I need your help…

I’m offering a challenge, to my readers!  Please read further for the details…you don’t have to do anything other than think!

Words are not my specialty…so I’m looking for someone who has a way with words, or anyone who has what they think is a “unique” idea for the name of an artisan jewelry line.   Dawn and I haven’t been able to come up with something fitting in the way of a name for the “scrap” designs I’ve been doing. 

The person whose name is chosen will be awarded either a pendant or pair of earrings…style of the “scrap” design to be determined by the winner but size and final appearance to be determined by me.

This is where your help comes in…please help me name the design line!

Jewelry Design Name Challenge!

• This challenge is open to anyone, regardless of where you live…

• You have from Monday October 22^nd to Sunday October 28^th, 12:00 noon to offer a complimentary name for my “scrap” silver designs.

• The name must not be similar to an existent jewelry line, Google your thoughts and see what materializes.

• The author of the name must agree to be photographed while wearing her chosen piece, if the winner is a male, he may hold the pieces in a box, or hand for his photo, which will be posted on baytoday.ca and my blog.

• The author of the chosen jewelry design name, by entering the challenge agrees to relinquish all rights to the name as offered, in this challenge.

• The jewelry design name chosen will be posted in baytoday.ca and my blog on Monday October 29^th in my regular post.

• A jewelry design name will be chosen and a piece of jewelry will be awarded, but the chosen jewelry design name will not necessarily be used for the jewelry design name, this will be left to my (Heather Cote) discretion.

• Please send all names to hjcote11@gmail.com.  Do not leave the name as a comment on my blog!  The owner of the name chosen will be contacted Sunday October 28^th by email.

Have fun!

 

I’ve been making pendants and earrings from “scrap” silver for a few years now.   While this isn’t anything new in the world of the metal-smith, I like to think we as artisans bring a unique aspect to our individual work.    In my mind each piece I fuse/solder together is a “one of a kind piece”…rugged, rustic, and a bit “rough around the edges”, not literally but figuratively.  I strive to ensure my silver pieces will be rugged, with a definite artisan look to them, but classically timeless as well…my hope is when you buy one of my “scrap” pieces, whether it is a pendant or earrings, it will be something you will wear twenty years from now…after you clean it of course!  

Each one of the “scrap” pieces I create are special to me…I genuinely enjoy the process, watching as the finished piece emerges…certain pieces I simply solder scrap on and leave as is, while others I like to sculpt the piece by adding layer upon layer of metal watching as it softens, rolls and melts into the base.  Recently I’ve been making “nuggets”, simple, but no less interesting to create. In fact I take pleasure in watching the scrap pieces liquefy under the torch, and then solidify when the flame is removed.

If you think you have a unique name to be a good “fit” with my jewelry line please don’t hesitate to enter the challenge!   

I sincerely appreciate your help…check out the rules, they are very simple!  I look forward to hearing from you!

Have a great week…

Cheers      

hjcote11@gmail.com

PS...please excuse the lateness of getting this post up...there was a glitch in getting it posted to baytoday.ca first!

A trip down memory lane…

I was contemplating what my post should be for Monday October 15^th, and came up with a few things.  What kept surfacing to the top of the list was a “trip down memory lane”.   Every once in a while I look back at old photos of my designs; it is satisfying to see what I was doing then, in comparison to what I do now.   Surprisingly enough there are some stringing designs I did in the beginning I still do…colors change but certain designs don’t go out of style.

 This journey begins in November of 2006…I’d been stringing necklaces and bracelets as well as making simple earrings for the previous couple of months.  I was enjoying myself… finding finishing a piece of jewelry rewarding.  During this time, I happened to see an advertisement for a craft show at the Commerce Campus, Canadore College and on a whim called the contact person.  As things happen, there weren’t any spots left.  I don’t remember if it was “no jewelry spots” or just no spots.  There is a difference,  I learned very quickly there is an over abundance of people who make jewelry, in one form or another, so there is usually a limit set for this kind of vendor at shows.  For this reason, I’m always thankful when accepted to a show.

 When I was given the negative response regarding the show it wasn’t a big deal, it just wasn’t meant to be.   Having said that… the Friday before the show I received a call early in the morning informing me if I was still interested there was a spot available for the show the next day! 

 I didn’t have any time to think about my answer… a simple yes or no was required!   Of course it was a yes…but my goodness I had to scramble the rest of the day to prepare myself as best I could!   It was a very exciting day…

I called my daughter, Dawn, asking her to do the show with me as I’d chronic medical issues and knew I would need her help.   She has been helping me work my markets/shows/events ever since.   Her help is invaluable; I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without her.  We make a great team…thank you Dawn.

The show was a grand success, which was a contributing factor in my desire to continue doing events…I’ve always been thankful to those who helped make my very first event a success.

The photos I’ve included this week are collages from late 2006, top and early 2007 bottom.  Stop by again…in the coming weeks I’ll add to the “trip”.

As always, if you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact me directly!  I’d like to hear what you have to say.

Have a great week…

Cheers

hjcote11@gmail.com

October Birthstone ~ Opal ~

The month of October has two birthstones, tourmaline and opal…I did a post in August regarding the beautiful tourmaline so that leaves opal for this post, not a bad second choice…point of interest the Hindu birthstone for October is Coral.  As with other post this will be in short form, allowing it to be read easier and quickly.

