METAMORPHOSIS 2018

Here we go...again?!

Last year I benched the monthly Metamorphosis knowing that my hands would be quite full with a newborn. Although I still had quite a bit of custom work throughout 2017, I missed the excitement and creativity of Metamorphosis.

That's why I decided to get back to it in 2018 but with a few small changes. Instead of 12, one per month, I'm only taking on six. I have to be more mindful of my time these days and I don't want to overcommit. 

I think I might also change my presentation format but I'm not quite sure how. I guess we'll see how it goes come reveal day.

I announced Metamorphosis 2018 today and within hours all 6 spots filled up and I even have a few people on a waitlist! I'm flattered by the excitement and how many people want to participate. Thank you!

METAMORPHOSIS 2017

I've spent the last month thinking about my business goals for 2017 and I've decided that next year I will not be offering the monthly metamorphosis project. I will however, offer Metamorphosis $100. 

This year I've had the pleasure of making 3 Metamorphosis $100's (photos below). Here are the details:

• you can book the service at any time
• the turnaround is approximately 4 weeks
• the cost is $100 which I require upfront
• I will take your likes/dislikes into consideration, but the final product will be a design of my choice
• I will post a before/after photo and include a brief description of my jewellery-making process (here are links to samples: Magda, Beth, Karen)
• referrals only

Interested? Email me at alicia@aagoldsmith.com

Lastly, if you would rather design your own jewellery, I'd be happy to meet with you and quote you on my labour!

METAMORPHOSIS 24: REVEAL

Charm Necklace

I really had no idea what I was going to make Cassie up until a week ago. I just couldn't figure it out. I asked her to send me some photos of jewellery she likes and had decided to make a bracelet based on one of the photos she sent me. Then I started overthinking the bracelet idea and decided to make a charm necklace. I think I took her jewellery out every day for two weeks and nothing came to me until finally one day I realized I could turn some of her rings into charms.

I made the honeycomb by hand. I melted gold, rolled it out, cut out some hexagons and filed down their edges. The yellow gold "C" charm and the diamond setting were from two different rings she had. I took the rings apart, re-engraved the faded "C", retipped the claws on the diamond setting, added some jump rings to both, and voila! 

In case you're wondering about the honeycomb, Cassie's family owns the Honeybee Centre and she is basically my honey-dealer. And yes it would have made more sense for the honeycomb to be in yellow gold, but the "C" charm was yellow so I needed to create more balance. Plus, she mostly wears white metals.

This month's metamorphosis wasn't labour intensive but it sure did take awhile to come up with the idea. And sometimes less really is more: this month's metamorphosis really represents the project as a whole. The goal of metamorphosis is to try and repurpose what people have in the form it's already in. A lot of times I end up melting everything but it's cool when I can find ways to give something old, new life, without totally changing it.

This is the last metamorphosis of 2016! Next year I won't be doing monthly metamorphosis' but I will continue to do the project as people sign up for it. Stay-tuned! Interested? Details here.

METAMORPHOSIS 24: INTRO

Volunteer: Cassie G.

Likes: neutrals, organic shapes, simple, silver or white gold, sturdier bracelets, short necklaces, hammered metal, studs or earrings that don't dangle too much

This is my last Metamorphosis of 2016 and I have no idea what I'm going to make....NO IDEA. To make matters worse, I want to have it done by mid-month to avoid the Christmas hustle and bustle. Let's all nervously laugh together!

METAMORPHOSIS 23: REVEAL

Mini ear-climbers

As I mentioned in my intro, I knew what I wanted to make Alice from the very beginning. My biggest issue was picking stones. It took awhile to find small stones in a combination that worked. I originally wanted all of the stones to be the same colour but different shapes, but given the timeline, that wasn't going to work (I would have had to order stones online because my suppliers didn't have the shapes/stones I needed). It took me awhile to find a combination that worked size-wise. I ended up using round faceted hematites, round cabochon emeralds, and pear cabochon moonstones.

Once I had the stones, I bought the settings, soldered them together and voila! 

COMMISSION: LOGO PENDANT

This commission is a representation of work and life and was ordered from a friend to his partner.

From his Instagram: "The 5 lines represent us four and the life we share. #lucky8 triangles of constant change. 11 years of still flying with infinite laughter and love".

METAMORPHOSIS 23: INTRO

Volunteer: Alice L.

Likes: neutrals, stud earrings, long necklaces, stackable rings, two-tone jewellery, geometric and organic/natural shapes

I knew what I wanted to make Alice by the end of our meeting. I think I know Alice's style which made it pretty easy to decide. (Watch me totally miss the mark and make something she hates!)

