METAMORPHOSIS: DECEMBER REVEAL

Tikka

There you have it: the last metamorphosis of 2015!

I knew Kendra wanted a tikka and I wanted to make one. It was my first tikka and I thought it would be great to end the year making something new! I hope I get to make another some time soon!

The final product is actually different than my original design. The original tikka had a sodalite as the third eye (the dangling stone). When I was polishing it, it slipped from my hand and the sodalite ricocheted off the buffing machine's wall and cracked. That was annoying. But then I found the quartz and loved it as part of the design so much more than the sodalite. I think it was meant to be!

In the photo (courtesy of Kendra), she is also wearing some hammered silver earrings I made her earlier this year.

METAMORPHOSIS: JUNE INTRO

Volunteer: Tara K.

Profession: Controller

Likes: Big jewellery, turqouise, black, purple

Dislikes: Dainty jewellery, yellow, orange

Tara loves jewellery! All kinds and the more the better! You might think of this as an easy month for me because if Tara loves all jewellery, it’s likely I’ll make her something she likes. But because she already has so much, I have/want to come up with something unique. Time to start designing!

METAMORPHOSIS: MAY REVEAL

Stackable rings

Tess said she would like some stackable rings and I wanted to make some. Perfect!

I knew I wanted to use parts of her old rings as the bands for the new rings and some of the stones she already had as well. But, I also had it in my head that I wanted to use birthstones and Tessa’s are diamond, ruby, and sapphire: a combination I wasn’t sure Tessa would be a fan of.

The issue with birthstones is that people don’t like them and/or the combination their family stones make. What most people don’t realize is that there are alternate birthstones for every month. For example, April’s traditional birthstone is diamond, but one alternative is opal, which Tessa conveniently had.

For July, instead of using a ruby, I used black onyx. For September, instead of sapphire, I used moonstone (which Tessa also already had).

As for the bangles (featured below), they were a last minute addition. I figured it would be better to give her a stack of bangles she might wear instead of giving her back a little bag with random items she wasn’t wearing at all (i.e. dolphin earrings, a soccer ball pendant….).

METAMORPHOSIS: MAY INTRO

Volunteer: Tess R.

Profession: Community Fundraiser Coordinator

Likes: Dark colours (black, navy, purple, green), practical and feminine jewellery

Dislikes: Pastels

Tess gave me a lot of silver and gold which means I have a lot of options. It also means I’m going to stress myself out thinking of all those options! First things first: the elimination round. Set aside what I know I want to reuse and melt everything else!

METAMORPHOSIS: FEBRUARY REVEAL

Knuckle ring and pendant.

As previously mentioned, Amrita has a large assortment of unique jewellery she mixes and matches. Knowing that, I felt I could get away with making her something a little bolder. Something to wear to all those Indie concerts she goes to!

METAMORPHOSIS: FEBRUARY INTRO

Volunteer: Amrita G.

Profession: Philanthrophy Services @ Vancity

Likes: most types of jewellery, unique designs

Dislikes: Anything that looks to perfect or clean, yellow, big hoop earrings

Amrita likes jewellery. She has a lot of it and wears a lot of it together. My challenge this month will be to make her something unlike anything she has. Mind you, I think she has an endless jewellery box so it’s likely I’ll make her something she already has. On the plus side, her tastes are diverse which means I can get a little bolder in my design.

METAMORPHOSIS: JANUARY REVEAL

Gold and silver cuff.

As I mentioned in my INTRO post, I can’t remember how Laura feels about bracelets but I do remember her saying she doesn’t have any cocktail jewellery and doesn’t like jewellery that gets in the way. I decided a cuff would fill the cocktail jewellery void and because the bottom is open, it won’t clink about or get in the way as much. And….this is a bit of a stretch, but she said she liked trees and the hammered finish sort of resembles tree bark. Right?!

METAMORPHOSIS: JANUARY INTRO

Metamorphosis is here! I thought it would take me awhile to get volunteers but I had an overwhelming response from people willing to trust me with their old jewellery. (Cue nervous laugh...)

Without further ado....let's meet the first volunteer.

Volunteer: Laura T.

Profession: Finance Manager

Likes: Simple jewellery, neutral colours, trees

Dislikes: Jewellery that gets in the way, very bright colours, the beach

Laura seems to like simple, classic designs. I thought some bangles would be a good way to go but they can get in the way of her desk at work and they can be noisy when worn together. She also said she didn’t really have any “cocktail” jewellery so

Metamorphosis is here! I’m really excited and inspired but also really nervous because there’s a chance I might make things that people hate! (Cue nervous laugh….)

For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, read about my Metamorphosis project here. I thought it would take me awhile to get volunteers but I had an overwhelming response from people willing to trust me with their things. (Cue more nervous laughter…)

I have decided to post an introduction post at the beginning of each month, an update half way through,  and then a reveal post at the end of each month. January’s project will only have two posts because I’m making this decision more than half way through the month.

Here’s a little info about January’s Metamorphosis volunteer a long with a photo of what she gave me!

Volunteer: Laura T.

Profession: Finance Manager

Likes: Simple jewellery, neutral colours, trees

Dislikes: Jewellery that gets in the way, very bright colours, the beach

Laura seems to like simple, classic, yet practical jewellery. That being said, she said she doesn't really have any "cocktail" jewellery. So maybe I should make her somehting big and bold? Or maybe something practical that she can actually wear every day.