A Mess of Rings

A Mess of Rings!

by

Cristina Hurley

http://www.cphurley.etsy.com/

I love to make all styles of jewelry, but one of the styles I love to make the most is rings. Rings

are like sunglasses; even if you are a conservative dresser, you can wear a ring

that stands out for that extra bit of flair you might want to express, without getting to wacky.

they can be super simple, or totally outlandish. They can mean nothing, or everything to the wearer.

I am making a ton of rings right now. I noticed when I saw this mess of them on my bench.

Enjoy the process!

Drilling to set stones

Hammering a ring to the right size.

Forming a ring to shut the seam.

Filing a setting.

sanding the inside of a band.

Thats me with all my rings! :)

New work

New work

by

Cristina Hurley

http://www.cphurley.etsy.com/

My recent move to my new studio/shop has inspired me in many different ways. I had not considered the possibility that my new space would help me so much, not only with my productivity, but also my creativity. Being in a different environment has produced some new work that I am very pleased with. Here are some examples.

"Susan's Star" Sterling silver and diamond.

Ptolemy Bracelet" Sterling silver, oxidized, set with CZs


"Nova Bracelet" Sterling silver, oxidized, set with CZs

"Obelisk Necklace" Sterling silver, Black Czech Crystals

I am still working a lot with the black and white theme, I enjoy the contrast and it really makes the metals and the stones pop! All the pieces were hand fabricated in my studio. although labor intensive, I really enjoyed making them and am very happy with the results.

you can see all these pieces and more in my new shop, located at

3 Rockland Street

Canton, MA 02021

781-562-0421.

:)

Eco Friendly Jewelry

by

Cristina Hurley

http://www.cphurley.etsy.com/

You might have noticed lately that there is a Green Movement going on all over the world; the jewelry industry is no exception. Many jewelers have become very aware of where their materials come from and how they are brought from the earth to our benches. In recent years you may have heard about conflict free diamonds and the like, but many jewelers are now turning to recycled and lab created materials to produce "fine" jewelry. Many even call it "Green Jewelry" in light of the popularity of the term. Green is not just a color of an emerald anymore. It means so much more.

There are many different sources for alternative materials out there now, and there are many alternative materials to choose from. For example, diamonds, rubies, emeralds and sapphires can all be grown in labs. They are natural, but grown by people instead of dug out of the earth.

Refined and recycled metals can be bought from different sources. One company, Hoover and Strong, sells mine-free recycled metals. They are my favorite source for metals.

There are also different types of synthetic stones out there, such as Cubic zirconia, which are also lab created and look just as great as diamonds, without the conflict or the cost.

Here is an example of a recent set of rings I made:

Anti Wedding ring set in Silver

These rings are made from recycled sterling silver, and set with Cubic Zirconias for some sparkle. They are then oxidized using an Ecofriendly technique which involves a hard boiled egg.

Pretty cool huh?

there are even entire jewelry sites dedicated to selling green jewelry, like the company Green Karat.
They are dedicated to selling what they call "Ecologically Responsible Jewelry".

So the next time you look for that perfect piece of jewelry for a friend or a loved one, make sure you go Green!

:)

you can find the rings pictures above at this link:

Boston Handmade Treasury.

I'm a member of a fabulous group here in MA, Boston Handmade (http://www.bostonhandmade.org/), and made a treasury on Etsy.com to represent art from the different artists in the group. They are a fabulous talented group of people, check it out:
www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=95218
:)

thanks!

Hoppy Easter!

Well, despite my unfortunate circumstances of the week, I had a pretty nice Easter Sunday today. I figured I would focus on the positive, and not let my bad week get me down.

I hope all my blogger friends out there, whether you celebrate Easter or not, have had a lovely day and enjoyed the sunshine, if your in my neck of the woods!
BUZZZZZZZZZZ

:)

Spring cleaning sale

Hi Y'all, I have been forced by the weather to Spring clean, which I kind of never do, so I figured I would also do some spring cleaning of my inventory.

Mind you, it's still all great stuff, I just want to make room for the new stuff.

:)

Here's the link and no need to do anything special, I've made all the changes...

http://www.cphurley.etsy.com/

Happy Spring!!!!!

I spoke too soon.

I live in a sub level apartment and it totally flooded.
Other thing to do when it rains:
Bail water for hours in your bathroom so it doesn't spread to the rest of the apt.
Yuck.

What to do when it rains.

When it rains like this, I can really get in a zone making jewelry. Creative spurts abound along with the raindrops. this set reminds me of rain falling from clouds...

New Design of the Week!

Falling Water Pendant and Earrings

Sterling Silver, Orange CZ, Handmade findings and chain.

This Fluid yet sturdy design was inspired by the architecture of Frank Lloyd wright, one of my favorite artists of all time.

New Design of the week!

Sterling silver Scheherazade Necklace and earrings, in Sterling Silver and dark blue apatite.

I love the sky

I've always been one of those kids that plops down on the grass on a clear starry night and gets inspiration from the cosmos. I've tried a few different things to express this and am very happy with my latest attempt at capturing the night sky.

It's almost impossible to mimic something so natural and perfect.
We have it in us though, the universe createdus and everything in it. We are made out of it.

Lets see wear my spacewalk takes me.

:)