I'm trying something sort of new. Part of it I've done before, another part might be new depending on how the first part turns out. I can tell you for sure that I need to pick a stone or two. Undecided on what colour stones to pick, mostly because it'll depend on what I have and can find.

Guess I better get to it!

METAMORPHOSIS 22: REVEAL

Two-toned X-Rings

A ring for Michelle and her sister!

Michelle had two rings from her parents that she said she would specifically like to use to make something for her and her sister but it didn't have to be for Metamorphosis. When she first told me this, I thought, don't use the rings...let her pick a special design. But as we started chatting about what she likes, etc, I got it into my head that I wanted to make them matching X-shape rings. I figured after a little research, I would think of something else to make her. Then, after our meeting, she sent me some photos of the jewellery she has which included some X and O earrings. It was a sign! She likes x-shapes! I had to make the rings! At the end of the day, she wasn't using her parents' rings so if she didn't like the new ones I made, then they'd go straight back to the bottom of her jewellery box.

After removing the stones and the white gold settings, I melted her gold. After making the bands and soldering them together, I sent them to the stone setter. Between the two rings, there were 18 stones but one of the stones was a tiny bit bigger than the rest so instead of 9 stones per ring, I was going to use 8. My dad suggested that 9 stones would actually look more even on he design so one of the rings would have to have the bigger stone in the middle. So that's what we did! The one with the bigger stone is Michelle's which makes sense because this was her Metamorphosis and she's the big sister!

METAMORPHOSIS 22: INTRO

Volunteer: Michelle S.

Likes: practical, simple, delicate, neutral, mix of white and yellow gold, stud earrings, short necklaces

I knew what I wanted to make Michelle by the end of our meeting. I can't really say much else without giving away too many hints, but...I can say that it's a mix of white and yellow gold! What could it be? Wait and see!

METAMORPHOSIS 21: REVEAL

Stackable Rings

Other than mentioning that she'd like to acquire stackable rings, Irene said she'd like something that represents her family. The amethyst (yellow gold) and peridot (white gold) rings represent her daughters and one day she has the option of giving them their respective rings. The diamond ring is for her husband since the stone is from a ring he gave her. And the twisted wire ring represents Irene: both colour metals bringing everything together!

METAMORPHOSIS 21: INTRO

Volunteer: Irene K.

Likes: practical jewellery, classic/vintage, family-oriented, long necklaces, stackable rings, natural/organic shapes

I have two ideas for Irene's metamorphosis and am I'm leaning towards one of them. I'd like to try and use two diamonds from rings her husband gave her that she said she would like incorporated if possible. I also think I might be going two-toned on this one. Guess I better get to it!

METAMORPHOSIS 20: REVEAL

2-way Earrings!

Maria had mentioned wanting earrings so I thought it would be nice to make her some that match an amethyst cocktail ring I had made her a few years ago (similar ring featured below).

I wanted to make some earrings that could be worn two-ways: a simple stud for day wear that could be spruced up by adding a multi-stone jacket.

I hadn't made jackets for earrings before so it was good practise to come up with the technical design. Originally, I had planned for each jacket to have either four or six marquise stones but once I started placing the settings together I realized that three stones per earring was the most balanced.

I'm looking forward to making another pair!

METAMORPHOSIS: KAREN

Amethyst Cuff

I was stumped on this one. I really didn't know what I wanted to make. Karen had said she would like either a ring or bracelet, something that incorporated the amethysts from a jewellery-set, and a piece of jewellery that represented a new start.

I sat down to brainstorm and nothing came to me. I wanted this to be special for her. Karen is going back to art school to follow her dreams so I wanted this to be something that reflected this new beginning.

Normally I hit up pinterest for inspiration but that didn't get me anywhere. I got the idea for this cuff by rummaging through my "silver to melt" bag. Karen mentioned she liked leaves and feathers and what do you know, I had two leaves in that bag. To make them work however, one had to be upside down which took away it's leaf-look. I tried thinking of different ways I could change the design so that both leaves were facing up but, short of making a new leaf, nothing came to me. It finally occured to me that the blank leaf was ok. Karen's starting a new chapter in her life, a blank slate of sorts, so it's fitting that one leaf be blank. And after that realization, it also made sense to use twisted wire: her old and new life coming together.

Thankfully I can report that she loved it!

METAMORPHOSIS 20: INTRO

Volunteer: Maria P.

