Photo courtesy of http://www.etsy.com/listing/39461647/locket-necklace-pure-heart-brass-key
A breathtaking combination of metal and knitting is the Argentium Silver and Turquoise Knit Cuff. A show off of dazzling sophistication of its Argentium Sterling Silver cuff delicately intertwined with genuine turquoise and two colors of swarovski crystal.
Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/39736742@N02/4647981452/
This Blackdruzy has an exceptional beauty. A signature piece - and the only piece that the artist would never sell. Just playing with stones and materials amazingly result to this one above.
Photo courtesy of http://www.etsy.com/listing/39461647/locket-necklace-pure-heart-brass-key
Coil elegantly this Hand Forged Argentium Silver Bangle Bracelet around your wrist. A simple yet conveys stylish and classiness of this anti-tarnish Argentium silver with the artist mark.
Photo courtesy of http://www.etsy.com/listing/39461647/locket-necklace-pure-heart-brass-key
A one of a kind piece is this Handmade 14k Gold and Diamond Art Pendant. Magnificently framed in hand-forged Argentium Silver and inflected with a striking champagne diamond. A piece created using a process metalsmiths call "reticulation".
Now, let's turn our attention to our featured artist for an interview.
Jane: Tell us about yourself, your location, your job and your goals:
Kaelin Cordis: My name is Kaelin Cordis, and my websites are legion, and at the bottom of this email.I live and work in Belton, Missouri, and my goal is to forge elegantly beautiful art jewelry. I then sell it to people (without breaking their piggy-banks) so I can buy more materials and make more jewelry and sell it to more people, and buy more materials....
When I was younger, my goal was to have my own art studio and loft in New York, but since I've gotten married and had my kids- my goal is to have a totally separate place to work. Not a spare room or a section of the basement- but a full blown separate building with 220 for my big tools and a design loft with good Northern light and a comfy chair to draw in and do paperwork. And an accountant. I wish most dearly for an accountant.
Jane: How did you start doing jewelry (or beadmaking) as a business?:
Kaelin Cordis:You know it's funny- I started making jewelry because it was a required part of my Metalsmithing degree. I was training to become a professional Blacksmith-Sculptor, and the jewelry class I took was a requirement. After my kids came along it was too dangerous to use my
big tools, but I found I could make little jewelry pieces very safely, and still fulfill my yen for metal.
Oh, how did I get started in metal? Well... it's kind of a long story, but in High School I was thinking about becoming a special effects artist for the movies. I really wanted to do the massive demolition scenes, and I thought it would be a valuable skill to know how to put everything back together again. So I took a machining class. I discovered I have a very accurate eye for detail and a deep and abiding love for metal, but hate rigid tolerance requirements, and certain kinds of chemistry- so I turned to art. My Dad was so proud of my efforts that he insisted I get set up properly with a business license and professional business cards. It was his encouragement, I
think, that really persuaded me to take the path I'm on now.
Jane: Every artist has a personal "creative process", can you explain yours?:
Kaelin Cordis:My creative process starts in any number of ways- some very defined and planned out, but the majority very spontaneous and natural... Most of my work is also very heavily influenced by the interaction of line and space. Sounds very fancy, doesn't it? All it means is I think about drawing pleasing shapes with linear elements, like wire, and paying attention to the way the spaces between the sections of wire look as well. So when I start a new piece, like my signature black druzy piece, I look at the stone and start mentally drawing lines around it to draw the best attention to it's special qualities.
This piece was created somewhat like that. I had some shorter bits of silver I had forged while I was playing- ah, I mean experimenting with on some new raising stakes I had received. I started manipulating the forged pieces with pliers while looking at the way they seemed to mold the air, and some of the curls I was creating reminded me of the patterning on the Crazy Lace Agate cabochon I had recently purchased, so I brought the two together.
Jane: When people start doing jewelry, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them, tell us how has your jewelry work changed since you began?
Kaelin Cordis: My work has changed completely!! When I first started, I was distracted by what I saw other people doing and creating. I wasn't very confident as a jewelry artist, so I didn't branch out on my own like I did for my sculpture. I made these very bulky and solid pieces of basic metalsmithed design, and very fussy and ordinary beadwork. I tried everything under the sun, except my own original ideas...
Jane: Can you share with us a some jewelry making or design tips?
Kaelin Cordis:I love talking about making anything in metal- and my best tip is a mixture of soldering paste and FireScoff. A lot of people seem intimidated by the thought of soldering. It's too complicated, they cry. Or, "it's too dangerous!" Driving a car is dangerous- soldering (can be) easy. The biggest thing is being clean. What this boils down to, is using LOTS of flux. "Ack! Chemicals I don't know about! That's too complicated, I'm never going to solder!" No, no- it's not hard or complicated. Really.
Here's my secret. I use soldering paste. Soldering Paste is little bits of solder suspended in a flux that is stored in a syringe or jar, and is applied to a project instead of sheet or wire solder and traditional flux. I have about 10 different grades of paste solde for different temperatures on different kinds of metals, and I use a Benz-o-matic MAPP torch, which I got from the hardware store, for nearly every soldering project. The paste solder is premixed with flux so you get the exact amount you need, and there's very rarely any cleanup needed to the solder joint.
