The Agony of Complicated Designs

This ring was a nightmare but also a joy to make. I learned a lot of lessons on this piece that I'd like to share with you.

I usually use a small butane torch, most commonly used in the kitchen and called a creme brulee torch. For this piece I had to switch to a larger propane plumber's torch. The stone is 30 x 20 x 6mm Red River Jasper. Much larger then I've ever attempted to set before, much less in a ring. I formed the bezel and soldered it to the backplate. I had a few problems getting the solder to flow, using hard, but managed it in the end by applying heat, taking it away and reapplying quickly. Great care must be taken to not melt the delicate gallery wire that I used to form the bezel. After soldering the two pieces together I cut away the excess backplate and filed down the edges smooth. I popped the whole thing in the tumbler for a few hours and let it dry.

The next day I cut the thick wire for the ring shank and attempted to solder it on. I inadvertently kept the flame on too long. When soldering a ring shank on you must lie the bezel face down on your soldering block. By doing so I stopped paying attention to the delicate wires and melted the near side. When I attempted to melt the bezel off and save the backplate the whole thing crumbled due to the high temperatures I'd been subjecting the piece to.

I cut another bezel and soldered it to a new backplate. I repeated the above steps to prepare it and readied my torch. I fluxed the back of the ring and laid it on my soldering block. I tend to go in order of hard, medium, easy solder but I had just received some super easy solder and decided to try that for the ring shank. Using it made all the difference in the world for me. I was able to preserve the fine detail of the wire and solder the ring shank much more quickly. I let the piece cool to the air then pickled the whole piece before popping it back in the tumbler.

After removing the ring I polished it using fine abrasive buffs and my Dremel then switched to felt/linen buffs and polishing compound. I placed the stone within the setting and set about pushing all the prongs down to securely hold the Red River Jasper.
The ring is a size 7.25 - the setting itself is 32 x 22mm - just around 1.25 inches long. I take a great deal of pride in this ring and consider it my statement piece. Any and all comments are welcome!! Red River Jasper Ring is available here

I was featured on CraftGawker!!

Okay, so this is a big deal to me. I used to submit my pieces all of the time and the website stopped accepting submissions from Etsy. They didn't want to use it as advertising. Fair enough, now to be featured they'd like tutorials or tips along with great photography. The actual CraftGawker site with my picture on it is here

One of my Teamies from the Aspiring Metalsmiths has a blog where she features a new artist every week. You select the item and write up a description of what made it difficult or if you had a teachable moment. Well I had one for these earrings alright.

I'd love for you to check out what she had to say about my earrings! Her blog is called The Singing Anvil and her shop on Etsy is The Moss Pot

Things to Consider

So I've been a little absent lately. It's been a busy and stressful week. I was really looking forward to the weekend to relax a little and decompress. A coworker died last week and it was completely unexpected. She had asthma problems and some joint issues, she had actually had a knee replacement just a few months before. Her cause of death was ruled an asthma attack. When someone is taken so quickly and unexpectedly it really makes you rethink some things. During her funeral things were said about how she lived her life. She basically lived for just a few things that were important to her: church, her family and her friends. Always available for a chat, if you were upset she'd cry with you and not be embarrassed, she gave great hugs and she truly knew herself. It made me think about myself and where I'm at right now.

I started wondering what exactly I'm doing and what I'm living for. Don't take that out of context (if anyone is actually reading this lol). I'm happy for the most part and satisfied with how my life is going. But at the same time I feel like I've made some mistakes and I don't know how to right them. In the past year or so some decisions I've made were not for the best. I know I've hurt certain people and they've hurt me. Possibly irreparably. I never feel comfortable knowing I've ruined a relationship or that something was said that can't be taken back. But at the same time I've never been one to hold back when I'm upset. I lead with my heart and that gets me into trouble at times. I tend to say things in anger and not think of the consequences until later.

It's hard to know what actions to take when you know someone has been lying to you. Promises were made and then not kept, lies uncovered and apologies never given. Does it really take so much energy to tell someone "I'm sorry I hurt you"? Apparently so.

