Dragon Fly Trap pendant (detail)

THROUGH THE GLASS
Enamel Jewelry Group Exhibition featuring:
Jennifer Jordan Park
Liza Nechamkin Glasser
Anne Havel
Amy Roper Lyons

April 25–May 3, 2012
Reception: Thurs, April 26, 5–7 pm

Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery
New Jersey City University
Hepburn Hall Rm. 323
2039 Kennedy Blvd.
Jersey City, NJ 07305
tel: 201.200.3246
www.njcu.edu/Harold_B_Lemmerman_Gallery.aspx

Chain Making with the Loop-in-Loop Technique
Sundays, March 4 & 11, 2012
10am – 4 pm

Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street
Summit, NJ 07901
(908) 273-9121
Go to www.artcenternj.org to sign up.

_____________________________

Basic Jewelry Making
Tuesdays, March 13 – May 1, 2012
9:30am – 12:30pm

Newark Museum
49 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 596-6550
Go to www.newarkmuseum.org to sign up.

1. Have on hand a manual scale (the kind with the weights) or a digital scale that measures grains; tweezers; measuring cup; crucible; graphite rod; oxy/acetylene torch with multi-orifice tip; ingot mold; pickle; and welder’s protective goggles.
2. I will be combining:
   10 dwt, 2 grains fine gold (or 242 grains)
   16.5 grains fine silver
   5.5 grains copper
3. ­Place the cup on the scale and use the TARE button to zero out the weight.
   

   Digital scale, plastic cup, steel block

4. Measure 242 grains of fine gold in the cup. Place into crucible.
   ** My scale is so sensitive that moving the air around the scale while taking the photograph caused the weight value to change. The weight change is miniscule so I ignore it.
   

   Scale measuring 242 grains fine gold

5. Measure 16.5 grains of fine silver. Place into crucible.
   

   Scale measuring 16.5 grains fine silver

6. Measure 5.5 grains of copper. Place into crucible.
   

   Scale measuring 5.5 grains copper

7. Light the torch by turning the knobs on the hand piece. Acetylene (red) first, then oxygen (green).
   

   Steel ingot mold (left) and charcoal block ingot mold (right)

8. Warm the ingot mold with the flame and then heat the metal mixture in the crucible. You can rest the crucible on a charcoal block or place in an annealing pan.
   

   Crucible, charcoal block, multi-orifice oxy-acetylene torch handle, graphite rod

9. When the metal is molten, put in approximately one teaspoon of Borax and stir the metal/borax mixture with the graphite rod.
10. While keeping the flame on the crucible, pour the metal into the ingot mold.
11. Cool, pickle, and rinse.
12. You are now ready to start milling down your wire.

**Always thoroughly read the manufacturer’s instructions on any torch and all equipment you are using. In no event will Wear Ever Custom Jewelry be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from incorrect use of equipment.

This is some of the new work that I’m doing–chasing combined with enameling. I first die-form fine silver, then chase, followed by cloisonne. Very exciting but challenging. The enameled piece is then bezel-set into a locket pendant, which opens with a hinge. The interior of the locket has been acid etched (using nitric acid) with a coordinating design. Both interior and exterior surfaces have been patinated.

This is the direction that I am going with for my Masters Thesis show, which will be April 30-May 11 at New Jersey City University’s Lemmerman Gallery. More info on that later.

Granulation: Tiny Spheres, Big Impact
Saturday, September 24, 2011
10am – 4pm

Chain Making with the Loop-in-Loop Technique
Sunday, December 4, 2011
10am – 4 pm

Go to www.artcenternj.org to sign up.

Visual Arts Center of New Jersey
68 Elm Street
Summit, NJ 07901
(908) 273-9121

"Splash" cloisonne enamel box ring

March 29, 2010, ATTLEBORO FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS-Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America recently announced the winners of its annual Vision and Thinking Ahead Awards, which honor excellence in jewelry design and product development, respectively. The winners were presented their awards during MJSA Expo New York at the Hilton New York, held on March 14-16.

MJSA Vision Awards honor design prowess and technical skill, and recognize outstanding talent in the field of jewelry design. The awards this year included a new “Visionary Use of Materials” category that rewarded outstanding technical achievement, as well as a “Future of the Industry” award honoring the designs of students in jewelry programs.

MJSA Thinking Ahead Awards recognize products that, through “the introduction of new technology or the improvement of existing technologies,” are advancing the way in which jewelry is made and sold.

The winners of the MJSA Vision Awards are:

DESIGN EXCELLENCE:

First Place: JENNIFER JORDAN PARK of Wear Ever Custom Jewelry in Budd Lake, New Jersey, for “Splash,” a cloisonné enamel box ring. It is made from silver, 24k gold cloisonné wire, 18k and 22k gold, and enamels in various colors, with a 6×4 mm pink sapphire.

Second Place: JAMES W. CURRENS of J.W. Currens in New York City for “The Kailash Ruby Ring.” The ring is made from 18k yellow gold and 925 sterling silver, with a 15.08 ct. sugarloaf ruby, 4.69 ct. oval cabochon ruby, 7.96 ct. brilliant cut round ruby, and 3.78 ct. t.w. fancy-intense yellow diamond melee.

VISIONARY TECHNICAL SOLUTION:

First Place: CHRISTOPHER DUQUET of Christopher Duquet Fine Jewelry Design Ltd. in Evanston, Illinois, for a yellow sapphire and diamond ring made in 14k white and yellow gold. The ring’s intricate framework was developed using a combination of computer-assisted design and high-tech rapid prototyping. It features a 3.24 ct. fine yellow sapphire and 12 diamonds (23 ct. t.w.).