Step A- put on your safety glasses. Step B- make sure there's nothing flammable on your soldering area, and that you have an open window or some source of ventilation.. Step C- figure out what to solder. Step 1- clean your pieces with Fantastik and some Scotchbrite. Rinse, and place on a flame-proof soldering surface. Step 2- Apply a small piece of paste solder to your joint with a tooth pick or firm brush. It's okay if it's a series of little lumps on your joint- you'll be able to see it better. Step 3- Click start your torch, and holding the blue part of the flame about 6-9 inches away from your project, warm up the metal. When the paste solder starts to look dry and begins to "boil" a little bit, move your torch away and spray liberally with FireScoff. It should turn white on contact, if it doesn't, or a portion doesn't get covered, reheat and repeat until the metal is white. Step 4- bring your torch a little closer and watch your solder carefully. It should melt and flow in a silvery flash along your seam in a fairly reasonable amount of time, depending on the thickness of your metal. Step 5- wait until your metal is not glowing and USING TONGS place in warm or hot water immediately.
This last step is very important to make the glassy coating of melted FireScoff break away from your piece. If it doesn't all come off, I've found that soaking the piece in vinegar for about 30-60 minutes and rubbing gently with a toothbrush works like a charm. Then you can either toss it in a jewelry tumbler if you have one, or buff it with some sandpaper, and you're good to go!
Jane: Do you write jewelry making tutorials? Tell us more about it...What is your plan in tutorial writing?
Kaelin Cordis:I would love to write jewelry tutorials that de-mystify the process of metalsmithing. I wrote this article,
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/reticulating-metals-or-riding-the-ragged edge-of-disaster/, on Reticulating silver to explain the process to a non-metalworker and had a wonderful time explaining the processes involved. The comments I received from other crafters made me realize that there are a lot of people out there who want to do things like this, but lack even the basic safety knowledge to go ahead and try this stuff out. I would like to fix that if I could. My own personal blog is geared more towards educating my clients than it is towards my fellow artists, and if you have a need for a Metalsmith to write any articles, I would be
more than happy to do so!
Examples of my most popular articles are:
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/mokume-gane/
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/spontaneity/
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/help-sp-gf-and-a-flying-unicorn-what-does-this-mean/
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=150402277091&topic=15949
To view more of Kaelin Cordis design jewelries,please visit her sites:
Website:http://www.kaelindesign.com/
Store :http://www.kaelindesign.etsy.com/
Blog: http://www.kaelindesign.wordpress.com/
Social Networking Sites:
http://www.facebook.com/kaelindesign
http://www.twitter.com/kaelindesign
http://www.youtube.com/user/kaelindesign
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39736742@N02/
http://www.artfire.com/user/kaelindesign
http://www.zibbet.com/kaelindesign
Kaelin Cordis: My name is Kaelin Cordis, and my websites are legion, and at the bottom of this email.I live and work in Belton, Missouri, and my goal is to forge elegantly beautiful art jewelry. I then sell it to people (without breaking their piggy-banks) so I can buy more materials and make more jewelry and sell it to more people, and buy more materials....
When I was younger, my goal was to have my own art studio and loft in New York, but since I've gotten married and had my kids- my goal is to have a totally separate place to work. Not a spare room or a section of the basement- but a full blown separate building with 220 for my big tools and a design loft with good Northern light and a comfy chair to draw in and do paperwork. And an accountant. I wish most dearly for an accountant.
Jane: How did you start doing jewelry (or beadmaking) as a business?:
Kaelin Cordis:You know it's funny- I started making jewelry because it was a required part of my Metalsmithing degree. I was training to become a professional Blacksmith-Sculptor, and the jewelry class I took was a requirement. After my kids came along it was too dangerous to use my
big tools, but I found I could make little jewelry pieces very safely, and still fulfill my yen for metal.
Oh, how did I get started in metal? Well... it's kind of a long story, but in High School I was thinking about becoming a special effects artist for the movies. I really wanted to do the massive demolition scenes, and I thought it would be a valuable skill to know how to put everything back together again. So I took a machining class. I discovered I have a very accurate eye for detail and a deep and abiding love for metal, but hate rigid tolerance requirements, and certain kinds of chemistry- so I turned to art. My Dad was so proud of my efforts that he insisted I get set up properly with a business license and professional business cards. It was his encouragement, I
think, that really persuaded me to take the path I'm on now.
Jane: Every artist has a personal "creative process", can you explain yours?:
Kaelin Cordis:My creative process starts in any number of ways- some very defined and planned out, but the majority very spontaneous and natural... Most of my work is also very heavily influenced by the interaction of line and space. Sounds very fancy, doesn't it? All it means is I think about drawing pleasing shapes with linear elements, like wire, and paying attention to the way the spaces between the sections of wire look as well. So when I start a new piece, like my signature black druzy piece, I look at the stone and start mentally drawing lines around it to draw the best attention to it's special qualities.
