Linda Connelly Enamels

Tag: enamel

  • Filling Holes in a Ready Made Copper Blank

    Filling Holes in a Ready Made Copper Blank

    Welcome to the latest in a series of articles to do with enamelling and making jewellery that I intend to publish. I hope you find them useful. Although I planned to write them weekly, unfortunately I missed a few last year due to sheer pressure of work. Many apologies and My New Year’s resolution is to do much better! I will be writing about issues and problems I have experienced (and hopefully overcome), and tips and shortcuts concerning enamelling and making jewellery that I have come across in the course of the past twenty years or so.

    What to Do When Your Ready Made Copper Blank is Pierced and You Want to Make a Brooch

    I came across this problem this Christmas when I decided to make a range of enamelled owl brooches. I wanted to make them as a stocking filler item and so needed to use a ready made shape. The only one I could find that was suitable came only as a pierced shape. I ordered them anyhow as I knew I could fill the hole with a wire rivet that wouldn’t show after enamelling.

    Making the Rivet to Fill the Hole

    I chose copper wire that was a tight fit in the hole. In this case I used 1.2 mm. I used a saw to cut a short piece approximately 2mm longer than the thickness of the blank. Use a saw instead of wire cutters to end up with a nice, flat cut that you need. Alternatively you could use wire cutters but then you would need to use a file.

    Try your wire for fit, set your blank onto a steel block. Then I use a small, light hammer with a flat face. Tap gently on the wire to spread it a little, turn over and repeat on the other side. Work methodically and you should end up with a neat rivet that is almost invisible. Try not to put hammer marks in the blank itself, although a few light ones probably won’t show. You can continue with emery paper if you wish, although I didn’t find it necessary because I was making was using a riso screen over my surface that completely hid any evidence of the rivet. Have a go. It is useful to be able to do this if you need to. Tomorrow I will get back some of the owls I made and I will post a picture. Let me know how you get on.

  • Mermaid Necklet

    Mermaid Necklet

    Mermaid Necklet

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    I have just entered my Mermaid Necklet in a Facebook competition for ‘Gifts from the Sea’. It is cloisonné enamel on fine silver. It is in a fine silver bezel with sterling silver fronds of seaweed which were cast from a wax model that I made. A single pearl hangs from a loop and it is suspended on a sterling silver chain. The cloisonné uses fine gold and fine silver wires. I have engraved a texture beneath the enamel and around the outside is written in wire the following words: ‘They dwelt in halls of seaweed and shells’. This is inspired by the words of an Enya song. The whole idea came to me when I was swimming off the coast of Crete. We were told that beneath us was the remains of a Roman city. As I swam, I wondered how they knew it was Roman and perhaps it was the Kingdom of the Merfolk.

    ‘Gifts from the Sea’ for me encompasses the myriad of colours and patterns found in fish; the sinuous, sensuous lines of fronds of sea weed; the intricate, exquisite detail of shells and the luscious bounty of the oyster. However, for me the greatest gift is to our imagination in the guise of Merfolk.  I believe that this necklet truly does represent ‘Gifts from the Sea’ in all it’s forms and I hope you like it.

  • Doggie Tags – Dog ID Tag

    Doggie Tags – Dog ID Tag

    Today we went for a family walk at Knole Park in Sevenoaks in Kent. It was raining as we left, but I am nothing if not an optimist. Sure enough as we drove, the rain stopped and the sun came out. As we parked the car we were treated to a beautiful rainbow above.  The National Trust allow dogs in the park so long as they are on a lead. Jyp isn’t reliable enough yet in any case not to be. He will come back so long as there aren’t any other distractions like people, dogs, cats etc. There are lots of deer at Knole, so any lead mishaps would doubtless result in an embarrassing ‘Fenton’ incident! Although he doesn’t go off the lead when he is out yet, I thought it would be a great idea if he had a name-tag with my mobile number on it. He is micro chipped but hopefully this will make it quicker to reunite us in the event of an escape. I decided to make him a bone shaped, enamelled one with his name in gold lustre on the front. I have engraved my phone number on the reverse. Here he completely exhausted after his walk, wearing his new tag. Perhaps I will make cat ID tags in the shape of a fish. They would make great Christmas Tree presents for pets. [singlepic id=101 w=320 h=240 mode=watermark float=][singlepic id=103 w=320 h=240 mode=watermark float=]

  • Guardian Angels On Folksy

    Guardian Angels On Folksy

    I have just listed my Guardian Angel Brooches and Pendants in my Folksy Shop. The idea for this range came to me during a visit to one of my favourite cities, York. I was there with my husband whilst my young son was away on a school trip aboad. Wandering around the cathedral, I could see angels at every turn. At the time I was reading a book by Rachael Hore called ‘The Glass Painter’s Daughter’ and a central part of the story concerns the restoration of an angel stained glass window. As I walked around this beautiful city, the idea came to me of developing a range of jewellery that would embody the love and thoughts of the giver, even whilst the wearer was far away. Regrettably my son would never wear one, but I hope that other children, spouses and parents will love and appreciate the concept. I think they make a perfect gift for a loved one who is going away. They are enamel on silver with cloisonne and fine gold detail.  They are 45 mm long and each one is hallmarked.