Second Place: JAMES W. CURRENS of J.W. Currens in New York City for “Star Dreamer Pendant,” which features platinum and 96 ct. t.w. of rock crystal, 2.5 ct. t.w. of rose-cut diamonds, 4.70 ct. t.w. of baguette diamonds, and 2.26 ct. t.w. white diamond melee. The manufacturing process involved both photonics (the science of cutting optically perfect lenses) and advanced ultraviolet curing.

GOLD DISTINCTION:

First Place: PAMELA FROMAN of Pamela Froman Fine Jewelry in Los Angeles for
her “Royal Crush” necklace. Featuring a stylized fleur-de-lis design inspired by the domes of St. Petersburg, the necklace is made from a combination of 18k pink & yellow gold in a hand-hammered “crushed” texture, with a fire opal cabochon center stone.

Second Place: DENNIS DEJONGHE of deJonghe Originals in Saratoga Springs, New York, for a 22k yellow gold repoussébrooch with 14k yellow gold wire and accented with three bezel-set diamonds and several pearls.

LASER DISTINCTION:

First Place: JIMI GWINN of J.S. Gwinn Fine Jewelry in Paducah, Kentucky, for “Tickled Pink,” a tourmaline and amethyst pendant featuring 14k white gold sizing stock, casting grain, and18k white gold wire.

Second Place: JULIA BEHRENDS of Julia Behrends Design of Boston, Massachusetts, for the “Twist” ring, which is named for its twisting prong and rotating “rondelle” in the center of the piece. The rondelle of yellow diamonds is a separate part with 360-degree movement. The center gemstone is a 9.52 ct. round lime citrine with a unique concave-faceted cut, set in platinum.

FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY:

First Place: DAVINA RAE ROMANSKY, a student at the Gemological Institute of America, for her “Cascading Necklace” in sterling silver is 5″ wide and 15″ long. The sterling silver pieces are cut, scored, bent, soldered and riveted to each other.

Second Place-Tie: YOUNG-EUN HAN, a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, for a necklace made of lightweight silver wire that can be connected and reconnected in various ways to create differing looks.

Second Place-Tie: HYANGMI KIM, a student at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, for “A Waterfall in the Moonlight.” The necklace, which incorporated wire weaving, sea-shell carving, wax carving, casting, and soldering in its fabrication, features silver, brass, a brass and copper alloy, nickel, sea shells, gold-plated bead wire, silver-plated bead wire, and a light emitting diode.

The judges for the 2010 MJSA Vision Awards were: Marlene Richey, designer, business expert and author of Profiting by Design; Michael Coan, jewelry department chair at the Fashion Institute of Technology; Cindy Edelstein, president of the Jeweler’s Resource Bureau; Mark Schneider of Mark Schneider Design; Todd Hawkinson of Minneapolis Community Technical College; and Tina Snyder, editor in chief of MJSA Journal.

For more information and additional photos of the Vision Award Winners, go to http://www.mjsa.org/career_center/mjsa_vision_awards.

"Chrysalis" necklace

Philadelphia, Pa. (February 13, 2010)

Jennifer Jordan Park of Budd Lake, NJ has been named a winner in the 2010 Niche Awards for the piece entitled “Chrysalis” in the Metal: Enameled category.

Winners of the 2010 NICHE Awards were announced at a ceremony held during the Buyers Market of American Craft on Friday, February 12, 2010.

Only 161 entries out of nearly 1,000 submissions were named as finalists in this year’s competition. Of that group, 36 entries won awards in several professional categories including ceramics, wood, metal, jewelry and glass.

The NICHE Awards program is sponsored by NICHE magazine, the exclusive trade publication for North American retailers of American Craft. The awards program began in 1990 to recognize the outstanding creative achievements of American craft artists who produce work for craft galleries and retail stores. Judging is based on three main criteria:

• Technical excellence, both in surface design and form

• Market viability

• A distinct quality of unique, original and creative thought

For more information, e-mail jennifer@weareverjewelry.com.

Get ready for short sleeves with unique new bracelets. This wristwear uses curvaceous, flowing wire that echoes the lines of the cloisonne enamels. They are substantial, measuring almost two inches in height, yet remain light and comfortable to wear. Clear, intense colors and interesting textures (coiled wire) are eye-catching.

"Pink Ruffle Paisley" bracelet

"Red Flower Paisley" bracelet

Earrings for spring are flirty and dangly. A basse-taille enamel (which means translucent enamel over a textured surface) is the center of each earring. Some enamels are embellished with 23k gold and fine silver leaf. As always, the beads are genuine natural gemstones. This teardrop wire design comes in two sizes–approximately 1.25 inches and 2 inches.

"Teardrop" earrings-Iolite

"Teardrop" earrings--pink tourmaline

"Teardrop" earrings--green&gold tourmaline

"Teardrop" earrings--fire opal

Partially granulated tubes

Use a support structure in the kiln. Sometimes the piece you’re fusing can start melting where it comes into contact with the floor of the kiln before your granules start fusing. It’s easy to become totally focused on the granules and before you know it, a different area of your piece is melted. Coiled binding wire makes a nice nest on which to lay your piece.

Binding wire support

Use carborundum grain when soldering. When joining the woven chain to the finished terminations, bury part of the chain in the carborundum grain. It shields the delicate wires of the chain from inadvertent melting while soldering. For fine silver and 22k gold, I use 14k easy solder; it has an appropriate flow temperature and the color is in between the silver and gold. The hook on the end of the gold termination is also underneath the grain because it would heat up faster than the rest of the termination. You don’t want to risk it becoming overheated and therefore unsoldered. Since the chain is long and must hang over the side of the grain container, I use a third hand to keep it under the surface of the carborundum.