Showing posts with label rings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rings. Show all posts

Steampunk Books : Jewelry and Sculptures

There's many Excellent Steampunk books that are going to be released soon .
My jewelry and sculptures are featured in 3 of them .

The Art of Steampunk: Extraordinary Devices and Ingenious Contraptions from the Leading Artists of the Steampunk Movement : An amazing Book featuring 17 of the most creative steampunk artist ,
To be released in August 2011 .



You can pre-order it on Amazon.com :



1,000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art : My jewelry and sculptures will be featured on this Wonderful Book featuring a wide variety of steampunk craftmanship ,
To be released in July 2011



Available on Amazon.com :




Steampunk: Victorian Futurism : A Jules Verne world of extraordinary visions and contraptions as portrayed by the top 30 artists in the genre ,
To be released in June 2011




Also available on Amazon.com



RAW - the 52 week journey

mary jane dodd

earth is... fragile

inspired by earth day - using mica, paper, dried flowers, silk fiber... 

~~~
 
 earth is... bountiful

my goddess (she hangs upside down here) 

an open vessel, yet full of all that needs to be given...
reaching up and out into the world,
yet true to and in tune with the essence of her Self...
from the depths of one's soul, the beginning of time,
yet ever present and knowable..
created from the salt of the earth, the energy of the universe... 

Catherinette Rings 3rd Anniversary

This month Catherinette Rings is celebrating it's 3rd Anniversary .

First let's start with a little bit for History :



Here's how it all started
, 3 years ago , Catherine took a 2 hours jewelry making lesson at home with a few friends .During the lesson she learned how to make basic wire rings . The rings she made were very colorful , she also has a good eye for matching colors and making designs since she is a professional graphic designer in the fashion industry . After she made the rings , she received many compliments and many people wanted to buy the rings she made . By nature i always had a good sense for business ,
so I encouraged her to buy some materials , offered to take the pictures and try to sell them on a site i heard about , ETSY . That's when Catherinette Rings was created .

This is the first ring we sold on ETSY on April 19 ,
only 7 days after opening our ETSY shop.



After seeing that we had some results , i decided to give it a try and made a few rings. Here's the first one i made and sold on ETSY :

First ring of mine sold on April 22nd 2008


A few days later , i invented a new style , i called it the Kubix .I sold tons of them in the first year and they were often featured on the Etsy frontpage . During this period i decided to quit my job and work full-time on this project .

First kubix sold on May 7Th 2008



After showing the rings i made to a friend
He told me what i was doing was somewhat Steampunk . I research the subject and fell in love with this culture . I always liked Steampunk but i didn't know there was a name for it .
After investigating what steampunk was i knew exactly what i wanted to make .

That's when i made my first steampunk ring .

Here's the first one i sold . It was sold within only a few hours after i put it for sale on ETSY .

First steampunk Ring sold on the 2nd of June 2008 :



This is what paved the way to everything that followed :

25 January 2009 - Mention in Fashion Magazine Clind'oeil Article about ETSY
26 February 2009 - Article in the Newspaper Le Voir about Steampunk
May 2009 - Picture of my jewelry in Jean Campbell Steampunk Style Jewelry: Victorian, Fantasy, and Mechanical Necklaces, Bracelets, and Earrings

21 May 2009 - Steampunk D&D Beholder sculpture featured on BoingBoing.com



Steampunk Sculpture - BEHOLDER ROBOT - Reptile Taxidermy glass eye - RELIC - This piece was displayed at the Museum of the History of Science Oxford UK and BoingBoing.com - READ THE STORY in the description

24 May 2009 - Steampunk Spider featured in Daily Deviation on Deviant Art
30 May 2009 - Attended Grand Picnic Victorien Montreal
7 June 2009 - LARP - Attended INDUSTRIA 1859 - Montréal
13 June 2009 - Featured in the innovation section of WGSN.com
13 October 2009 - Participation in The first Steampunk Exhibition to be held at a Major Museum ,The Museum of the History of Science Oxford UK
December 2009 - Article in the Ottawa Magazine about Steampunk
14 january 2010 - The Incredible Steampunk Jewelry Photography of Daniel Proulx
2 February 2010 - Steampunk Robot Ring featured in Daily Deviation on Deviant Art


20 February 2010 - Article about Steampunk in Montreal in the Gazette Newspaper
21 February 2010 - Final Day of the Steampunk Exhibition :
Art Donovan Curator of the Exhibition and Jim Bennett Director of the Museum , Member of the Victorian Steampunk Society . Artists present were Ian Crichton, (Herr Doktor-UK), Daniel Proulx, (Canada) and James Richardson Brown (UK)
9-10 March 2010 - Meeting with Lee Ann Farruga and Pat of Steampunk Ottawa .
16 April 2010 - Montreal's Jewelers School
31 July 2010 - Grand Picnic Victorien Montreal
27 to 29 August - Special Guest at FanExpo Canada . Steampunk Meet-and-Greet Soiree at the Royal York Library Bar , participation in the “Steampunk 101” panel and more …

Upcoming Events :

