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!

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.

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!

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…

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!

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 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

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:)

Click here to see the video:

Also, I recently started my Etsy shop! Etsy is a website where artists can sell their work in an online community. I am really excited about it, so check it out if you have a minute or two…

Other than that I am busy preparing complimentary tickets for the One of a Kind show in December…keep an eye on your mailbox, this is one show you don’t want to miss!

This one is extra special. Downstairs in the gallery, there’s an opening of ceramics show Minnesota Nice. And SOFA is this weekend so a lot of artistic souls will be floating around Chicago. Good times!

The show on Saturday was a huge success!! It was a gorgeous day in Millenium Park and it was so crowded that everyone filtered into the Fashion Chicago tent. I got to meet so many wonderful people from all over the world!

StyleChicago put on a fabulously classy event! The other designers were  amazing, I was excited to be in their company. I was next to Nora Del Busto, an incredible clothing designer. Our classic but edgy work complements each other really well and we’re looking forward to collaboraing at some point. What fun!

The hottest item was my Meteor Cuff, a classic fine silver bracelet (1.5″ wide) with a shiny hammered finish for $198 . Contact me if you’re interested in having one of your own.

On tap this week: Meeting with many of my stores so they can order pieces for the Holidays…One of a Kind is about one month away, Yay!!