a silver fertility charm

do you guys remember this piece? i carved out the wax in the summer so i could have a smaller, sterling silver version of my bronze/brass fertility charms. i eventually cast it, cleaned it, and patinated (stained the silver with a chemical) the back. i like the ball burred texture compared to the smooth back of my original, and it makes it more resistant to fingerprints which is always a plus.

i hate taking photos of high polished work. you can always see the camera. argh...

some wax carving

since i had so many fans of my fertility charm at the Outdoor Show i decided to carve out a new smaller, lighter, and easier to clean version in wax so i can have it cast in sterling silver in time for the Cabbagetown Arts and Crafts show in September.

when i'm making wax pieces to be cast, i normally work in a very malleable brown wax (this one is covered in purple wax shavings) first so i can get the size and shape right before i move on to carving and refining the final form in the hard wax (the purple wax in this example) with files. the aqua coloured wax is from OCAD's wax injector which creates the form in wax if you've already had a mold made of your original piece.

this new fertility charm is a third of the weight of the original one, about half the size, and has a different texture on the back side.

i've gotten much faster at carving wax now. i'm quite pleased with myself.

p.s. this is my 100th post! crazy.

enthusiasts

i hadn't initially meant to sell some of my more sculptural pieces at the Outdoor Show but i had some very enthusiastic patrons who convinced me that they needed to have my work in their life.

because i didn't expect to sell those pieces, i didn't even bother to price them or even consider a price in my mind.

but i'm very happy to have met these admirers of my work. they have been so sweet and they remind me of why i'm in this field - of why it's worthwhile to do what you love.

this fertility charm is a sculptural pendant that was made in my casting class during my first year of jewellery at OCAD. i had painstakingly carved out the form in wax, cast it in bronze, cleaned it up for a week for my critique, and then two days before it was due had it stolen :(

i quickly had to make a new piece, and this time i had to do it in brass. though, when i had it at the Outdoor Show, i had taken off the dark patina (colouring) and left it a nice satin finish where you could see the shine of the brass.

this piece now has a new home with a very lovely lady.