Precious Puzzles

Whether it be jewellery making or mosaicing, both are a combination and an assembly of small pieces whether they be engineered components out of precious metal or handcut pieces of glass and mirror. Proportions and functionallity have to be considered in both to gaurantee that the end product result in something beautiful.




Six Little Dickie Birds

As a jeweller I am fascintated by detail, colour and design and the combining of these elements into a pleasing aesthetic whole has led me to explore mosaicing techniques.



Flaming Firepetals Mirror

 I am intrigued by how the small pieces make up the big picture. As with pixels and puzzles, there is always the perfect piece. As a sideline I have created a range of mirrors and mosaics in which hints of colour compliment the silvery reflectiveness and allow the detail to take centre stage.



Lovebird Mirrors

As with my jewellery where each piece is hand made with the mosaicing I handcut all the mirror and
tiles to ensure a quality pattern and picture.

Lotus Leaf Mirrors

It`s only glass                                                 by Maike Valcarcel

When I tell a client that these necklaces are made out of glass beads

I often get the reply: oh, it`s only glass. Then why is it so expensive?

This is why:

They have history! Some of them are thousands of years old,

some have travelled and changed hands more than we can even imagine, some took lot of skill and time to make, some were used as money, some were traded against gold, slaves and ivory,  some have supernatural powers.

They are a microcosm of historical and cultural information.

They are beautiful! 

Millefiori beads – the technique was invented in the first millennium A.D. in Asia, and then revived in Venice about 400 years ago and to go into detail about the process would fill a couple of pages….

Left: Naga beads from the Naga tribe in India

Middle: Egyptian beads: these turquoise, lapis and carnelian beads were found in Egyptian tombs and could be around 2000 years old. The bone pendant is a symbol for fertility.

Right :“Fake coral” – I got these beads from Jemen. They are a substitute for those who couldn`t afford the real corals

Wind trade beads:  up to 500 years old, coming from India and were shipped to Africa by Chinese, Indian and Arabic merchants, who sailed with the monsoon winds

A new version of millefiori bead- not quite the same!

Do you still think this is only glass?

in the eye of the beholder

by Adi Cloete

left: Rene Magritte 'The False Mirror"

There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.  ~Gilbert Keith Chesterton

As someone in a creative career,one has to consider 'beauty' on a regular basis... 

one's own ideas about beauty, but also creating beautiful things based on other peoples perceptions of beauty. 

A few years ago I made this ring, not intentionally for me, but it has ended up on my finger.  Happily. 

Its a swivel ring with the words 'create' and 'beauty' on either side.I love it because it says a lot about me and how I see that what I do.

create/beauty ring by Adi Cloete (Firepetals) 

Beauty inspires and bring lightness to the heart. BUT as the saying goes: 

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

And one person's ecstasy could be another's nightmare.
Beauty is personal and relative.

Eye Miniature Brooch. Anonymous. Watercolour on ivory. Tears made out of diamonds. 1790-1810

"bright eyes" by ElaineCK   www.elaineck.com

In certain creative expressions I think the creation of un- beautiful things can still be tolerated (or ignored), but there are a couple of things that cannot be forgiven.

Using a natural resource and making it into something horrid should not be allowed.Wood and stone cannot be melted down like jewellery made from precious metals, where at least the metal can be re-used.

And then there are 2 other genres that often produce some challenging moments for me: bad ceramics and architectural monsters.

So keep an eye out: creating beauty should be handled responsibly, as far as possible!

Rainbow Eye by ThErEaLDoLLyFrikka, Eye of time brooch by Dali & I dream of Freedom by loopyluv

When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other.  ~Chinese Proverb

Short courses with Frieda

Last weekend I held the first Tricks workshop at my studio in Roodebloem rd. This one was a three hour workshop on seamed tubing. I wanted to take a lot of photos to share with you but then I got so wrapped up in the course that I completely forgot. It was a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to do more of these courses. There are so many amazing techniques, so there will be more Tricks workshops in the future.

  

Twice already I held a weekend setter course concentrating on tube and swiss setting. The next setters course will be on the weekend of the 26^th-27^th of May.

Apart from that there are so many techniques, like anticlastic raising, repossage, engraving, riveting and many more, I would like to explore myself.

Once I gained some experience I will pass it on. 

Leto venus

I (jane) am taking a break, visiting my parents on the southern Cape coast. Frequently, inspiring things arrive unexpectedly. Yesterday, a beautiful moth, Leto venus, alighted on the table amongst the work in progress, books in transit, and unopened mail.

The larvae of these moths feed only on Keurboom trees, and the pink-purple of their flowers and the silvery patches on their bark seem to magically reappear on the adult moth. The silver patterns on its wings are literally like flakes of pure silver leaf.

Thanks to Geoff McIlleron for the photos

Double sided Design Indaba and why I want to be German in my next life...

Words by: Adeline Jubi
Photographs by: Tertius Heyns and Adi Cloete

After weeks of preparation, no sleep for some and little sleep for others, Design Indaba has come and gone for the Fine Ouncers. 


Most of us had two stands to plan and man, an accomplishment that   sounds more doable four months in advance.  We barely just got over the mad Christmas rush. A time in which I saw my children so little, that they started calling our nanny, my husband and even the cat “mamma”.  We had short break , only to be dumped in the cauldron of frenzy again. 

Getting stuck with double sided tape...

Comic relief during build-up

For our non German (vorsprung -durch –tehnic) members, getting organized for Indaba while juggling life and other  orders, just seems a bit more stressful. I have decided that in my next life, I want to be German. Our German members never panic on the surface, whip out power tools and set up 2 stands in half the allotted time, only to whoosh off to the movies while the rest of us sit till 3am to thumb suck prices and still make jewellery for the next day. Even if something does go wrong, they might at the most, gracefully swear in 3 languages . All this while I stick myself to the wall with double sided tape, instead of the paper cloud that is supposed to be stuck down. Our Indaba neighbours and us tried everything from spray glue, Prestick, double sided tape (3 different types) to normal glue, but our displays refused to stick to the panels of our stands. Eventually, I used so much double sided tape to stick my “Welcome to Cake Town “showcase to the back panel of the Fine Once stand that it was impossible to remove on Sunday night without breaking the back mirror into a million pieces and cutting my finger in the process.

Finished stand for Firepetals

Showtime with Carla Frank

Frieda and Maike's stand

Eventually everything worked out fine and we pulled it off. We all DID it. Fine ounce and our own stands got fantastic feedback from an adoring crowd. We even got a Design Indaba TV interview, sales and loads of compliments and encouragement for our efforts. Yet again, I have realized why we put ourselves through this torture... Feedback and getting your “stuff’ out there are so important if you sit isolated in your studio. It makes all the effort worth while.

So will we do it again? Probably, why not... it’s still a whole year to go.

"Welcome to Cake Town" stuck down

Jane's magnificent earrings

Break Down and the girls at work.

FINE OUNCE at Design Indaba

My 'Cry Me a River Ring' - Sterling Silver, 22 ct Gold and drop-shaped Rainbow Moonstone and it's friends can be viewed along with the inspired craftmanship of my fellow members of Fine Ounce at Design Indaba 1-4th February, looking forward to seeing you there..............


Giselle