Below is a smattering of facts about my work. Please feel free to contact me with any questions unanswered by the information given.
Statement:
All of my pieces are sand casted in house either in bronze, shibuichi, sterling silver, argentum silver, or fine silver. The original form for these castings is always hand carved out of wax.
My work is most often an abstracted collage of different mechanical forms I find compelling. I design all of my work based on the aesthetic qualities that I have always, my whole life, felt almost supernaturally drawn to. Most of these elements come from my childhood where feeling weak and small I often sought power and control over my life. I couldn’t see myself finding this strength in my own being and so thought I might find it in the seemingly benign objects around me; I’d hoped they would offer me a small gift of strength. My jewelry has become a placeholder and an amalgamation of the design elements of these objects. For that reason I always end up having a very metaphysical relationship with my work where it becomes more than adornment, but companionship. The other form my jewelry sometimes takes is more figurative: either little genderless bodies based on characters that repeat throughout my sketchbooks, various hand poses, or more literal natural elements such as antler that were also something I found compelled to collect.
Materials:
Metals:
I cast in bronze, shibuichi, sterling silver, argentum silver, or fine silver.
The cheapest option of metal I offer is bronze which is a warm yellow color. Since this metal contains copper it is very likely that it will turn the skin it comes into contact with green. Granted that contact has to be prolonged or paired with sweat, oils, etc. The green is just the oxidization of the metal and can be washed off with soap and water. To shine up or clean your bronze you can scrub with baking soda (dampen with a drop or two of water). This acts as an abrasive and will remove oxidization.
Shibuichi is a Japanese copper, silver alloy that can have a range of pink hues. Since this material contains copper the information for bronze applies.
Sterling silver is less pure than fine silver. It is much less likely to turn skin colors though for some people they may get a slightly greyed or darkened color on their skin. Sterling silver will tarnish over time and can be polished back to shine with a polishing cloth or cleaned with baking soda as stated above.
Argentum silver is a slightly purer silver alloy that is tarnish and corrosion resistent
Fine silver is .999% pure silver that is quite soft but will not tarnish or color the skin it is in contact with.
Cordage:
I offer Nylon, waxed cotton, and leather cord options.
Nylon is the material used to make paracord. The nylon cord I use is very durable, the color will not fade, and the cord will not decompose.
Waxed cotton is not as durable as nylon but is natural in comparison. Nylon is plastic where cotton is plant material. It will still last a long time with care but will - over the years- deteriorate. The color will also fade rather quickly so it is definitely best if you want a crunchier more natural feel.
Leather cord will be more durable than cotton but will still deteriorate over time depending on its care. Very supple and natural feeling but it is made of an animals skin…
Care:
All of my jewelry can be worn nonstop. You do not have to take it of to shower or swim in rivers, lakes, the ocean. For some of the materials involved (cotton, leather) getting them wet will shorten their lifespan but we can very easily replace your cord as it ages. You shouldn’t swim in chlorine with your jewelry on as the chlorine is very harsh on the surface of the metal (precious metals like gold especially) though I wear some of my jewelry no matter where I’m swimming. (it’s up to your discretion just know that these things can be a factor in the longevity of your jewelry)
If you don’t like the tarnished look on your jewelry you can always clean with baking soda and a toothbrush or polishing cloth if you have it.