Being a Jeweler on Valentine’s Day

When I primarily worked in Illustration, Valentine’s Day for me was similar to most guys. However now that I focus on making jewelry, valentines has become a hotspot for crafting commissions! Furthermore, the piece I craft for my own relationship took a few (enjoyable) days.

  I make work in several price ranges, from $20 charm necklaces; to $200 silver set stone charms. This most recent holiday I crafted a unique cut quartz style stone for my significant other.  Set in 16ga. Sterling silver, with a pewter collar and stainless steel chain.

  Alongside that, my locket style necklaces earned several sales. Ranging in different interior options, the customization makes these necklaces a hot and convenient seller. 

  Nowadays I get approached by return costumers every year around V-Day who are interested in a one-of-a-kind piece to give to their sweethearts. And I’ve got to say, I love it! I get to fashion my own gift for my date, and my smaller sellers more than make up for the material cost. 

  I learned this semester however, that as social media increases my network- I need to start dedicating more time to the holiday! Last week involved a few 12 hour work days, and a skipped class just to meet orders.

   I feel like next year I’ll be pre fabricating a set list of jewelry to post for sale, and limiting my last minute side commissions- especially the ones which need to be shipped! Either way, I survived this V-Day, and learned more about next years preparations!

The Bent ply-shelf in a nutshell (rather, walnut veneer)

  As with any crafts project, I started off with a goal of making a specific item, and expanded it after ideation. The opportunities that come with vacuum-forming and mold making allow for mass production on a very convenient scale. Because of this, I wanted to focus on a small piece of furniture, such as a lampshade, flowerpot, or shelf. 

  The shelf was the all-around most self-reliant out of these choices. The Design I chose was based off of paper in a typewriter. Wrapping around spools and bars from point A to point B. This design was not the most simplistic, as it required multiple people to pin down. The five curves asked a lot for one form, however with enough hands it worked out.

  As far as production goes- I started by making a quarter scale model, to allow any issues to be resolved. After modeling, the full-scale mold was created using half inch MDF, spaced out with ribs, and surfaced with two quarter-inch sheets of bending birch.  The mold would hold up under the pressure of the vacuum, and allow me to pull as many shelves as I desire.

  Now for the appealing part. To make a shelf, I took four 1/8^th” sheets of bending birch cut to length, and rolled urethane glue on the inside joining faces. With my mold in the bag, I set these four layers inside, and with assistance lined them up with the mold. Turning on the vacuum, we had 2 minutes to assure the form was tight, and the bag did the rest. The glue would dry, forcing the bent layers to remain.

  Of course, after removing the fresh shelf from the mold, It had to be refined, gaps filled, sides cut with a ban saw, sanded, (optionally veneered) and drilled for hardware bracketing. The best part? Start to finish each shelf takes less than 4 hours of work! (Plus 3 hours of watching glue dry)

   If you are interested in more, or in ordering a shelf for yourself, either leave a comment here, or contact me on my Facebook page! http://bit.ly/19P5sh2