Yes, it’s the dead of winter, there’s a foot of snow on the ground and the temperature is in the single digits. So, to warm myself up I must think of spring and work on new items that bring warm thoughts of Carnival Balls and Summer Galas. With that in mind, I bring you this “Gilded Lily” tiara.
This piece is now available in my Etsy Shop, but may be subject to prior sale.
Here’s some close up views for you…
So my 12 week creative challenge is moving along at a steady pace, I’ve been concentrating on more elaborate pieces which take more than a day to complete, that’s why I no longer post every day now. For today though, I thought I’d share these two pieces that are coming together quite nicely.
I’m calling this the “Warrior Angel” tiara. I may add a few elements to it still and there are some tiny rings soldered every here and there for hanging beads from, I like my jewelry to have moving elements. I’ve been wanting to use these cobalt blue stones and spiral beads for quite some time, there’s many old stones and beads hanging around my studio just waiting to be used in just the right design, some of them I’ve had for more than thirty years. I think I’ll have this gold-plated, if the stones stand out too much after plating, maybe I’ll enamel the leaves like I did in this mask. 
The other piece I’d like to share is a brooch that will be part of a necklace.
This one is a commission based on this piece. 
The customer wants something more colorful, with a biological theme and in a silver plate. I hope she likes it!
#MyPinkPlanet
I’m moving right along with my twelve week creative challenge, I’m just making things a bit faster than I can photograph them so bear with me.
For day 21, I made this necklace from an old watch case I found somewhere amidst all the junk I’ve collected over the years. I think I’ll finish it with tones of silver, gold and raw brass.
On day 22, I made this Venetian style cross necklace, carnivale is coming up in February so I hope to have a series of masks and jewelry to show for the occasion.
Which brings us to this crystal carnival mask I started on day 23. I think I need to add a lot more dangling beads and chains, but we’ll see.
And finally for day 24, I struggled to make my way into the studio and I have only the beginning of a renaissance style necklace to show for it.
That’s all for today, I hope you’re following me on FaceBook and have a chance to check out my ETSY shop? In the meantime, take care.
Today I did some more work on this butterfly tiara, I think I need to take a break and get back to it, it needs something and I just don’t know what. But that’s what I have to show for day 20 of my twelve week creative challenge.
I’ve been asked to participate in a group gallery show, and since I’ve grown a bit tired of making production jewelry, this seems to be the perfect opportunity to let loose and create some more sculptural pieces. So, here we go.
The first is a concept piece I call “Husbandry”
I have two thoughts going on with this piece.
One is in how I find the idea of bodily adornment in relation to self-image, and as a mark of intent, goal, or achievement to be so curious. Whether it be to enhance one’s beauty, self-confidence, or status, the pursuit of wearable objects to achieve these goals are how the title of this piece came about.
The other is the symbolism involved with the romanticized heart representing love and all that it encompasses verses the literal heart as a body organ. The romantic heart associated with living happily ever after, and the anatomical heart associated with just living.
As with many of my pieces there is some wordplay and visual puns going on here. I invite the viewer to ponder the idea of a crystal heart-shaped cage, containing an anatomical representation of a heart, flanked by sprays of jeweled flowers, and the significance of its wearability.
The first time my work was shown in an art gallery, it was in a Venetian carnival mask show at the Museum Of Fine Arts Boston, in which I took first place. This is that mask…
So, out of nostalgia, and as an expression of my creative journey, I thought it fitting to do another mask and see how far I have come as a designer and fabricator.
I call this piece Camouflage,
I have an ongoing fascination with the imitation of nature by the use of man-made materials, and the idea of improving on nature by the same means.
In this piece I’ve used the format of a mask, something typically used to hide or disguise one’s identity. In creating an elaborate network of representations from nature, I then gilded and bejeweled it so as to create a conspicuous object of opulence. Much of my work involves puns and wordplay which is how the title of this piece came about.
And finally, if anyone reading this is going to be in the Providence area within the next month, well, here’s your invitation…
I loaned some pieces to Cosmic Unicornz, for a fashion show called Pop Allston’s Pride Party over the weekend and what a time they must have had…
Now here’s a girl who really knows how to rock a tiara!
