Silver Spoons and Solder

Good Morning,

The middle of the week brings me to my studio and what's been going on at the workbench.

This week we have a couple of in process up-cycled pieces to share.  They still require a little refinement and several hours in a tumbler, but we can show off a little bit of what's new.

I am sure many of you have owned or currently own a spoon ring.  This is a simple ring made from a spoon handle.  Taking a twist on the battered utensils for other uses, I tried my hand at making pendants.  Sawing the handles from the bowl, the bowl is put aside and the handle is then heated, hammered and harangued into submission.

I would like to mention the utensils I used were gifted to be by my Mom, and they come from her various trips to the "Junk Shops" or "Antiquing" as she likes to call it.  They are well used items that is for sure.

These are very simply pendants.  This handle was severely damaged, using a hammer the damage was incorporated into a hammered surface texture.  The "stone" is from an other jeweler's "junk bag", also gifted to me.  A handwritten note read "Assrtd Real Gems".  These were pre-set and meant to be used in leather or a belt buckle.  Also terribly damaged and tarnished, the prongs were cut from the setting, the setting was cleaned, filed and then soldered to the spoon handle.

I really like the primitive look this has.  It reminds me of something one might find at an archeological excavation or perhaps unearthed by accident. I think this stone is a deep green Tourmaline.

An other example, and this one I am not sure about.  The stone is either a dyed quartz or apatite.  There is a little seed or inclusion in the stone which leads to me think it is either a dyed crystal or a man-made (imitation) stone with an imperfection.  It is a pretty light blue color.  The camera tends to make things darker than they really are.

Here there are marks and imperfections across the surface of the spoon handle.  Tumbling the piece will polish and remove the small surface scratches creating a uniform surface and shiny finish.

Up-cycled means just that, pieces and items are reused and re-purposed to create something new.  It also means that surfaces do not meet exactly due to curvatures and other factors of the materials being used, giving each one a unique character and style all it's own.  These are meant to look like they have been made long ago and far away and to appear handmade, as a Blacksmith may have made them.

Thank you for stopping in and having a look.  

The Alchemists Vessel would like to wish you a pleasant day.