First of all, I must revisit my previous blog titled Finding Balance. I am still working on it but I am happy to say I have made progress as evidenced by this blog posting four months after my last blog – rather than four years!
As I settle into new routines and think about my journey, I began to appreciate how I ended up where I am as a jeweler. I have always enjoyed hobbies such as wood carving, beading, batik, and pottery. I became an avid bead collector when I was young and eventually focused specifically on antique glass beads, many of which were traded for money or supplies depending on their culture. As I collected beads and began stringing them, I explored more creative ways to enhance my stringing. I tried to learn new processes, such as wire wrapping, on my own. But something was missing. This is often what has led me to move onto another hobby in the past. But this time I realized I had envisioned designs I could not create.
It wasn’t until I took a weeklong class at William Holland School of Lapidary Arts in Young Harris, Georgia years ago that I became serious about original creations in sterling silver. The first class I took was titled Silver I in the fall of 2001. It taught me the basics of metal, sawing, soldering and polishing. After my first class I came home excited and ready to make jewelry, which meant creating work space. Luckily it was spring when I finished my first class and I set up a jeweler’s bench, torch and pickling pot for metalwork on my back porch. I am also lucky enough to be married to a fine carpenter (Bo) who custom built my jeweler’s bench. However, when winter came, I had a problem with continuing my work! My idea to move the torch into my kitchen didn’t get much support from Bo.
Bo and I live in the country and I have always had a passion for log cabins. My luck continued when we found out an acquaintance nearby was tearing off a kitchen on the back of his old home place. Beneath the siding and interior sheetrock walls were perfectly preserved hand hewed logs. They sold the logs to us and Bo built what is now a reconstructed 1858 log cabin studio. I have a wonderful work space and I even leave a little space for Bo – he has hobbies, too!
Over the years I continued taking classes at William Holland: Silver II in 2003, Chasing and Repousse in 2010, Metal Forming in 2013, and Cold Connections II in 2016. I even took Digital Photography in 2009, a necessity since I started out as possibly the worst jewelry photographer on the planet! I had learned quite a bit on my own, but there is no replacing a weeklong infusion course without interruptions.
So now I have a variety of techniques in my tool bag. My design options are wide open and I am finding my way to Bibba Originals!
Thanks for visiting and please come back…..I just may be on a roll…. Bibba
Bibba Originals 