As a designer and maker of such bold sparkly objects, it’s such a treat to see them worn in the spirit for which they were created. Just look at my Mermaid Queen necklace and tiara on this lovely young model…
And remember, these items and so many more are available in my shop.
So, if you have a chance, have a look. click
I’m kind of new to this so any advise is most welcome. And, if you follow me, It will give me a chance to see what you’ve been up to as well.
I’m very excited about this latest project, a lovely etsy customer saw this necklace and earrings on my web shop.
Now they’d like a matching tiara. So, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with my followers my approach to the design process, and the steps I take in creating such a piece.
The first, and most important, detail is communication. I find visual aids, in addition to written communication, most helpful. So here is my proposal…
To begin with, let’s take a look at the necklace.
It’s a very detailed piece and has lots of movement, but I think to create an inverted version of it should do the trick.
Now, it’s important to use your imagination here, these are just raw stones in un-plated settings, laid out on a piece of paper. This is just to get an idea of size and shape, got it?
Okay, now I need you to imagine the square and pear shape emeralds to be surrounded by crystals as shown in the following pictures.
The stones that surround these parts have been ordered and should arrive any day now. When they are added, this piece will have a fuller more blinding effect.
Also, in the necklace there are some emerald glass beads, these beads are no longer available and I’m having a hard time finding any that match. I’m not sure they would add much to the tiara anyway, but I’ll see what I can come up with.
So, here’s an overview of what the set will most likely look like at this point, and please use your imagination, as I mentioned before, this is a very raw interpretation of the finished project.
Stay tuned for future posts on this project, I’ll do updates when I get feedback from this client. Meanwhile, why not have a look at my shop CLICK.
Update:
Well the customer feels that they need something with more presence to it, in other words LARGER. They like the “Roberta” tiara (click Costumes, Tiaras, and Masks at the top of this page) and would like me to make a similar one but taller.
Of course I’m always happy to make big and bold pieces , “less is a bore” as they say, so here’s the plan. Since the design of the proposed tiara is somewhat different from the existing necklace, and might over power it, I’ll create a second necklace and earrings and let them choose what works best for them. These two photos are just quick snapshots of various pieces laid out to indicate what I propose the finished items will look like.
Thanks for following my blog, and I’ll have another update on this project very soon!
Update:
Okay, the set is complete! What do you think?
And, as you can imagine, I failed to resist the temptation of trying on these beautiful jewels myself.
As I’m preparing for some upcoming shows I thought I’d share some of my favorite designs from this past year…
The pendant can be taken off the beaded, rosary style, chain and worn as a brooch.
Here we have three owls for wisdom, a wishbone for fortune, and a tiny bumble bee for prosperity. (Learn More)
This bold necklace, made from hand laid Austrian crystal, seems to get all the attention at my shows. (Learn More)
I really enjoy these two necklaces because they can be worn with anything at any time and will add such Wimsey to an outfit. I call this line “Linear Compositions”. (Learn More)
And finally, I’m bringing this back into the line. I call it the “Enduring Heart”. I designed the first one of this series when I was in recovery from a nasty battle with cancer, a battle to which I was the victor. The idea is that ones inner strength is dispersed from the heart, like the seeds from a fertile pod, and no matter how hard a beating or how much one must endure, there’s still beauty and value in ones survival. (Learn More)
I hope you enjoyed this post, and that you’ll check out my online shop (Here). Please keep in mind that all items shown in this article may be subject to prior sale, but don’t worry I’ll always make more items of wonder.
~Richard
I hope my followers enjoyed Bead Week on My Pink Planet. A week-long review of my newest work, along with some old favorites, featuring my use of beads. In any case, for those of you who don’t follow my Facebook page, and I wish you would, here’s a review of bead week.
Those are some of my latest styles, now here’s a slide show of some of my old favorites which are still available on My Pink Planet.
~Items shown in this post may be subject to prior sale~
My Pink Planet 