I've taken the stance that I will not live my life with regrets. Everything happens for a reason and possibly a decision that was made months ago means something better will happen in the future. Maybe that was part of the master plan to show me to lead in a different direction and I will establish better personal relationships. I lead with my heart, not my head. And in typical fashion, I fall too hard and make leaps - not steps. Life is about steps and taking those steps with someone by your side - not behind or in front of you. The worst part is knowing I can't go back and make things better. But then again, do I really want to change someone to be someone they are obviously not? Of course not, I want them to be the person they were - the one I was close to and wanted in my life. If that persona is an act - then so be it. I just won't be a figure in their play anymore. Regardless of how much I want them to be a part of my life - it is what it is.

I've wandered from my true purpose here - again leading with my heart not my head. To sum it all up - I've made mistakes. I can't change things but I can make better decisions in the future. I owe it to myself and my family to be happy and a positive person. I just wish the memories didn't follow so closely.

What's the story Morning Glory?

You might have noticed that I removed the word "Lupus" from my title. I don't know what is going on anymore. My visit to the Cleveland Clinic was not what I expected. Well, the visit was fine but the blood tests that came from it were disappointing. My results showed no discernible levels of Lupus but they did show levels of inflammation. My doctor thinks more then likely the first test I had was a false positive. My symptoms of muscle pain, joint pain, headaches and fatigue can be attributed to another cause.

Fibromyalgia is another funny little problem that a lot of people have. The problem is it has a bad rap of being a "mystery" disease that is "all in the person's head. There isn't a test that can definitively point to Fibromyalgia - most of the diagnosis is based on duration of symptoms and quality of them. I'm not sure what I'd rather be diagnosed with as they both have serious issues and complications. To be honest, I'd rather not be diagnosed with anything and not have to deal with the daily pain and issues that surround what I'm going through. But if I have to deal with this I want a diagnosis of something firm. I hate when people ask me what's going on and I just have to kind of shake my head and say "I'm not sure". It feels like I'm hiding something when really I'm just clueless. Not a good feeling.

My little angel

Just thought I'd share a little bit about the most important person in my life - My son B. This is when we went to the park the other day to play on the playground while his dad was playing in a softball game. He really didn't grasp the concept of shoveling the sand into the bucket. He was a lot happier just to push his shovel into it. He has absolutely grasped the family obsession with the Pittsburgh Pirates as well. They might be absolutely horrible right now but we still support them!



And you know if we support the Pirates we support the Steelers as well. My favorite player just happens to be B's as well. Troy Polamalu - if you're reading this - I'd love to introduce you to my son but I can't guarantee he won't try to pull your hair - it's longer then mine and he loves to play in it. ;-)

Cleveland isn't intimidating AT ALL

Back from the Cleveland Clinic and my visit didn't go too badly at all. It was surprisingly easy to find and navigate. There is a lovely shopping plaza on Cedar as you're coming into the city called Legacy Village - WOW. We (my husband and I) stopped to eat at the Cheesecake Factory before my appointment. That really helped to settle my nerves a bit but proved to be a detriment later.

My appointment was at 1pm and we got to the correct building/floor at 12:30. Surprisingly, we were taken right back to the exam room. After vitals and cursory questions were asked the nurse left and my DH and I were just sitting there looking at each other. Thank goodness the doctor came in soon. He was super thorough and very efficient. I was really very pleased with the visit. He did say that the tests that were run by my local hospital/lab corporation were done in a way that "bothers" him. He said that they used a method he's not familiar with to run my Anti Double Strand DNA test - he was being polite and trying to not say it was antiquated. My ANA test was also defined as Low and he didn't like that either so he decided to re-run all of the blood tests and expand on a bunch more.

The funny thing was, he also ordered a CAT scan. Now, those who know me, don't make jokes lol. I've always said there was something wrong in my head so you don't have to. He just wants to make sure my headaches aren't being caused by something else. To be honest, I think he was kind of doubting the results - that he thought I didn't really have Lupus after all. I asked him what could cause the muscle pain if it wasn't Lupus and he said there isn't any other good reason for it. I was joking about making him place a bet and he wouldn't take me up on it.