Spring 2011 : Feature in The Art of Steampunk: Extraordinary Devices and Ingenious Contraptions from the Leading Artists of the Steampunk Movement

2011 : Feature in 1,000 Steampunk Creations: Neo-Victorian Fashion, Gear, and Art (1000 Series)


2011 : Canadian National Steampunk Exhibition .

Will also be vending at a few Hot-Air Balloon events .

----------------------------

We will celebrate our 3rd anniversary ,
With Catherine's favorite colors
And Daniel's designs .

Here's the first limited edition ring available on ETSY .


To see more limited edition Rings , follow me on Facebook.
I will post new colorful designs on my facebook fans page as i create them .


Etsy
CatherinetteRings


Thanks for all your support !


lessons learned

mary jane dodd

'nature is an endless combination and repetition
of a very few laws.
she hums the old well-known air
through innumerable variations.'
~ ralph waldo emerson

this is how i feel about rings - a few basic techniques needing to be learned well which are then repeated - but after that... well it's about raising the bar to whatever inspires... this week i added small gemstones to them... 


here inspired by conifers... 


here by the promise of spring... 


i was working on a version of a rustic engagement ring - using brass and nickel - soft silk and a raw diamond... 

lessons learned - 

the engagement ring is the second one i made... the first one taught me that even with the heat required to apply patina, soft solder will lose its hold... 

this engagement ring has a circle in the middle of the etching, so it has to be redone... as there is some etched pattern visible, i am thinking it must have sunk to the bottom of my container...

copper is a very friendly metal, it likes to snuggle - when it comes to chemical techniques, keep your brass and copper separate - unless you want plated brass... which is kind of cool, but not what i was looking for... 


** i just want to add here that i know these rings are simple in construction - i marvel at the skill of smiths creating truly magnificent pieces... one of my personal goals is to expand my knowledge in this respect... 

any casualties this week in your work? while they can be frustrating, ultimately we learn from them and keep moving - 

Ring Obsessed.

Save. Splurge.
I have a huge obsession with rings. I think rings are the perfect finishing touch to any outfit, day or night. I particularly love big, chunky rings and cocktail rings as I think they get you noticed without being too flashy.

Available at: www.etsy.com
Available at: www.shopstyle.com
 You can splurge or save on this piece of jewelry as retailers like Forever21 offer a variety of choices however, costume jewelry often makes my skin turn green!


What's your favorite piece of jewelry?


KIU,


Twentysomething


Photo credits:
www.shopbop.com
www.forever21.com
www.etsy.com
www.shopstyle.com 

when more looks like less

but helps you to express more... 


                                                                                                            mary jane dodd


take a feeling - like the infinite, the void, the source of all energy... how do you even begin to translate that? how does that vastness feel to you?


when i started to work with the shibuichi technique, at once it felt like i was on to my personal interpretation of it... there was an instant expansion in my thinking when i learned it... using energy - fire - to transform metal into a moving molten liquid... and then allowing it to assume its own beautiful surface texture... it feels very elemental and freeing when i do it... 


the ever changing present moment connects us to a time continuum... moments in time strung along a gossamer thread - delicate and yet strong... the power of one moment can exhilarate or devastate us... and yet it is part of our much larger life span... which is a small part of history's life span... but significant still...




learning how to patina was another huge step in being able to execute the concept... 


the inner workings ended up being heavily influenced by time i spent with my small children by the water... we would throw in different sized rocks and try to guess what each would sound like... 


and my spirit rattle was born::



the number of our moments is surely unknown to us - and are precious... staying present means you are participating fully and not just walking around on auto-pilot...

i posted this excerpt on my personal blog this week - it is very tied into the meaning of this ring and i wanted to share it here as well...


it is from 'the magic of findhorn' by paul hawken::



“The earth, once white and molten, represents a thought. It was a fire in the heavens, glowing as a sun, visited by the Deva of the Wind which came and blew across the surface, playing with the Fire Deva until all was mediated. The Deva of Water and Rain formed and collected in the skies and fell to earth.
Great clouds of steam issued forth from the surface, the skies were enlivened and heavy with its presence, and across the surface the Wind Deva began to cool, carve, and chisel away at the crust of the planet. It created pools and eddies, lakes and streams, and bigger bodies which we know as oceans.
With each successive change, a new Deva or impulse came forth until, like a procession, did the Earth receive the new hosts, each Deva bringing with it a variation of life ever present in the divine potential.
