Having a Birthday around Christmas makes me very excited about the whole occasion. So in the spirit of Christmas I was able to utilise the laser technology we have been exploring at the School of Jewellery and also the UP 3D printer to create Christmas tree decorations. Laser cut wreath and robin
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This blog was originally going to be separated into different posts for each different visit. But to make it more interesting for you guys I have compiled them together and given you a brief description/ visit review for you to get a feel for the different companies associated with the Design for Industry course. This post is in danger of becoming very long to try and include all the information for you. But if there's something I've missed out or if you're interested in hearing about a company in more detail please let me know in the comments and I will try to do another post about specific companies in more detail. I have a confession to make. I am ashamed to admit, it has been a rather long time since I have been in a workshop therefore I am in need of some practice with my jewellery making skills. So to throw myself in the deep end whilst I was in London I bought a selection of Gemstones from A. E. Wards in the hope of making some rings. As soon as I got back to Birmingham I bought all the tools I needed and began work on a simple bezel set ring with the Blue Topaz I bought. I started off by making a simple ring. Now I have rather large hands so I made my ring to size O and used 3mm silver wire to balance out the size of the stone. I then used 0.45mm silver sheet and measured my stone to cut a collet for the bezel and soldered that onto the sheet. I cut and tidied up the bezel setting and soldered to the ring. I cleaned it up by hand and then put it in the tumbler to take out any scuffs. I then set the beautiful Topaz in the setting myself and cleaned up the ring.
I was very pleased with the results and get loads of compliments about my ring. It was nice to be able to wear something I have made and be proud to show off my new skills. So being new to The School of Jewellery and to the different technologies out there going to visit the TCT show at the NEC was an interesting experience for me.
We went as a class to learn about the new technology available and to being to research different CAD/ CAM companies out there that we could utilise in our own projects. So first impressions of the whole show were quite overwhelming. Walking around at first was tricky as I didn't really know what to look for but as we got into the swing of looking at similar machines and software we were able to make more informed queries to the companies. We had a bright and early start this morning to make the most of our trip to London. I was lucky enough to be able to visit week 2 of the Goldsmiths fair and see some of the amazing jewellery designers. When we arrived I spent a good few minuets just marveling at the beautiful architecture of the Goldsmiths Hall. The picture below doesn't do it justice. The Goldsmiths website have a brilliant 360 degree virtual tour of the building if you want to see more. Click the image below to be taken straight to their webpage. And welcome to my blog. I am excited to start this new year at the School of Jewellery and hopefully you can all follow me in my progress. I will be talking a bit about me and my experiences and a lot about the things that inspire me, and just generally giving you my opinions. I hope I can inspire people and open up the world of jewellery to those thinking of studying at university (hint: DO!). Please feel free to leave comments on my posts, share on facebook/ twitter and give me your insight into the different topics and new technologies I will be exploring. I will be opening more blog pages with more specific content such as different projects, research and learning. But for now hold on tight for my upcoming posts about Goldsmiths Fair, the TCT show in Birmingham and my first experiences with Rhinoceros 5 (eek!). I thought you might like to have a look at this to get you started. Take a look at some of the amazing jewellery on show at the Goldsmiths fair under the hashtag #goldsmithsfair Let me know what you think.
Happy reading! Steff :) |
AuthorSteff Wills: Archives
May 2017
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