Evanston Pop Up Art Show

More exciting news…

The Pop Up Art Show in which I have been participating has been extended until March 3rd! This is the third show of it’s kind put on by well-known gallerist Joy Horwich and her daughters at 1627 Chicago Avenue in Evanston. You can read more about it from the Chicago Tribune article here.

The show is open to the public every day from 10am – 6pm, so make sure to stop by and take a look at all the beautiful fine art. There is a broad range of work from jewelry to paintings to pottery. I’m honored to be in a gallery with such wonderful artists as the work is of very high quality and there’s something for everyone.

There is a wide range of my pieces at the show, but here is one:

Amulet: Forged Sterling Silver with Red Jasper. 2" x 2"

I hope you get a chance to stop by to see it…

New Work

In addition to all the gallery shows lately, I wanted to share my most recent custom work:

Engagement Ring

On the left is the most recent engagement ring I made. It is 14K white gold with a 1/2 ct diamond in the middle and a garnet on the side.

I made this ring with the help of the fiance, who was given 5 images of rings that his girlfriend liked. I combined elements of the pictures into this piece. While she gave us direction, she had no idea that we were busy creating this stunning ring… Luckily she more than approved of the result!

Custom Earrings

The picture below is a pair of custom earrings I recently made for a friend. She has been obsessed with black and gold lately and for her birthday asked her parents to commission me to make these for her. As you can see they are a variation of my gold-filled shooting star dangles, but we added faceted black spinel beads to give them more glamor. I really like the end result and I am thinking of making them again and adding them as one of my regulars.

These are my most recent custom pieces, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did making them!

Valentine’s Trunk Show

Hey Everybody,

I’m very excited about my first solo show. For the entire month of February, my jewelry and some sculpture will be showcased at the IL Artisans Gallery located on the second floor of the James R. Thompson Center, Suite 2-200, Chicago, IL.

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On the 14th, I will be coming in to talk about my work and to bring some special Valentine’s jewelry. So if you are still looking for a gift, look no further! I will be there from 11 am until 5 pm, but if you can’t make it contact me to stop by the studio.

Hope to see you soon!

Discovering New Media

Hey guys,

I recently started taking an abstract painting class at Lillstreet Art Center and I am absolutely in love with it! I really feel like this class has helped get my creative juices flowing again…

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After a couple of classes I am starting to get out of my comfort zone and explore new territory. The painting helps me unwind after an exhausting work week as well as find new inspiration… who knows, maybe my next collection will be based on one of my paintings?

I enjoy the fact that when I paint I work 2 dimensionally as opposed to 3 dimensionally like I do with my jewelry. I also really enjoy playing around with color, because with sterling and gold and gemstones you can only go so far…

If you are interested in taking a painting class, take a look here! It is a great way to relax after work, get lost in your thoughts and reconnect with your inner artist…

And in case you end up taking a class at Lillstreet Art Center make sure to stop by my studio on the third floor, down the hall from the painting studios!

New Year, New Excitement

Happy New Year everybody!

I know I am a “little” late, but I am sure you will all forgive me once you hear my exciting news! I’ve been really busy this January because beginning February (so today!!!), my collaborative collection for Mark Shale is debuting. It is a mix of my classic pieces all specifically customized for Mark Shale, and you should definitely take a look at one of the stores… who knows, you might find something you like!

I really enjoyed this collaboration and I hope it is the start of a long relationship. The reason I enjoyed it so much is that Mark Shale has a very similar take on Art and Fashion, and just like me they deeply care about high quality craftsmanship for each piece.

My personal favorite from the collection is the customized comet cluster pendant… we gave this classic an update by adding a moonstone and a hematite. The result is simple and elegant. I also found some rose-cut labradorite for the large comet dangle pieces, which are just gorgeous!

I can’t wait to see my work at 900 N. Michigan Ave., Northbrook Court and Oakbrook Center. If you want to learn more about Mark Shale and their store locations, please click here.

The Most Onederful Time of the Year

The One of a Kind Show is one of my favorite shows. Four years ago I was selected as an emerging artist to participate in this amazing art extravaganza. It was the first art fair I had ever done and it made a lastimg impression to say the least. Every year when it’s time for another One of a Kind show I get really excited, as each year shows my growth as an artist and a business.

I’m in line at the Merchandise Mart loading docks, waiting for my turn to get started setting up my temporary shop. I’ll be here for four days so I want to make my 10 x 10 space as comfortable as I possibly can. My booth has evolved a lot over the years and I’m very happy with its current setup.

Of course I try to get everyone to come by the art shows I am participating in, but if there is one show you NEED to see, then it’s this one! First of all, it’s at the incredible Merchandise Mart, which really is a piece of art by itself and secondly, there are more than 600 artists showing their best work, making sure to have something for everybody.

Come by and enjoy this incredible show, you won’t regret it!
Hope to see you,
Rebecca
Booth #7087

Before and Happily Ever After…

Making engagement and wedding bands is such a magical process. They start as a piece of wax and through many steps becomes a beautiful heirloom that is worn everyday.

Lost Wax Casting is a multi-step process that has been around since ancient times. It lends itself well to gold and platinum because those metals are more difficult to forge and fabricate because of their density.  The piece featured in this post is 14k White Gold.

First I carve or fabricate the piece in wax. Then I make a plaster mold contained in a steel casing (called a flask) around it so I can melt out the wax creating a negative form. From there, I heat up the flask and melt metal into its liquid form. At the right point, I shoot it into the flask using a centrifuge that spins around and forces the metal into the negative form inside the plaster. In this post, you can see the blue wax of the wedding band in the first picture. The next image is of the engagement ring just out of the centrifuge. The large bar across the ring is called a sprue. It’s the way that the liquid metal funnels itself into the form that I carved.

Once it’s cast, I cut off the sprue, polish and set the stone to finish the piece as seen in the third picture. And voila! Your engagement is official!

In this series, I used the the diamond from my customer’s grandmother’s ring. They really wanted to keep the imperfections of the process in the piece to exhibit the organic nature. I also fabricated the wedding ring at the same time so that they would fit together perfectly. I have a few more months to finish that one…stay tuned:)