Creative Project #21 ~ my inspiration for RAW

A few posts back I told you about a group I had joined on Flickr, called RAW (Ring A Week).  The challenge in this group is to make a new ring every week. Today the group is having a blog carnival.  At the bottom of this post you can see a list of participants and click on their blogs to see what inspired them to join this group.  You won't be disappointed by the wonderful work you find!

I have been making jewelry for years, but until a year ago would just give it away as gifts.  I started metal smithing a little over a year ago, and it has been an interesting journey.

At first I was pretty intimidated to post any of my work into this group since the ring pictures in the group are over the top!  Then I thought this would push me to try new things especially since rings are probably my least favorite thing to make.

So I joined RAW hoping it would inspire me to try new techniques and get over my fear of making rings.

I make my rings out of fine silver, fused glass, sea glass, antique pottery shards, lamp worked beads.  Something I am working towards is making rings out of Precious Metal Clay.

For the ring above I made a silver bezel, filled it with tiny pieces of sea glass and shells, then filled it with resin.

Here are a few with my lamp worked pieces and wire wrapping.

All last night I had an idea in my head for a ring which was a combination of metal smithing and a flame worked bead.

I set out this morning to try it out.  I made the silver band but I could not get the part on the top that would hold the bead to work.  So I bezeled a piece of antique pottery to make use of the band.

I like the the square pottery on the round silver.

Sometimes the pottery pieces can be tricky to work with.  It can chip easily and the pieces are sometimes rounded from the plate or bowl they have come from.

Be sure and check out all the jewelry artists that are participating in this blog carnival.

Here is a list of them:

Marcie Abney - www.labellajoya.blogspot.com
Joanne Harrill - www.jojobell.com
Thomasin Durgin - www.metalriot.blogspot.com
Amy Nicole - www.rubymtnbeads.blogspot.com
Janice - www.doxallodesigns.blogspot.com
Aleksandra Micic - www.micicart.blogspot.com
Lana Chu - www.ginkgoglass.wordpress.com
Evelyn Markasky - www.markasky.blogspot.com
Kerry Alice-Twigs and Heather - www.twigsandheather.blogspot.com
Lorena Angulo- blog.lorenaangulo.com/
Kate Jones-- www.katejonesdesign.blogspot.com
Maria Apostolou- www.createjewelry.gr/blog
Sarah Small - www.bysalla.blogspot.com
Rebecca Bogan - www.Adobesol.com/blog
Elaine Luther - www.CreativeTextureTools.com/news
Rebekah Timlin Meddles - www.lunasadesigns.blogspot.com
Laura M (Zoeowyn) - www.zoeowyn.blogspot.com/
Kimberly (bahamadawn) - www.bahamadawn.blogspot.com
Erin Austin - www.metalmusing.blogspot.com
Catherine Witherell - www.happydayart.typepad.com
Michele Grady- www.michelegradydesigns.blogspot.com
Joan Furilla - jfurilla.wordpress.com/
Kathryn Cole- www.kathryncolejewelry.blogspot.com