Spirals & Textures

Along with my fascination with texture goes an infinity of spirals which I've used in a great number of the pieces I've made. I suppose I'm infatuated with them. The piece on the left is silver and copper with a black onyx. The copper inlaid pieces are sheet metal that I have roller printed to get the texture using a sheet of nickel silver that I stamped a design on. I've made about 20 or 30 of these design sheets and always have several in the works since they take time to make. I think I'm working on three currently. Carlie uses these plates also in  her work. This piece is one of a kind at this point. The piece on the right is part of a series, number three at this point. Each one a little different as I like to make them. Sometimes the series will go on for years, but I only make one at a time. Unlike most of my current work this piece is all silver although the ball shapes are argentium silver, an alloy that I like to use for making balls because they come out perfect and smooth with no pits as sometimes happens when you melt sterling silver. Argentium is the best metal I have found for fusing also, one has a lot of control in the process.

Textured Metal Pendant

Jima made this pendant. I've always had a fascination with texture, both in my drawing and in my jewelry work. I'm continually looking for and trying to develop new textures and combinations of textures. The textures here on the top layer were directly stamped with a variety of steel stamps, some of which I made. The little copper circles are rivets. The back layer is brass, a roller printed sheet that also has a scratched texture. It was about 2 1/2 inches high.

Hinged Bracelet

Carlie made this hinged bracelet back in 2008. Starting in 2004 or 2005 we made these kinds of bracelets with interlocking jump ring chains for 6 or 7 years. We really got into playing with chain patterns and various hinged designs to help the bracelet fit right on the wrist. One year when we were on the road doing March art fairs in Arizona and the Palm Springs area I made 6 feet of this kind of chain. It was one of the few productive things that I could make while on the road.
This one is made of silver & gold with a little bit of copper, set with black onyx, holly blue agate from Oregon, fresh water pearl, garnet and lapis lazuli.

Scenic Jasper Pendant

I've been collecting various scenic and picture jaspers for many years, 40 or more. They fascinate me. It's sometimes difficult for me to set them in jewelry because when I do and they sell I don't get to look at them any more. Pretty weird I guess for someone who makes their living making and selling jewelry. But there it is. This looked like a desert landscape to me so I used a diamond drill to bore a hole in it and riveted on the copper sun shape. At the top is a fresh water pearl. Metals are silver, copper and 14k gold. The jasper is owyhee picture jasper from Oregon which is a treasure land of diverse gemstones.

Collaborative Earrings

Carlie and I have had side by side work benches for almost 40 years. Although we collaborate at the idea level a great deal and borrow ideas and inspirations from each other constantly we haven't done a lot of collaborative pieces on which we both work. These earrings are one way we do that. I do a lot of sawing and piercing of shapes and have really refined that technique so in this case I made the top piece with the copper lotus design. I then gave it to Carlie and she used it to create these great earrings. The bottom stones are chrysoprase and Orissa garnets, on the ear wires are fresh water pearls. Made in 2009.

Opal spiral pin/pendant

I've been infatuated with the spiral form for a number of years and have used it as a design element in a great variety of jewelry designs. This is a pin that can also be worn as a pendant in a mixture of sterling silver, copper and gold with an Australian opal. Made in 2009 by Jima Abbott.

Small Mixed Metal Pendants

Carlie made these two small multi layered mixed metal pendants. The center domes are roller printed brass. The sun shapes are copper and the back layer is silver with a hand stamped design.

Mixed Metal Beads

Two of Jima's mixed metal beads made in 2014. Silver, copper and brass. The bead on the left is all connected with a piece of 3/16th of an inch brass tubing running through the center of each piece and riveted down on the ends. The bead on the right is cold connected but the piece in the center has  soldered elements on it.