jasper cut by Hans Gamma
PHOTO: TUCKER GLASOW
FAVORITE PART
It’s a three-way tie — the thrill of the
hunt and discovery of our stone mate-
rials, along with the sound and feel
of the tools working the metal, com-
bined with holding the finished piece
in our hands and seeing our vision
realized.
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Having been self-proclaimed stone
hunters for over 20 years, we know
how truly one-of-a-kind some of these
minerals can be. There are countless
cabochons, specimens, and pieces
of rough that we didn’t buy but still
dream about.
ON BENCH NOW
A couple of wedding ring commis-
sions, along with some other commis-
sions. Some oddities we found while
cleaning out 20 years of collections,
and of course, there’s always an egg
carton holding 12 stones, each that
will become a piece of jewelry.
SEE MORE AT
www.amybuettner.com
Learn
from
Amy &
Tucker
MEDIEVAL
MEETS GAME
OF THRONES
PAGE 26