Today was a good day.
I found a new tool in my stash of tools and I've been experimenting with it a lot for May's earring drop. It's a stamp that comes in two parts and you can create repeating forms with it. In the jewelry world these are called die forms and they're extremely useful if you have a form in mind and want to make multiples. The best part is that the form ends up being hollow, unlike casting which is something that can be repeated but it has more mass.
What I love about repeating forms is that you can create patterns. Last year after returning from my trip to Italy, I got really into pattern design. Many of the Italian Renaissance paintings were portraits of royalty or wealthy merchants wearing fine textiles/fabrics. I read on one of the museum plaques that the patterns woven into the textiles would allude to a whole family history, in other words the patterns held meaning.
I also love patterns because you can create textures. I like for my work to have layers of meaning. Textures add more of an aesthetic value that's obviously tactile as well.
I've also decided on a few things here. I will be incorporating smaller/medium-sized earrings with May's earring drop. The official date for the earring drop is May 28th. When the date gets closer, I will post more details, but for now that is all.
Today's image is a snapshot of the repeating form that I'm talking about. I had just hit it with the torch so it doesn't look like sterling silver. Once I get it all cleaned up and polished, you'll see how pretty it'll turn out.
Have a wonderful evening.
Stay well,
Caitlin