Custom Order

The most nerve-wracking and rewarding part of being a jeweller is definitely making items upon request aka the "custom order".

I recently received a custom order through Made You Look for a lady who wanted a pendant made from a logo of their organization. It was to be a gift for the well-loved and admired recipient, who was retiring after many years of service. Right - no pressure!

I happily accepted hoping that I could rise to the occassion and create something worthy of the recipient and lovely enough so that she could wear it often.

I was given a short window of time to make it as I was also finishing up another custom order, starting my new job and getting jewellery ready to show to Distill Gallery in Toronto for the first time. When it rains - it pours! All good though as everything got finished on time and successfully.

I finished the pendant after many emails and telephone conversations and Fed-Exed it early Thursday morning. I waited patiently, wondering if the piece was a hit or miss. Really nervous as this had been my largest commission to date and I so wanted to hit the mark.

I received the phone call I was waiting for and she was thrilled with the pendant and thanked me over and over. The biggest weight was lifted from my shoulders and I could now look forward to the next one. Happy Days!

Spring Blossoms!

I have been working on these new bezels to fill with resin. I know it's a little early for spring flowers but I cannot wait any longer so I decided to make my own. I am going to fill them tonight so I should have a finished product in a few days. I'll keep you posted!

Maboue

I am loving this Montreal artist, Soleil Fleming, that specializes in exquisite porcelain jewellery. Her style is simple, elegant and understated - exactly what I like!

She goes by the business name of Maboue and her Flickr and Etsy sites have lots more eye candy to peruse.

New Year - Learned Lessons and New Beginnings

Well, another year is over and time to send my scrap silver to the refiner's. It has been a busy year, starting with a decision to invest more effort into my jewellery business and really buckle down, buy new equipment and learn some new skills.

After a slow start, I gained some momentum and finished off the year much more successfully than anticipated. I have learned so much in 2010 and am grateful for everyone that was kind enough to give me advice and so much valuable information that I needed.

I have to give a special thank-you to the three newest galleries that are representing me;

   Gallery Art Plus in Belleville,

   Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston and

   Metalworks, also in Kingston

Metalworks, in particular has been instrumental in looking at my work through a finer lens and helping me to become a better metalsmith. I hope to take more classes and continue on the same path this year.

I am very excited to find out what the new year has in store for me and my family and business and I guess the one thing that is constantly in the back of my mind (along with the cobwebs :-) is that nobody is going to come knocking on my door unless I first hit the pavement and knock on a few doors myself first. I don't know why every year that I am so surprised and delighted to find this is true. The trick for me is to get over any insecurities I may have and just be bold and confident and approach new business opportunities as if I had done this 100 times before. Every new business experience this year has been wonderful and unique and has helped me grow as a business woman, artist and person.

Thank-you and Happy New Year!

Exhaust System

I was working in my little studio with no ventilation except for an open window above my soldering area,and now, thanks to my handy Father-in-Law, I have a wonderful exhaust system that removes all the noxious fumes from the air and my lungs!

I am always curious to see other benches, studios and work areas. What does yours look like and what do you do for ventilation

New Galleries!!

I have been so busy in the last few weeks trying to finish some custom orders and getting ready to show my work to two new galleries.
I am so happy to say that my hard work paid off and my efforts were well received.
I am now being represented in Kingston by Metalworks and by Gallery Art Plus in Belleville, Ontario. I am so pleased and exhausted!
A great big thanks to both galleries for accepting me so warmly and to my understanding husband who has supported me for the last ten years in trying to carve out a little niche for myself to belong.

♥♥♥

Busy Day!

messy bench!

I had a wonderfully busy day today, starting with about 4 hours working at my bench making new jewellery and an afternoon class at Beadapalooza, the local bead store where I teach basic beading, wirework and beadweaving techniques.

Behind the counter is Trina, the owner and good friend.

Just made up a batch of new Bullseye pendants. they will each be filled with two different colours of resin. Colourful and fun to wear. They should be posted for sale sometime next week.

Welcome to the Neighbourhood!

I am not finished these pendants yet but was excited to show them to you because they are turning out just so darn cute! Doorknobs and little accents need to be finished still - I should have added as the resin was still setting but didn't :o)
This will be a whole new line with many designs to come. We have the Birdhouse, Doghouse, Townhouse and regular House, I can't wait to finish more! O.k....back to work!

Color Story

I love doing a series based on one to three colors. Here is the beginning of a plum/purple color story. I think these colors are great for any season, don't you?

Busy, busy, busy!

As you can see by my messy workbench, I have been in production mode. It is best for me to strike when the iron is hot because inspiration does not always present itself when needed.
Here are some bangles which have been really popular all lined up like little soldiers in a row. The grey stuff is clay which I wrap around the bezels to avoid leakage (in case you were wondering).

In Progress

Here are some pendants and bracelets that I am waiting to harden or cure. Very messy and not very attractive - yet! I will have them finished by Monday and then you can see the difference.
Until then, have you seen this Geninne's Art Blog yet? If you haven't, check it out! It is full of inspiration from a very talented illustrator.

Here are a few new items I've been working on. I especially enjoy the Pop-Dots bangles! Lots of fun for the summertime. Thank-you to everyone that has been enquiring about where they can purchase my new silver and resin jewellery. I will be uploading these to my Etsy shop as well as my own website. Thanks everyone!

New Website

Just wanted to let you know that I have been working on a new website to host all of the various places that you can find me on the web and to put my resin and silver jewelry all in one place. It is still a work in progress (as is everything :D) so please be patient as I add all the elements to it.

The web URL is http://rebeccageoffrey.com . There is a contacts page that you can sign up for and I will send you special updates and news of sales and discount offers.

Please tell me what you think and feel free to offer any suggestions for a better sight. Remember it is still "in progress".

Bezels in Progress

Here are some new floral bezels I have just about finished and are awaiting their final polishing. I just need to decide the colours for the resin inside. Any ideas?

Finally this line is coming together! Although they look quite simple, it's taken some time to get exactly what I wanted. Actually it is still a work in progress but I think I have more of what I was trying to capture. More to come!

Perfect Solution

I have been making new pendants recently from the silver bezels that I made previously, however...the polymer clay that I have been inserting into the bezels has left me disappointed. Because I have to actually glue the clay in with a two-part epoxy after it has been cured, I was not happy with the final look. Not good enough for sale.

Soooo, I have decided to replace the polymer with resin and I am so pleased with the results! After finishing, it has the look of frosted glass and can be tinted into the yummiest of colors! Perfect for my handmade bezels. Still lots of sanding but not anymore than polymer.

These new pendants wil be up in my Etsy shop by this weekend hopefully.
I've also been working on a new website that will hopefully be up and running sometime in early June.
Lots to do but very exciting!

Blog Feature!

Thanks to Jenny Comstedt for featuring one of my new pieces on her blog !

Finished Work - finally!

I am finally putting the finishing touches on some new work. I don't know why it's been taking me so long to finish them but here are a few samples to show you. I really had a great time coming up with these designs and will probably continue to make them available for sale. There are lots more in different stages of completion. Hope you enjoy them!

Fleur de lis Pendants

I have been inspired in so many ways by the romantic city of Montreal that I had to pay homage to it in some way.

Here are some new pendants or maybe earrings that I've been working on that hopefully do the trick.