The Earth prepared itself to receive and serve the thought of a man and a woman. The Earth would be their temple and guardian; the heavens would be their guide and vision. Humans affirmed the link between the infinite spirit and the totality of matter. They related from the highest spiritual planes to the most concrete levels of form.
The Earth was for humanity to enshrine, to make holy, to blend their unique qualities and work as a family in cooperation with the Devas, the spiritual stewards of the planet.”

so a woman has a deadline -

and it's, um, today... 


she started out with the best of intentions - with a list that was refined during the week... components finished (each and every step)... and all that was really necessary was to sit in one spot and put them together... 


and then, she woke up and had one of those 'hey, what if i...' moments... 


did she:


a - stick to the list
b - generally stick to the list, but be flexible about it
c - veer completely off course and have a blast making 8 rings... yes, 8... 


'venture forth' came first... a translation of my earrings into a ring... there is a 'Q' instead of an 'O', to serve as a reminder that we all make mistakes, but must keep the big picture in mind...  set things right and get back on track... 


then came a 'what if i soldered 2 cupped discs together?' which meant i had to play with two levels of soldering... and figure out the order of some other steps... 



the 'emerge' rings have a lotus at the center of the base...

and then 'what if i etched some of the metal
and added some silk?'


or tried it with enamel...


and etched the back?

or figured out a ring to set off one of marsha neal's connectors for her my mom pattie etsy shop?

or played with etching, patina and silk?

and then there is one that is unfinished - the patina is setting - but i love the construction and wish i had taken a picture prior to adding the color... 
this one is very 3 dimensional... 

by the way, the woman chose answer 'c'... actually, she didn't choose it, it chose her...

oh, i did also make a leaf pendant to go along with one of lean weih's acorns (which i am not so sure i can part with)... 

and finish a special order for a friend - i made her a lotus disc to go along with the 'moon' resin and moonstone... 



let's see,  intake for the exhibit is until 1pm... i still have time!

New Steampunk Jewelry - 8 July 2010

Here a few new Steampunk Jewelry pieces and Sculptures .

Steampunk Dragonfly Robot Sculpture - Copper Brass and Watch movement - OOAK

This Dragonfly Sculpture is made with copper wire , brass and an oval shape vintage lady watch movement . In plan to make another winged sculpture and i will use cellophane to cover the surface of the wings .


Steampunk - Necklace and Sculpture - SPIDER - Brass wire with vintage watch parts - OOAK

This spider sculpture necklace is wire-wrapped with brass and copper . I also used a vintage pocket watch movement for the body .

Steampunk Jewelry - Tie Tack Pin - OOAK - Elgin 559 U-S-A 21 jewels Watch Movement and clock parts




Steampunk Jewelry - Tie Tack Pin - OOAK - Waltham watch co Seventeen 17 jewels Watch Movement and clock parts


Steampunk Jewelry - RING - Cosplay ring with Clock Part inlayed in MYSTERIOUS Amber and sapphire watch crown- RELIC OOAK - 9.5 ONLY



Steampunk Bracelet - Czech Glass DRAGONFLY Art Nouveau RUBY Blue Buttons - Limited availability


Steampunk Jewelry - Asymmetrical Necklace - Amber and brass watch movement





Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
CatherinetteRings.etsy.com


New Steampunk Jewelry - May 20th 2010

Here's a few of my newest steampunk Jewelry . I have added a few more steampunk Bracelet to my collection . Some of them are available for a limited time because i have a hard time finding the materials to remake them . I also added a few new necklace and rings .

Click on the Image to go the the ETSY listing

NEW Bracelet

FUNCTIONAL WATCH BRACELET - Gunmetal and Silver tone - INDUSTRIAL



FUNCTIONAL WATCH BRACELET - Gunmetal - INDUSTRIAL



FUNCTIONAL WATCH BRACELET - Copper and silver tone - INDUSTRIAL




FUNCTIONAL WATCH BRACELET - Silver tone with Lime Green glass - INDUSTRIAL



Silver Tone - WORKING WATCH BRACELET - VICTORIAN



Steampunk Bracelet - Black gold LACY LEAF Czech GLASS BUTTON with BLACK ONYX and Yellow Honey Amber



Steampunk Bracelet - PINK BLACK iridescent Czech GLASS BUTTON and BLACK ONYX



Steampunk Bracelet - FULL STEAM - BRASS POCKET WATCH MOVEMENT



Back in Stock

Steampunk Bracelet - Copper brass Czech Lacy Glass Reverse Paint FUSCHIA SILVER Buttons - RED QUARTZ and BLACK ONYX - Limited availability




Steampunk Bracelet - Copper brass Czech Lacy Glass GREEN RED AB Mirror Back Flower Buttons - QUARTZ and AMETRINE - Limited availability



Steampunk Bracelet - Copper brass aqua blue violet URCHiN FLOWER iridescent MODERN GLASS BUTTON - Limited availability




New Custom Rings available in various size

Cyberpunk Ring - Pink Agate



Steampunk RING - SKULL RING





New Necklace

Steampunk Necklace - Amber - NEO VICTORIAN INDUSTRIAL



Steampunk Necklace - Natural Garnet - VICTORIAN




Steampunk Jewelry - Necklace - MALACHITE




Check out All the steampunk Jewelry currently available in my ETSY BOUTIQUE


Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
CatherinetteRings.etsy.com