This piece was created somewhat like that. I had some shorter bits of silver I had forged while I was playing- ah, I mean experimenting with on some new raising stakes I had received. I started manipulating the forged pieces with pliers while looking at the way they seemed to mold the air, and some of the curls I was creating reminded me of the patterning on the Crazy Lace Agate cabochon I had recently purchased, so I brought the two together.
Jane: When people start doing jewelry, they tend to try a lot of different things before settling down to something that resonates with them, tell us how has your jewelry work changed since you began?
Kaelin Cordis: My work has changed completely!! When I first started, I was distracted by what I saw other people doing and creating. I wasn't very confident as a jewelry artist, so I didn't branch out on my own like I did for my sculpture. I made these very bulky and solid pieces of basic metalsmithed design, and very fussy and ordinary beadwork. I tried everything under the sun, except my own original ideas...
Jane: Can you share with us a some jewelry making or design tips?
Kaelin Cordis:I love talking about making anything in metal- and my best tip is a mixture of soldering paste and FireScoff. A lot of people seem intimidated by the thought of soldering. It's too complicated, they cry. Or, "it's too dangerous!" Driving a car is dangerous- soldering (can be) easy. The biggest thing is being clean. What this boils down to, is using LOTS of flux. "Ack! Chemicals I don't know about! That's too complicated, I'm never going to solder!" No, no- it's not hard or complicated. Really.
Here's my secret. I use soldering paste. Soldering Paste is little bits of solder suspended in a flux that is stored in a syringe or jar, and is applied to a project instead of sheet or wire solder and traditional flux. I have about 10 different grades of paste solde for different temperatures on different kinds of metals, and I use a Benz-o-matic MAPP torch, which I got from the hardware store, for nearly every soldering project. The paste solder is premixed with flux so you get the exact amount you need, and there's very rarely any cleanup needed to the solder joint.
Step A- put on your safety glasses. Step B- make sure there's nothing flammable on your soldering area, and that you have an open window or some source of ventilation.. Step C- figure out what to solder. Step 1- clean your pieces with Fantastik and some Scotchbrite. Rinse, and place on a flame-proof soldering surface. Step 2- Apply a small piece of paste solder to your joint with a tooth pick or firm brush. It's okay if it's a series of little lumps on your joint- you'll be able to see it better. Step 3- Click start your torch, and holding the blue part of the flame about 6-9 inches away from your project, warm up the metal. When the paste solder starts to look dry and begins to "boil" a little bit, move your torch away and spray liberally with FireScoff. It should turn white on contact, if it doesn't, or a portion doesn't get covered, reheat and repeat until the metal is white. Step 4- bring your torch a little closer and watch your solder carefully. It should melt and flow in a silvery flash along your seam in a fairly reasonable amount of time, depending on the thickness of your metal. Step 5- wait until your metal is not glowing and USING TONGS place in warm or hot water immediately.
This last step is very important to make the glassy coating of melted FireScoff break away from your piece. If it doesn't all come off, I've found that soaking the piece in vinegar for about 30-60 minutes and rubbing gently with a toothbrush works like a charm. Then you can either toss it in a jewelry tumbler if you have one, or buff it with some sandpaper, and you're good to go!
Jane: Do you write jewelry making tutorials? Tell us more about it...What is your plan in tutorial writing?
Kaelin Cordis:I would love to write jewelry tutorials that de-mystify the process of metalsmithing. I wrote this article,
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2009/10/24/reticulating-metals-or-riding-the-ragged edge-of-disaster/, on Reticulating silver to explain the process to a non-metalworker and had a wonderful time explaining the processes involved. The comments I received from other crafters made me realize that there are a lot of people out there who want to do things like this, but lack even the basic safety knowledge to go ahead and try this stuff out. I would like to fix that if I could. My own personal blog is geared more towards educating my clients than it is towards my fellow artists, and if you have a need for a Metalsmith to write any articles, I would be
more than happy to do so!
Examples of my most popular articles are:
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2010/04/22/mokume-gane/
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/spontaneity/
http://kaelindesign.wordpress.com/2010/04/07/help-sp-gf-and-a-flying-unicorn-what-does-this-mean/
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=150402277091&topic=15949
To view more of Kaelin Cordis design jewelries,please visit her sites:
Website:http://www.kaelindesign.com/
Store :http://www.kaelindesign.etsy.com/
Blog: http://www.kaelindesign.wordpress.com/
Social Networking Sites:
http://www.facebook.com/kaelindesign
http://www.twitter.com/kaelindesign
http://www.youtube.com/user/kaelindesign
http://www.flickr.com/photos/39736742@N02/
http://www.artfire.com/user/kaelindesign
http://www.zibbet.com/kaelindesign
Thanks so much for sharing, Kaelin!
Download lots of free jewelry making tutorials at DiyLessons! Are you a jewelry (jewellery) making teacher/ tutor? You can also list your tutorials here too.Don't miss a post! Subscribe to Handmade Jewelry Club by Email FREEFind the website useful? You can easily link us using the codes below by just copy and paste them into your blog or website. You can also include the codes in your email and recommend it to your friends!