Lupus is one of those issues where it is hard to pinpoint. The symptoms can be annoying, hide behind other problems and mislead. The ANA test is the first step to diagnosing. My level was read as 1:40 - anything under 1:80 is considered a negative test. Generally when someone has Lupus their numbers are in the 1:720 or 1:360 range. However, my mother also has this disorder so they ran the Anti DS DNA test which is more exact. The DNA test is way more exact on picking out Lupus. The ANA can bounce around and it can also change depending on what lab is used. Very annoying. I was told there is a 50% chance of the ANA having a false negative or false positive - GREAT. However there is less then a 10% chance of the DNA test being a false positive. So, until he gets my results back in 2 weeks I'm in another holding pattern.

I go for my CAT scan next Monday. That's the part I alluded to earlier. If I had known that I was going to have a CAT scan I wouldn't have ate lunch at 11:3oam. You can't eat for 4 hours before the scan. I could have had it done yesterday if I'd know that and had been better prepared. Good thing is, I don't have to drive 2 hours back to Cleveland. I can take it in Niles which is more like 1 hour away.

So, overall not a bad experience. I don't like having to go back in 2 weeks to go over my results again but you'll have that. I'd rather be sure about what we're dealing with.

Second Giveaway

Sorry I've been neglecting you!!

I had a great idea the other day - why only give one prize away? I'm going to give a custom ring to a random fan in my drawing just like I promised - BUT - I'd also like to give a pendant away to the person who refers the most friends.

So get on those friends of yours and show off my stuff.... wait, that sound greedy.... um... how about....

..........


nope, that's still the best I've got! Show me off and the prize could be yours... will it be something like this? A lovely little double pendant?? Sea Blue Quartz and Freshwater Pearl








Or maybe something that has a little more of a statement to it... such as this gorgeous Argentinian Rhodochrosite


Let me know what you think the style should be!!

Ring Ideas for Something for Nothing

Here is an idea I have for this Something for Nothing giveaway! This is a Smokey Quartz set in a serrated bezel on a band of sterling silver berry wire. I'm also thinking of a plain band or maybe wrapped in copper? I'll post another idea soon... I'm going to update this as often as I think of new plans. I'd love to get ideas from you as well.

Something for Nothing!!

I've been thinking how I can get my jewelry out to more people and my Etsy Team the Aspiring Metalsmiths have some great ideas. Our fearless leader is Clarity from Scrollwork designs and she came up with a "game" where you refer friends to her page and you get entered into a drawing!

Bingo!!

I loved it so I stole it (hey I gave her credit right?) Anywho - here are the details I'm sure you're just dying to hear:
1) refer as many people as possible. Heckle all of your buddies until they become fans of my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/elizabethsexclusives no really, don't heckle anyone just politely suggest to them that they might enjoy looking at some of my pieces... um... I'll do the heckling for you... yea... I'm innocent I swear... you can use the "suggest to friends" button that is located under my profile picture
2) check back on my page every so often and click "see all" on my fans list so you can tell who "liked" my page that are from your friends list or those friends who have told you they joined my page
3) once you see a name you recognize let me know who it is so you can get credit and receive an entry. This can be done through private message to my personal page (Elizabeth Porter Duke) or just posting a comment/post on my page!
4) once I've reached the deadline (still TBA) I'll draw a lucky person's name and they will receive a custom designed/sized ring. I'm still working on the design but it will be posted here once it is determined.

I'll post encouragements on my FB page and ask for ideas or styles you are fond of to create the perfect ring. Any questions please feel free to ask anytime - either through a comment here or on my FB page. I'm really excited about doing this as I've never tried anything like it before.

Here's to a fun game and I wish you all the best of luck!! Oh I'm so excited about this I'm bouncing up and down in my chair - I love a good game!

Discovering Lupus

When I got married I was fairly indifferent about wanting a baby. It was something we talked about but always "in the future". It wasn't until my sister in law was going through Leukemia that I realized I didn't know what we were waiting for anymore. My brother and SIL had been wanting another child (they each have a beautiful daughter from previous relationships) and due to her treatments this was no longer possible.

