Adobe Sol Designs ~ the BLOG ~

After finding my grandmother’s sewing box with bunches of very cool vintage buttons I decided to go in search of some for sale, that didn’t have an emotional connection for me. This way I can make jewelry with them and sell without feeling like I was selling off my heart and soul. I managed to find some from a fellow in the Czech Republic.  I bought a small lot from him so I caould see what the quality was before making a larger investment. I am very pleased with these! They are all in good used condition, appear to truely be vintage and are certainly glass. I will be ordering more from him!

Here are a few necklaces I’ve made so far. A few of these can be found in my Etsy Shop.

Handmade Heirloom Button Pendant

Heirloom Button Necklace

Heirloom Button Necklace ~ Small

A new design… with a Polka Dot Agate cabochon. This stone reminds me of lava flow, under the sea. It is truely a beautiful stone, one that the camera has a hard time showing the real depth of.

I put this stone in a bezel setting with fine silver embellishments. It seemed to go with the “flow” of the percieved lava. This necklace is nice and heavy. Nearly 22 inches in length, patinaed and accented with high quality, very clear quartz crystal.

Now available in my Etsy Shop:

Lava Flow Necklace

Lava Flow Necklace

Back View ~ Lava Flow

Lava Flow Necklace

You know, I have been networking online for several years now. I’ve been acquainted with lots of people and even met  several in person. I am amazed at the relationships forged, from a venue that often times affords no physical contact, at all. A few years ago I was fortunate  to “meet” AJ of NighBluey. I saw her shop on etsy and thought… “Wow… that is great work, with an edge,  and very affordable”. I have gotten to know AJ (who told me right off that she was NOT an artist, but just artistic). I think that you will all agree… this Canadian is one of the most magnificent artists on the planet. Her work comes straight from her heart and soul. In her own words, here is a little bit of her story….

Oceania Earrings

Lush Copper Earrings

For most of my adult life, I considered myself a   fullfilled, well-rounded woman. I am a successful lawyer with a very busy private practice. I have done everything and anything I have ever wanted to…fortune has been kind to me, I realize that…For the past three years, I have lived with a man with whom I can speak without speaking – a true soul-mate..and yet, it ALL came together, all of it, when I let my creative side find its spot in my life…now, I cannot imagine not being able to express myself through my trinkets, my blog, my photographs. It’s as if I am grounded for the first time…..people ask: “how do you find the time?”. I HAVE to find the time….being creative is now as essential to me as  breathing…”

Gently, Please~ Earrings

Fond Memory ~ Necklace

Thought I’d do a quick post on my newest piece, just listed in my etsy shop.

Taos Garden feature a gorgeous Owyhee Jasper cabochon with a very southwest looking pattern. I embellished it with some handmade garden delights and richly colored citrine.

Owyhee Jasper, fine and sterling silver

Handmade Garden embellishments

Back detail

Taos Garden Necklace ~ 20 inches

Close detail

OMGoshhhhhh I am having so much fun setting some of the most beautiful stones I’ve ever seen. Each and every one of them give me a unique inspiration that I  use to make  one of a kind pieces.

Right now I’m designing a necklace using an Owyhee Jasper cabochon. It is polished on both sides so I’m considering a cutout on the back. It will have flowers… of all sorts! I’ll be blogging it very soon.

Here’s a few pieces I’ve made recently.  Available in my Etsy Shop:

Ocean Jasper, Fine and Sterling Silver

Wild Horse Magnesite, Sterling Silver

Vintage Button, Sterling silver

Carved Bone, Silver

Here is the basic process in the making of my new Pebbles Ring. It features a magnificent Tarvertine cabochon with earthy color and brilliant patterns!

Cutout for the back of the ring

The bezel soldered on to set the stone

Checking the fit of the stone in the bezel. Sanding where needed.

Fine silver pebbles soldered on

Shank soldered on

Finished ~ Front view

Finished ~ Back view

Pebbles Ring ~ On my hand, comfy, big, bold!

NOTES:

………………………………………………………

Hand saws are awesome. I really like Rio-Saw-Blades available at Rio Grande. They are local to me so I’m able to visit their shop!

………………………………………………………

I prefer sheet solder to wire.  I like to cut pallions and it is flat and easy to get it where you want it, or just as easy to ball up on your pick.

When I look at my various cabochons ( I am a caboholic) I visualize the design possibilities. I chose to make something with a  large Cripple Creek Jasper cab. It has the shape of a pot for planting something in, or…the blue could have been a body of water or the sky… This one had many possibilites. In the end of my brainstorming I made it into a flowering cactus pot.  

The inspiration are my mountain bike rides in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains. With every ride, in spring and early summer, there are a variety of new blooms on the cactus, changing every day!

After three pages of sketching,  hand sawing, soldering, melting, forming, texturing, setting, oxidizing and polishing… Here is the result:

Cactus Blooms Necklace

I got some of the most amazing cabochons last week. I purhased them from The Agate Works, an etsy seller who cuts his own cabochons and does a tremendous business on etsy. His work is top notch and you can always count on some really nice and unusual cuts.

One of my favorites is a TeePee Canyon Agate cab with magnificent color. I made a necklace with it and took a few pictures of the work in progress…

 It is currently available for purchase in my etsy Shop.

Here is the first step in the process… After careful measurement and soldering of the bezel, I soldered the bezel to the back plate.

 Next I made  fine silver balls of different sizes and soldered them on the back plate to accent the stone.

Next step… sawing. I wanted the back plate to be winding and non-uniform like the pattern of the stone.

The back…

Soldered on the ring for the toggle closure. I put the stone on top just to check the design.

After completing the toggle, attaching to a double chain and oxidizing, here is the finished necklace:

Notes:

The piece must be pickled after every solder session to remove fire-scale and flux.

Different solders must be used for each solder session so that the previous solder doesn’t run (melt) eg: Hard, Medium, Easy and Very Easy.

The last thing that is done, besides polishing, is setting the stone.

I prefer using sheet solder as opposed to wire solder. With sheet I can cut pallions that lay flat.

I like to solder, for the most part, on a charcoal block as it reflects the heat for a fast and uniforn flow.

Thanks for reading!

With the bloom of the flora and the song of the birds, I was inspired to make something ”Springy” but with a bit of rustic. I have had this milk glass cabochon for some time and love the way it looks with oxidized silver. I’m gonna make one of these for me too! This one is available in my Etsy Shop.

I purchased a few cabochons that just ROCK! They are Pilot Mountain Ribbon turquoise and have gorgeous veins (or ribbons) of beautiful blue running through, like rivers.

I decided to make a ring design that would accentuate the rivers of turquoise. This is a heavy ring with an oxidized patinae. Surely one of my absolute favorites… right up until…

I had to manipulate the metal a bit so that the stone would fit perfectly into the bezel. I simply got a little too rough and frankly, careless.  I broke this lovely stone.. it happens to all of us once in a while…

Have a look:

Breakage...