Working with resin: Making the Deco range

Just over a month ago I launched the Deco range of resin brooches. The concept behind this range was to pick up on the glorious, rich colours and larger-than-life jewellery style of the art deco era. The idea began with some pieces of an old chandelier I picked up at a market stall.

I started by creating silicone moulds from the brooches. It was my first time using silicone so I was relieved by how easy it was to work with. After telling myself "the first silicone pour will probably be a disaster", I was actually really happy with the moulds from first go.

Mixing silicone - these shots from my latest experiment...

From then it was a process of mixing colours and pouring resin. This is the fun part of the process - particularly the moment when you pop out the new piece from the mould, and decide that yes, you really are happy with it. I played around with colours a bit until I got some that I was happy with.

Then was the sanding process, smoothing all the rough edges and making them look pretty! This can be the tedious bit, but once you get into the sanding it can be quite meditative.

Finally I found a strong enough epoxy glue to secure the brooch backs to the brooches. So far they're holding strong! I also managed to glue several of my fingers together...

I've been really pleased with how the Deco range has turned out. From the first idea to the finished piece, it was really what I had envisaged all along. This might sound unsurprising, but working with silicone moulds and resin pours isn't always as easy as it sounds. I'm lucky that my first three collections have turned out so well, because it doesn't always happen this way.

Right now I'm experimenting with ideas for a new range, and oh boy they look pretty average right now. So bad in fact that I've had to throw out both moulds and resin pours - something I really don't like to do because I'm very conscious of the impact of it on the environment. Anyone who has heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch doesn't want to contribute any more waste than they have to! Experimenting is part of the creative process though, so don't let this put you off.

After struggling a bit with my latest range, it is nice to go back to my existing collections and feel some pride for my vision and for the final products!

If you've got any questions about using resin and silicone, including where to find supplies, leave a message on my contact page. Or join a class! Because it can be very rewarding once you know the basics.

simoneandginko workshop in Melbourne!

Exciting news! simoneandginko will be running a special one hour introductory recycled jewelry workshop at the North Melbourne Market on Saturday 11 March as part of the L'Oreal Melbourne Fashion Festival.

The workshop will teach you how to create beautiful pieces of contemporary jewelry from your recycled treasures. Details are as follows:

Saturday 11 March, 10am – 11am

Lithuanian Club, Errrol St, North Melbourne

Bring $5 for materials, plus old beads, broken jewelry and/or op shop finds

For bookings contact info@northmelbournemarket.com or send me an email

Book in now to secure your place!

simoneandginko will also be selling resin jewelry at the North Melbourne Market on 11 March. The market is a great place to find new and emerging fashion, jewelry and other crafty things. Drop by and say hello!

Last chance to book into December workshop

It's your last chance to book into simoneandginko's upcycled jewelry workshop on 1 December. It will be held at the Artists Shed in Queanbeyan, only 15 minutes from Canberra civic centre and 5 minutes past the airport. 

We'll provide the materials and guidance to help you create beautiful pieces of contemporary jewelry.

Date: Thursday 1 December 2011
Times: 6-9pm 
Location: the Artists Shed, 14 Foster Street Queanbeyan
Cost: $40 (includes all materials)
Bring: jewelry and beads that you would like to up-cycle

If you'd like to enrol in the class, contact us beforehand and bring your course fee to the workshop. See you there!

Resin in Canberra!

Last Saturday heralded our very first resin jewellery workshop in Canberra, courtesy of Bqueen with enthusiastic support from simoneandginko. On a beautiful sunny afternoon, at the Belconnen Arts Centre, overlooking the lovely Lake Gininderra, Canberrans created gorgeous bangles and rings in all the colours of the rainbow.

We learnt a lot from our tutor Bron, including the important safety issues when working with resin, but also how to create beautiful contemporary jewellery.

It's great to have such an exciting new workshop happening in Canberra. And simoneandginko will be running the next three workshops! They will be on Saturday 5 and 26 November, and 10 December, at the Belconnen Arts Centre. Details of how to book are at Bqueen or Belconnen Arts Centre. We hope to see you there!

simoneandginko jewelry workshop!

 

Last Saturday a group of Canberrans gathered for the very first, official simoneandginko jewelry workshop. Participants spent two and a half hours disassembling, reimagining and reassembling their beads and other goodies. A fun time was had by all and some beautiful pieces were created. Included above and below are some of our favourites.

To find out more about the next simoneandginko upcycle jewelry workshop, contact us! Or we could help you to host your very own upcycle jewelry workshop for your friends.

 

Jewelry workshop

Upcycle your jewelry!

Welcome to simoneandginko, I'm Simone.

I've been creating jewelry on and off since I was a teenager. First collecting beads, wires and hooks, and then making jewelry for my friends and family. Now I've decided to share the love - I'm going to teach you how to make your own jewelry!

In this day and age, it's really important to use what we have rather than creating more and more items to fill up the world. So my jewelry workshops will help you to upcycle old necklaces, earrings, bracelets etc, to use beautiful beads you may have been given by your grandmother or great aunt, and to turn those random op-shop finds into an elegant piece of jewelry for you to wear.

The next workshop will be held on Saturday 27 August, 10:00 - 12:30pm. Please contact me if you'd like to attend. Cost is $25 including materials and morning tea.

Currently the workshops are only being offered in Canberra, however if you're interested and don't live in Canberra, send me a message and I'll see how I might be able to help. My workshops can also be tailored to parties and other events.