I basically came to the conclusion that the longer I waited, the more chances of something preventing me getting pregnant. To make a long story short, I did have some issues and went through a bad year before I finally was able to carry a child. I listened to everyone say how they loved being pregnant, that it would always be something to be treasured, and it was the best time of their lives.

THEY LIED!!!

I was absolutely miserable. From the time I reached 6 weeks until the day I delivered I was sick. Within a 10 day period I lost 17 lbs. My OB-GYN prescribed Zofran and that was the only way I was able to keep food in. I had horrible swelling that would come all the way up to my knees. Pitting edema was the worst - that's where you can press a finger against your leg and an indention remains. I could play tic tac toe on myself! I knew I had a rough time but couldn't really understand why.

Fast forward several months - beautiful baby boy is born and I'm starting to feel much better. After a few months I notice I'm getting a lot of headaches, I'm sore a lot even if I've only done a little walking while shopping. The worst was all the colds. Every time anyone around me got a cold I was bound to get sick. It was like I was catching every little bug that was going around. Then I got a 24 stomach flu virus thing. I was actually wishing for death at that point. After I got over that it was a cold every month or so. I was always joking that my son was getting me sick from daycare. He had his own problems with ear infections. I asked my doctor about it and was told my immunity was low because of childbirth and to not worry about it.

I found a new doctor after my son reached his 15 month. The muscle pain was getting worse. I'm a personal trainer and teach several exercise classes a week so I'm constantly active and lifting weights. I'd teach my kettlebell class and have difficulty walking the next day and picking up my son. I went to a new doctor and he ordered a whole battery of tests. Everything came back negative. He ordered an ANA and RA tests. Specifically these are Antinuclear Antibodies test and Rheumatoid Arthritis. The RA came back negative but the ANA came back positive. It is very common to get false negatives/positives so he ordered an Anti Double Strand DNA test - that was positive as well. So it's pretty clear at this point and I really can't keep denying anything. The constant colds are due to my immune system attacking my muscles instead of foreign germs.

My next step is heading over to the Cleveland Clinic and meeting with a specialist. This appointment is next week and I have SO many questions to ask. I can deal with the current symptoms but I'm afraid they will get worse. The fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, headaches and constant sickness are doable. It's the organ failure, heart problems, potential for dialysis and widespread infection that I'm more leery of. Lupus is an unpredictable disease and you can't really expect a normal course. I guess you never know where your life is going to take you either way. Hell, I could get in a car accident on the way to work today and this whole discussion is moot. It's just the expected unknown that's formidable.

And we're off...

First time I've ever had a blog so bear with me as we get through the growing pains. This will hopefully be a place where I can show off my jewelry creations, my family and my ups and downs dealing with Lupus.

I've been making jewelry for more years then I care to admit. I've grown from simple beading to more complex metalsmithing techniques. I still like to create earrings and necklaces from semi-precious gemstones such as smokey quartz, chalcedony, topaz and peridots. I'm just taking that love of gemstones into a new era - a time when I can melt silver (hopefully not too much) and form bezels to hold these same cabochon cut stones.
Bezel setting for me is therapeutic. It takes my full concentration and if I get distracted at all I'm bound to make a mistake. My most common mistake is holding the torch in one place too long and melting a delicate portion of fine silver. Then again, doing any kind of jewelry making is therapeutic for me. It can be absolutely maddening at times but overall I really love it. I can totally space out and lose track of time for hours. Many times I've started in the early evening around 7pm and not looked up until well after midnight.

Lately though this has been a source of aggravation in more ways then one. I was recently (last week!!) diagnosed with Lupus. I've been dealing with muscle and joint pain along with headaches for over a year. Only recently had it gotten to the point where I needed to see a doctor to figure out what the heck was going on with me. I used to joke I had hypochondriac tendencies so I avoided complaining about it too much. Turns out it was something serious after all. I have an appointment with a specialist at the Cleveland Clinic coming up soon so I should know more by then. My mother has suffered from this same disorder for 20 years now - while I know what to expect for the most part it is still the unknown that frightens me most. My next post will be more about what led up to my diagnosis and where to go from here.