• 14^th and 18^th anniversary gift
• Fragile hydrated silica material
•  Opal is from the Greek Opallos, “to see a change (of colour)”.  Also found…from the Latin word opalus, -which means “stone”.
• Multi coloured stone, ranging from milky white to black, with flashes of blue, green, red and orange.
• Most opals are 50 – 65 million years old, dating back to the dinosaur age
• Two kinds of opals, common and precious which is determined by how the stone is formed

 Snow white opal from Australia
 

• Opal has “types” under the common and precious umbrella, the name is determined by the kind, place occurred and the color of the body of the stone, they are Dark or Black Opal, White or Light Opal, Milk or Crystal Opal, Boulder Opal, Opal Matrix, Yowah Nuts from Queensland and the Mexican  and Fire Opal…
• Almost 95% of all the quality opal comes from the dry outback area in Australia.
• Black Opal from New South Wales, most rare, very valuable, a good quality black opal often costs more per carat than a diamond

            Mexican Fire Opal in Matrix Polished Egg

 

• The most significant deposit of the orange/red Fire Opal is found in Mexico.  The color comes from traces of iron oxide.   A yellow to orange opal was found in Brazil, sometimes slightly cloudy, and without any play of colour. 
• There have been opal finds in Honduras, Guatemala, USA, Canada Australia, Ethiopia and Turkey, but these produce very little.
• Crystal type opals are transparent… milky opals, which are opaque are most common and usually the least expensive.
• The Opal has the same chemical make up as quartz but with 5 to 10 percent more water.  Basically the stone is made up of round particles with water filling in the rest of the area.  The flashes of colour, what the Opal is known for are due to this combination of water and particles.  These flashes are referred to as the “play of light”. 
• The amount of water in an opal is what keeps it shiny and flashing.   Loss of water can result in a dull appearance to the opal… it is said for this reason opal miners would store their rough product in water.   Maybe opals should be stored this way?
• Due to the amount of water in the opal they are susceptible to becoming brittle; therefore they should not be stored around heat and should be worn often as the moisture in both the air and skin will help to keep the opal hydrated.
• I’ve always like the Opal, but I’ve not found it to be a popular stone from a selling stand point.  In fact I don’t ever recall anyone asking for something made with Opal gems.   I wonder why that is… 
• I’ve used the common milky opaque opals in jewelry designs, while less expensive they are pretty…it is the crystal, precious opals that are truly gorgeous with their “play of light”.

 

 For a change, I've added a couple of bracelet photos...these were made from beautiful lampwork beads.

 NOTE:  I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my wonderful customers who showed their support at North Bay Farmers’ Market this season, your presence was appreciated…don’t hesitate to contact me if there is anything you want or need!

As always, if you have any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to contact me directly!

Cheers

Heather

hjcote11@gmail.com

***Thank you to Maryanne Fender of FenderMinerals for allowing me to use her fabulous opal photos!

Information Source

http://www.gemstone.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:sapphire&catid=1:gem-by-gem&Itemid=14

http://www.galleries.com/minerals/mineralo/opal/birthoct.htm

http://www.bernardine.com/birthstone/opal.htm

http://earthsky.org/earth/october-birthstone-opal-tourmaline

http://www.americangemsociety.org/october-birthstones

http://www.birthstones.org.uk/jewels-gemstones/opals.htm

 Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian friends!

Happy Columbus Day to my American friends!

Enjoy your time with loved ones...

FYI...I will be doing my weekly post on Tuesday...

Cheers

How fast time goes...

I can’t believe how quickly this Market season has gone…Saturday October 6^th is the final North Bay Farmers’ Market for the 2012 season.  I’m always sad to see the end of the North Bay Farmers’ Market, as I do enjoy the festive atmosphere…even when it rains and is freezing cold, although I have to be honest, I’m not happy when my tent leaks!!!   This season marks my 6^th year at the North Bay Farmers’ Market…

 

 Stop by this Saturday; visit with your favourite vendors, choose from the abundance the farmers have to offer during the Harvest Festival and End of Season Market.   Treat yourself, enjoy fresh baked goods for your Thanksgiving meal, I’m sure  you will find something pumpkin,  stock up on condiments, preserves, jams, jellies or consider choosing artisan crafted gifts for this gift giving season. 

A previous full time vendor and friend of mine, who many of you know, will be at the Market this Saturday;  Melissa Sones, Blossom Floral Design…she will have wonderful floral creations available to grace your Thanksgiving table.  I’m looking forward to seeing what Melissa creates for me!   Look for her on Facebook    

 

Verdon Vaillancourt will be on hand to perform for the Harvest Festival…always a pleasure to have Vern perform; he is a definite crowd pleaser.

We look forward to seeing you there…it is sure to be an exciting day!

another of my scrap silver pendant

With the end of the Market comes the fall shows…I’ve cancelled one show and added two new shows this year so I’ve three to tell you about.  I think it is a good thing to change venues once in a while…keeps things fresh.  This year you can find us at the following shows:

 ~ Davedi Club Craft show, November 3^rd & 4^th,   great show, you won’t want to miss this one!

 ~ Unique Artisans Christmas Craft Show at the Best Western, November 11^th,   a first for this one but I’m told it’s great!

 ~ City Streets Tour, November 24^th,   again my first for this one but I’ve heard great things about the tour!

 Detailed information will follow closer to the show dates…this is just a heads up for those of you who like to plan early.  

See you Saturday….

Cheers

www.northbayfarmersmarket.com