Jelly Drawings

For this project I want to play with my references in ways other than manufacturing jewellery pieces. I plan to do some ink drawings and paintings, the reason for this is so that I can explore the references I am working with and at the same time create little works of art with colour. Because colour is such a big part of why the ocean appeals to me as a source of inspiration, I feel like I need to use it in my drawings while designing as well as in my actual pieces.

The pictures below show my versions of little jellies...


... Although these drawings do not look anything like real jellyfish, they are the abstract product of my previous sketches which were more jellyfish like. They are my idea and interpretation of what I want my jellyfish inspired brooches to look like.

Jellyfish sketches

After watching a documentary about Giant Jellyfish I was amazed at how gracefully they glide and float around the ocean, as well as how intimidating a huge group of these placid jellies can be.

I want to try and capture that movement and whimsical appearance that the jellyfish have in my next pieces of jewellery. The photos below show my thinking drawings of possible jellyfish inspired brooches...

Finished Earrings

Enamelling Platinum...

This is what playing with platinum will do to you.....

Sorry Mish ;)

Soldering the frames...

After the metal prep was done, which to me is the worst part of working with platinum, I could get to soldering... which is the best part!

I started off by bending up my teardrop frames...


...and then moved onto bending up the inside pieces. Again I noticed how hard platinum is when I was bending and curling the wire. Once the little pieces were fitted and sitting flush against the side of the frame, I could easily solder my bits together. The great thing about soldering platinum is that you dont need flux. This made soldering all those little pieces together clean, quick and painless.

The picture below shows how I fit all my pieces together. I cut a piece of wire longer than I will need it, this makes it easier to bend up and allows room for mistakes. Once I have the shape I want, I cut the excess away and file the end down so that it's flush with the frame...

Platinum metal prep

Once I was given my platinum, and my bench was clean and ready, I started making my earrings. As seen in the photo below, when melting or annealing platinum we have to look through a piece of dark glass to avoid damaging our eyes because the metal glows so brightly when heated up...


each member of our group was given a bar of platinum. Luckily my earrings are going to be made of wire so I didnt have to worry about melting any of the platinum, I just rolled and pulled the wire straight from the little bar. I had forgotten how much faster platinum work hardens compared to silver. When I started pulling down my wire I could only pull it through one hole on the draw plate, and then I would need to anneal again.

After what seemed like forever, I finally finished my wire for the earrings...