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Silver

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Silver is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag (Greek: άργυρος árguros, Latin: argentum, both from the Indo-European root *arg- for "grey" or "shining") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it possesses the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal. The metal occurs naturally in its pure, free form (native silver), as an alloy with gold and other metals, and in minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a byproduct of copper, gold, lead, and zinc refining.

Silver has long been valued as a precious metal, used in currency coins, to make ornaments, jewelry, high-value tableware and utensils (hence the term silverware) and as an investment in the forms of coins and bullion. 

Silver is my metal of choice, I love the colour, it is easy to work with not as expensive as gold but still has the whole precious thing going for it and it takes patinas well.

And because every post needs a picture here is what I got up to a few days ago, kids at school baby having a nap so I headed to the coffee shop to sit and make some jewellery over a vanilla latte  (still trying to be less of a hermit)!

Smile! x

Circles braclet....

Using up the last of my soldered and hammered hoops, I made this circles braclet.....

Arnt these beads lovely! I like that the centre is a darker shade of green it adds that little bit of extra detail (beads by Laura Sparling of course who if you are quick has 25% her off beads to order this weekend)!!!

Taking over....

I'm trying very hard not to accumulate masses of jewellery making stuffs and suplies, in fear of taking over the living room (at the moment this looks like it may well be a possibility) So I am trying very hard to use up some of my bead collection before buying any many more (I just remembered I have a couple on order, Oh and there are a few I have seen that I reailly like) So I reailly had better work on some more designs!

This one I have been working on for AGES. It started off as a long necklace but would not sit right so I broke it up and made it into a bracelet (I seem to be going through a bracelet phase at the moment)!

I completly love these flurry beads (by Laura Sparling) but only have 6 left now :(

Swirls necklace

After some much needed practise at soldering I came up with this....

A very simple swirls necklace to hang this very beautiful lampwork bead (of course by Laura Sparling)

The bead has such a beautiful swirl inside it and is so tactile.

Newest braclet....

I completly LOVE these beads (of course by Laura Sparling)! They are the most wonderful blue with the neatest and tinest trail of silver dots running around the middle and then encased in a layer of clear glass that makes them look like jewels.

I could not decide which pic I liked most so I put all of them up.....

A seemless 2 in 2 chain.....

With a handmade double wire clasp to complment the 2 in 2 look



With the final shot a close up of the clasp!

One good thing that has come of the very very cold weather is that I get alot more time indoors to make jewellery especially as mess maker has been poorly with a bug and just wanted to sleep for the last couple of days.....

Thankfully shes feeling a little better now as I type this shes sitting next to me loving the fact she can see herself on the screen!

beady beauties....

So I got my table and my christmas tree (yeahyyy)! I also got these little beauties to stock up my bead draw.....

By my very favorite bead artist Laura Sparling who now makes beads to order! These photos do not do these beads justice they reailly are alot more beautiful then shown here!

With christmas coming up I've had a few requests for jewellery as gifts. So heres what I made up for my mum....

A very thin jens pind chainmaille braclet (thin enough to put pandora beads on if she should want to) with a hand made clasp. I was going for the slinky/femine look for this one as shes quiet petite and normal size jewellery just looks chunky on her! Not bad for a first atempt and I reaily enjoyed making it.

Finaly finished....

Yeahy my head pins came this morning! So I was able to finish this.....

It's a hammered 1 in 1 chain (I'm liking hammering at the moment) with one of my many handmade clasps, 6 beautifly neat black and white lampwork beads by Laura Sparling with lots of seed pearls.

black and white earrings

I'm still waitting for supplies (head pins) so have not yet been able to finish my braclet but I did get to finish these today.....



The beads are by my favorite lampwork artist Laura Sparling and are simply hung on a few jump rings with some lovely seed pearls I got on holiday in Cornwall. The braclet if I even do finnish it matches.

Thick fog!

You could really feel christmas in the air this morning, there was a beautiful layer of white glittering frost covering the roof tops and the edges of the fallen leaves, and the fog was so thick it was like walking through the clouds.

This was at 3.30pm the fog just kept getting thicker!

I love ths time of year, it was just cold enough that the tips of our noses went red but not so cold as to freeze and stiffen our fingers! Its hard not to be inspired when every thing looks like it should be in a fairytale, it makes me want to put up all the christmas decorations and turn our home into a winter wonderland! Alas it is too early tho, even for me, so I will have to make do with making christmas cards later on!

I spent most of today making more clasps, I love how there are so many diffrent ways to make a simple clasp and found it quiet relaxing! Here are a few that are ready to use...

 I just have to wait for more head pins and jump rings then I can finally finish off some of my many "almost there" bits of jewellery (I have so many "almost there" bits that I have designated them an unfinished projects draw)!!!!