Likes: jewel tones and cool colours, stackable rings, layered necklaces, cocktail earrings,

When Maria and I first started chatting, I had an idea of what I was going to make her. By the time our meeting was over, I had decided on something else. Sometimes it takes weeks for me to settle on an idea. Sometimes, an idea pops into my head and holds on for dear life.

I don't want to give away any hints but I will say it's something I haven't tried before!

METAMORPHOSIS 19: REVEAL

Cloud Necklace

I knew I wanted to make Meghan something nature-oriented. To get some ideas, I scrolled through her Instagram where she has photos of the spectacular scenic landscapes she's visited on her travels. As you can see by the photos, a lot of them have water, mountains, and clouds. When I noticed all the clouds, I remembered one halloween when Meghan was Grumpy Care Bear. Grumpy Bear has a cloud on it's stomach that rains both water and hearts.

After reminiscing about our care bear halloween, I knew I wanted to make her something blue and white that resembled a cloud. And the best idea I came up with was this necklace!

The trickiest part of making this necklace was setting all the stones. When you solder a bunch of bezel settings together, there isn't a lot of wiggle room to set the stones. I definitely got my dads help for some of the setting (as you can see by the man-hands in the bottom right photo of the making of quartet).

I think this necklace represents Meghan and thankfully, she loves it!

*Note: the top left photo of the inspiration photo quartet is by our friend Alice. Meghan was on the same trip so I figured the photo counted and could be included!

METAMORPHOSIS 19: INTRO

Volunteer: Meghan B.

Profession: Officer, Philanthropy at the BCSPCA 

Likes: neutrals, natural/organic stones, antiques, vintage, feminine details, necklaces

Meghan is the first friend I made in highschool. She is one of the best people I know so I'm pretty excited to make her something. That being said, I'm also terrified. I think I know her style pretty well, but that only adds pressure to this metamorphosis.

I have an idea. I think I really like it. Let's hope it works and that she likes it too!

METAMORPHOSIS 18: REVEAL

Leaf Pendant

Kelsey had said she wanted something to represent her daughters. She had sent me some photos of necklaces she liked that featured multiple dangling gems or gems and leaves. When I saw the leaves, I knew I wanted to make a leaf for each of her daughters!

I asked Kelsey to describe her daughter's personalities. Based on what she said, I designed the patterns on the leaves accordingly.

The diamond was an after thought that I think was meant to be. It was a pendant that her husband had given her. For some reason, although I cut the bale off, I didn't take the diamond out of it's setting when I was taking all of her jewellery apart. As I picked up her bag of leftover stones, I noticed the diamond and thought, what if I add it to the pendant?! So I did and voila! Another metamorphosis complete!

METAMORPHOSIS 18: INTRO

Volunteer: Kelsey A.

Profession: Teacher

Likes: neutrals, something that symbolizes her daughters, classic designs, mix of yellow and white gold, liked Metamorphosis 8 and 16

I have an idea! Kelsey sent me some photos of things she likes and as I was typing up her likes, an idea popped into my head. It's an idea that can be done two ways so I'm going to play around with some designs and see what happens!

METAMORPHOSIS: BETH

I went into Beth's metamorphosis thinking I wanted to make something without stones. Everything I've made lately has been stone-heavy. But as I took apart her jewellery, I found myself gravitating towards something with stones. She said she likes cool colours (and she had a lot of blue/green/white stones), a combination of metal and stones, and would like to acquire a pendant on a long chain.

I wanted to keep some of the settings Beth already had but in doing that, there was a chance some of the synthetic stones would lose their color. And they did. So to balance the colours,  I had to change the colour pattern a bit.

As for the raindrop idea, I had seen a cool raindrop pendant somewhere on Pinterest ages ago. When I was playing around with Beth's stones, that pendant idea popped into my head and I knew I wanted to make a variation of it. Also, and this just happens to be a coincidence, but the two days I worked on Beth's pendant, it was raining. Is that a sign that it was meant to be? And furthermore on that note, Beth lives in Calgary. So on a cold but sunny day in Calgary, she'll have her little Vancouver raindrop to remind her of what she is/isn't missing!

METAMORPHOSIS 17: REVEAL

Cocktail Ring

I was inspired to make Ella this Victorian-styled cocktail ring after I saw a ring she already had (see the circled ring in images below). Also, she had a pendant that I was able to turn into the base of the ring setting. Furthermore, she seemed to gravitate toward other multi-stone Metamorphosis', so a multi-stone cocktail ring seemed like the right idea!

I chose hematite because I thought it would pair easily with most outfits when she dresses up. She also said she wears a lot of gray so I figured it was a safe colour!